Spring Break
Americans Make Voices Known
Elena Gaudino
Issue date: 1/29/07 Section: News
Protestors gathered in Washington, D.C. on the National Mall on Saturday to rally and march to demonstrate their discontent with the war in Iraq, the Bush administration and the recent call for more troops to be sent over to Iraq. The crowd, which numbered close to 500,000, spanned across the National Mall and its surrounding streets.
The protest included every type of anti-war and anti-Bush platform and the crowd varied, creating an enormous gathering of protestors united for one cause: to stop the war and to impeach Bush. The event resembled a hybrid half-festival and half-serious political rally.
Across from the Capitol, a group called "Jamming for Justice" drummed away on maracas and bongos, drawing in a crowd of onlookers to dance or observe. In the center of the mall, a group of demonstrators were kneeling in the grass wearing orange jumpsuits and black hoods covering their entire heads in order to resemble the detainees held at Guantanamo Bay.
Other less obvious protestors walked around holding signs with statements such as "Another Republican Against the War," "Another Lesbian Against the War" and "Another Jewish Mets Fan Against the War," proving the crowd was indeed a multi-faceted one, united for one cause.
Key political figures and celebrities such as Jesse Jackson, Susan Sarandon, Jane Fonda and Tim Robbins spoke to the crowd about the evils they believe are taking place and what people must do to solve these issues.
"We the people no longer accept the Bush propaganda," said John Brown, the former State Department diplomat who accused Bush of telling the public grave lies. "We are here to demand the truth ... the truth will take us out of Iraq and the truth will make us free."
In her speech, Fonda questioned the politics of the Bush administration, claiming that hubris, arrogance and carelessness have landed the United States in situations where it should not be, therefore endangering U.S. troops. She called upon the crowd to take necessary action before another soldier's or innocent civilian's life is taken away.
The protest included every type of anti-war and anti-Bush platform and the crowd varied, creating an enormous gathering of protestors united for one cause: to stop the war and to impeach Bush. The event resembled a hybrid half-festival and half-serious political rally.
Across from the Capitol, a group called "Jamming for Justice" drummed away on maracas and bongos, drawing in a crowd of onlookers to dance or observe. In the center of the mall, a group of demonstrators were kneeling in the grass wearing orange jumpsuits and black hoods covering their entire heads in order to resemble the detainees held at Guantanamo Bay.
Other less obvious protestors walked around holding signs with statements such as "Another Republican Against the War," "Another Lesbian Against the War" and "Another Jewish Mets Fan Against the War," proving the crowd was indeed a multi-faceted one, united for one cause.
Key political figures and celebrities such as Jesse Jackson, Susan Sarandon, Jane Fonda and Tim Robbins spoke to the crowd about the evils they believe are taking place and what people must do to solve these issues.
"We the people no longer accept the Bush propaganda," said John Brown, the former State Department diplomat who accused Bush of telling the public grave lies. "We are here to demand the truth ... the truth will take us out of Iraq and the truth will make us free."
In her speech, Fonda questioned the politics of the Bush administration, claiming that hubris, arrogance and carelessness have landed the United States in situations where it should not be, therefore endangering U.S. troops. She called upon the crowd to take necessary action before another soldier's or innocent civilian's life is taken away.
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