Washington, DC, Mass March and Anti-War Rally September 24, 2005

The Washington, DC, Mass March and Anti-War Rally September 24-26, 2005 was initiated and organized by two antiwar coalitions, A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism), on behalf of the September 24 National Coalition, and United for Peace and Justice.

"Starting on Saturday, September 24, three days of protest, grassroots lobbying, and civil disobedience are planned for Washington DC to protest the Iraq war and the militarization of US society. Given the way public sentiment has turned against the war, this could easily turn out to be the largest pro-peace event in US history." 

Video, Transcripts, Photos, Blog Reports

 * TruthOut.org: Blow-by-Blow from the March, with Latest Report: Scott Galindez, "Numbers," Truthout.org, September 24, 2005 (11:09 PM EDT): "C-SPAN estimated 500,000..."
 * BradBlog: Protest Videos: Cindy Sheehan, George Galloway, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rep. Cynthia McKinney. Speakers from Sep. 24 Anti-war Rally in DC.
 * Flikr.com: Progressive Democrats for America photos from kspidel, September 24, 2005.
 * Democracy Cell Project: Live Blogging from Pro-Peace March! and photos, September 24, 2005.
 * Daily Kos: Photo Journal of the DC March by RenaRF, September 24, 2005 (9:48 PM PDT); updated September 25, 2005 (0:48 AM); (Cross-posted by Armando at My Left Wing, Street Prophets, Booman Tribune, ePluribus Media, and On the Left Tip.
 * What Really Happened: Reader Photographs from DC 9-24 Protest; Los Angeles; and San Francisco.
 * News from Babylon: Photos From September 24th 2004 Anti-War Rally in Washington DC by John Brown.
 * New Standard: "Diverse Anti-war Protests Largest in DC Since Vietnam" by Benjamin Dangl and Brendan Coyne, September 25, 2005; with photographs.
 * People's Daily Online: Photographs updated September 26, 2005.
 * C-SPAN has archive of their coverage of the pre-march rally speeches. [rtsp://video.c-span.org/archive/iraq/iraq092405_rally.rm Clip# 23051]

Scheduled Events
The schedule:
 * Sat., Sept. 24 - March, Rally, and Operation Ceasfire Concert.
 * Massive March: Gather 11:00 AM at the Washington Monument; March steps off at 12:30 PM.


 * Sun., Sept. 25 - Interfaith Peace and Justice Revival, 6:00 PM, Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument Grounds; and Grassroots Training.
 * Mon., Sept. 26 - Grassroots Congressional Lobby Day and Mass Nonviolent Direct Action and Civil Disobedience.

More rally and event links, including the World Bank protest, is posted on Citizens for Legitimate Government website.

Groups Participating
This is not a complete list but is representative of groups which will be attending and/or endorsing the mass march and anti-war rally.
 * American Friends Service Committee: "Founded by Quakers in 1917 to provide conscientious objectors with an opportunity to aid civilian war victims." / AFSC.org
 * Bergen Peace & Justice Coalition / BergenJustice.net (Bergen, NJ)
 * Campus Antiwar Network / CampusAntiwar.net: "Call for a College Not Combat counter-recruitment contingent in the Sept 24 protests in Washington D.C. and San Francisco."
 * Coalition for Peace Action
 * CODEPINK: Women for Peace
 * Connecticut United for Peace / CT United for Peace.org
 * DC Anti-War Network (DAWN) / DAWNDC.net
 * Democracy for New Hampshire / DemocracyforNewHampshire.com
 * GABRIELA Network: "A Philippine-US Women’s Solidarity Mass Organization" / gabnet.org
 * George Mason University Students for Peace
 * Greater Boston NOW / Boston NOW; more information on National Organization for Women website.
 * ImpeachBush / VoteToImpeachBush / ImpeachBush.org
 * International Action Center: No Draft No Way / NoDraftNoWay.org; People Judge Bush / PeopleJudgeBush.org; and Troops Out Now!
 * International Action Center - Boston
 * Iraq Veterans Against the War
 * Louisiana Activist Network: "Peace Train" from New Orleans to Washington, D.C. picking up activist groups across the South."
 * Manchester Area People for Peace / MAP for Peace.org (Michigan)
 * Military Families Speak Out
 * My Left Wing (http://www.myleftwing.com), Daily Kos (http://www.dailykos.com) & Booman Tribune (http://www.boomantribune.com)
 * NC Peace & Justice Coalition / NCPeaceJustice.org
 * NH Peace Action / NHPeaceAction.org
 * Northeast Ohio Anti-War Coalition / NOACinfo.org
 * Not in Our Name Project
 * Peace North - Wisconsin / PeaceNorth.org
 * Progressive Democrats of America / PDAmerica.org
 * September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
 * September 24 National Coalition
 * Traprock Peace Center
 * Twin Cities Antiwar Committee (Minnesota) / Anti-WarCommittee.org
 * U.S. Labor Against the War
 * Veterans For Peace
 * Vietnam Veterans Against the War
 * Washington Peace Center / WashingtonPeaceCenter.org

Washington DC Green Festival September 24 & 25, 2005
The Washington DC Green Festival will be held September 24, 10AM to 9PM, and September 25, 11AM to 7PM, at the DC Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW.

"Exciting speakers including Gold Star Families for Peace co-founder Cindy Sheehan, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Investigative Journalist Greg Palast, Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin, United for Peace and Justice Founder Rev. Graylan Hagler." 

