Environmentalists Against War

Nationwide Protests: Anti-war Activists Arrested near White House

March 20th, 2011 - by admin

Eric Tucker / Associated Press – 2011-03-20 00:56:33

http://enews.earthlink.net/article/us?guid=20110319/93dbae89-2c78-48d2-be21-f8bc0af9c481

WASHINGTON (March 19, 2011) — More than 100 anti-war protesters, including the man who leaked the Pentagon Papers, were arrested outside the White House on Saturday in demonstrations marking the eighth anniversary of the US-led war in Iraq.

The protesters, some shouting anti-war slogans and singing “We Shall Not Be Moved,” were arrested after ignoring orders to move away from the gates of the White House. The demonstrators cheered loudly as Daniel Ellsberg, the former military analyst who in 1971 leaked the Pentagon’s secret history of the Vietnam War that was later published in major newspapers, was arrested and led away by police.

In New York City, about 80 protesters gathered near the US military recruiting center in Times Square, chanting “No to war” and carrying banners that read, “I am not paying for war” and “Butter not guns.”

Similar protests marking the start of the Iraq war were also planned Saturday in Chicago, San Francisco and other cities.

The demonstration in Washington on Saturday merged varied causes, including protesters demanding a US military withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan as well as those supporting Bradley Manning, the jailed Army private suspected of giving classified documents to the website WikiLeaks.

One chant that was repeated was: “Stop the War! Expose the Lies! Free Bradley Manning!”

Manning is being held in solitary confinement for all but an hour every day at a Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Virginia. He is given a suicide-proof smock to wear to bed and is stripped naked each night. On Sunday, a protest will be held in Quantico, outside the brig where Manning is being held.

Ellsberg has publicly defended Manning (calling him a “brother”) and WikiLeaks.

Hundreds of protesters attended the rally and marched around the White House, but the crowd — which included many military veterans — thinned considerably as the US Park Police warned that they’d be arrested if they didn’t move. As officers moved in with handcuffs, one protester who clutched the gates outside the White House shouted, “Don’t arrest them! Arrest Obama!” and “You’re arresting veterans, not war criminals!”

Authorities said 113 protesters were arrested, processed and given violation notices for disobeying an official order. They could pay a small fine and be released, or be freed with a future court date.

“The majority were cooperative,” said US Park Police spokesman David Schlosser. “A couple had to be carried, but altogether a polite and orderly crowd.”

One military veteran who showed up for the rally was Paul Markin, a 64-year-old retired US Army colonel from Massachusetts who said he’s frustrated by what he sees as the US government’s escalation of the wars. He said he’s been against wars since coming home from Vietnam. “Ever since that time, I’ve gone to the other side. Instead of a warrior, an anti-warrior,” Markin said.

Ralph Nader, a consumer advocate who’s unsuccessfully run several times for president, attended the demonstration and said anti-war protesters needed to continue putting pressure on government leaders. He said he believed most Americans and even soldiers agreed with the views of the protesters. “I believe they reflect the majority opinion of the soldiers in Afghanistan,” Nader told The Associated Press. “This is a majority opinion movement.”

There was little talk at the DC protest of the US missile strikes against Moammar Gadhafi’s forces in Libya on Saturday, part of an international effort to protect rebel forces. But the Times Square demonstration that was meant to mark the eighth anniversary of the Iraq invasion quickly became a protest against Saturday’s military strikes.

Gary Maveal, 57, a law professor from Detroit who was visiting the city for a conference, said he feared the Libyan attacks would become a “quagmire.” “We don’t have a good record of getting out of anywhere in a hurry,” he said.

Joan Davis, 79, of Manhattan carried a sign that said, “War is stupid.” She said she felt Obama had rushed to attack Libya, and that the US action would breed more contempt for the United States in other parts of the Middle East.

US Rep. Charles Rangel joined the protesters, saying he was angry that Congress was not consulted before the military strikes. He said he was undecided on whether the military action against Libya was justified.

“Our presidents seem to believe that all we have to do is go to the UN and we go to war,” Rangel said as a large television behind him at the recruiting station showed an advertisement for the Air Force with crews loading missiles onto fighter jets. “Going to war is not a decision that presidents should make,” he added.

Associated Press reporter Chris Hawley in New York City contributed to this story.