Ashley MalnoveRain did little to subdue the 400 plus protesters who gathered in the Washington University Quadrangle Thursday afternoon to respond to the beginning of a United States-initiated war on Iraq.
President George W. Bush addressed the nation on Wednesday night and said that the U.S. was attacking Iraq. Cruise missiles struck several targets in and around Baghdad on Thursday morning during the early stages of the war. Reports from Washington indicated that the early attacks were aimed at a group of high-ranking Iraqi officials, including perhaps Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Students convened in the Quad near Brookings Hall on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. to protest the previous night’s actions and the beginning of the war. Many of the students wore shirts with such sayings as “I am not at war” and held up signs reading “Bush is the Terrorist” and “Stop the Imperialism.”
The protest involved many speakers whose words were met with cries from the crowd. There were no microphones for the first hour of the protest, causing the participants to press close to the stage in order to better hear those who were speaking.
Many of the speakers stressed the importance of speaking out. “Some days it’s more important for our voices to be heard outside the classroom,” said junior Allison Gilmore. Shawn Redden, one of the organizers of theprotest, said that speaking out represents a “way to escape the empty feeling of seeing our leaders do something so blind.”
Sophomore Aviva Rubin said that she believes that the rally is important to encourage all who oppose the war to speak out. “Hopefully [this rally] will generate interest in people who have been disinterested or who have wondered if anything they could do would help,” said Rubin.
Various reasons were cited for opposition to the war. Redden, for instance, mentioned President Bush’s speech from Sept. 20, 2001, in which he said “either you’re with us or the terrorists.” Redden said that this should not be used as justification for the war with Iraq, which he said is “an unjustified attack on a country that has done nothing to us.”
Political science Professor Itai Sened said that one of the biggest problems underlying the justness of the war is a discrepancy in the definition of “freedom.” He asked whether Iraqis will ever really have freedom if their future government is not able to stand up to the U.S.
The speakers also stressed their right to protest. Gilmore said that it’s not unpatriotic to protest but instead is the essence of Americanism to speak out and to question. Professor Fred Raines, who is affiliated with the Green Party, talked about the history of protest at WU and said that “this is the start” of the continuation of campus activism. WU students protesting the Vietnam War burned down the ROTC headquarters on campus on May 5, 1970.
One student questioned the efficacy of the protest.
“It was a good forum, but I’m not sure if it got anything done,” said sophomore Melanie Sereny.
Some students also attended the protest to show their support for the war. Junior Drew McKeown wore his Boy Scout uniform because “boy scouts are devotees to God, country, and family. God and country are two of the reasons the troops are over there.”
McKeown said the war is the best long-term option.
“Everyone here is protesting while [the Iraqis] don’t have the freedom to protest their government,” said McKeown. He said that he plans to be vocal to “show people that this campus is not entirely anti-war.”
Another student in a Boy Scout uniform spoke on the stage in favor of the war. His speech received boos from the crowd.
After the speeches ended, the protesters embarked on a march through campus. They shouted “no war” and held up their signs as they walked through buildings such as Holmes Lounge and Simon Hall.
Many of the protesters planned to reconvene at 6:45 in front of Brookings Hall to caravan downtown to join other St. Louis community members in a city-wide anti-war rally. On March 30 there will be a march to Forest Park in an “Instead of War” rally.