"Call for Justice Weekend", Washington, DC, September 24-26, 2005
The "Call for Justice Weekend" sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) STOP Campaign -- "Help end U.S. involvement in torture" -- meets September 24-26, 2005, in Washington, DC. 

Some Other Mass Marches and Rallies Scheduled for September 24, 2005
See full calendar of events for cities, meeting places, dates, and times both in the United States and Canada.

Expectations
"The folks at ImpeachBush/VoteToImpeach.org. are predicting that: 'more than 100,000 people will descend on Washington DC to the doors of the White House, and in actions in San Francisco and Los Angeles, to demand that George W. Bush and his administration be held accountable for the ongoing lies, deceptions, death, and torture' concerning Iraq.' "They add that: 'The September 24 mass mobilization will see the largest contingent advocating Impeachment since Ramsey Clark initiated the campaign at the January 18, 2003 anti-war demonstration of 500,000 in Washington DC.." Portland Indymedia, June 21, 2005.

Achievements
"Protest organizers estimated that 300,000 people participated, triple their original target. D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey, who walked the march route, said the protesters achieved the goal of 100,000 and probably exceeded it. Asked whether at least 150,000 showed up, the chief said, "That's as good a guess as any. ... It was peaceful -- that's all I care about," D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey said.

Reported to TruthOut ...
 * The march is unable to move because there are so many people coming in from all directions. Constitution Avenue is a wall of humanity. I am up on the hill that holds the Washington Monument, looking down on the crowd. This is a massive, massive showing.


 * Huge is an understatement. The march has surrounded the White House. Hundreds of thousands. This is the largest march I have seen in the over two decades that I have been attending.


 * The crowd is diverse, a true cross-section of American culture.

Opposition: September 25, 2005, Pro-War Rally
"About 400 people gathered near a stage on an eastern segment" of the National Mall in Washington, DC, Associated Press reporter Elisabeth Goodridge wrote September 25, 2005. "Organizers of Sunday's demonstration acknowledged that their rally would be much smaller than the anti-war protest but had hoped that as many as 20,000 people would turn out."

"Amid banners and signs proclaiming support for U.S. troops, several speakers hailed the effort to bring democracy to Iraq and Afghanistan and denounced those who protest it," Goodridge wrote, and "[m]any demonstrators focused their ire at Cindy Sheehan."

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * peace movement
 * Peace Vigil in Washington, DC

Websites

 * SeptemberACTION Collective: "a group of organizers from across the country who are committed to making sure that as many people as possible are empowered to take action during the September 23-26 mobilizations."
 * Peace Meetup.com website.
 * United for Peace Ride Board.
 * Washington Peace Center Events Calendar.

Articles & Commentary

 * Askia Muhammad, "Anti-war groups call for massive September mobilization," Final Call, June 16, 2005.
 * Medea Benjamin, "Phase II of the Anti-War Movement," GNN.TV, June 20, 2005.
 * "Permits obtained for September 24!" answer.pephost.org, July 7, 2005: "The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, on behalf of the September 24 National Coalition, has obtained permits for the September 24 March on Washington at the White House .... for both Lafayette Park on the North Side of the White House and the Ellipse on the South Side."
 * "National Muslim Leadership Rejects UFPJ 'Segregation' Approach to September 24 March on Washington," Muslim American Society, July 15, 2005.
 * "Where the Arab and Muslim community will stand on September 24," San Francisco Indymedia, July 22, 2005.
 * "George Galloway, British MP, Announces September Tour of United States to Speak Against War in Iraq," Traprock Peace Center, August 23, 2005. George Galloway will travel to Boston, New York, Toronto, Madison, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, D.C. between September 13-24, 2005.
 * Canadian Peace Alliance, "Sept 24th action: Troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan, Let the War Resisters stay in Canada," Maritimes Indymedia'', August 1, 2005.
 * "Musicians take anti-war message to D.C.," Associated Press (MyrtleBeachOnline), August 9, 2005.
 * "Washington Girds for War Protesters, Civil Resistance (Update1)," Bloomberg News, September 22, 2005.
 * David Montgomery, "Peace by Pieces. New -- and Old -- Antiwar Protesters Hope to Turn Momentum Into a Movement," Washington Post, September 22, 2005.
 * Steve Thomma, "Top Democrats won't attend anti-war rally in Washington," Knight Ridder Newspapers, September 22, 2005: "The only Democratic officeholders who plan to address the rally" are Reps. Cynthia McKinney of Georgia and John Conyers, Jr. of Michigan. See the Hurricane Rita article for President Bush's plans for the weekend.
 * Medea Benjamin, "Why We're Marching," Common Dreams, September 23, 2005.
 * Steve Ivey, "Activists counting on rally. Organizers of anti-war march expect 100,000 to pass White House," Chicago Tribune, September 24, 2005. Also posted on Billings Gazette website.
 * "War protest, rally today," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 24, 2005.
 * Jennifer C. Kerr, "100,000 Expected at D.C. Anti-War Rally," Associated Press (Guardian Unlimited (UK)), September 24, 2005.
 * Amy Fagan and Stephen Dinan, "Democratic Party leaders to avoid Iraq war protests," Washington Times (World Peace Herald), September 24, 2005.

Rally News

 * Jennifer Latson and Christian Hill, "Opinions collide near end of peace march. Activists walk 10 miles from Olympia to share anti-war message," The Olympian, September 24, 2005.
 * Bill Duhart, "War protesters head to D.C.," CourierPost Online (South New Jersey), September 24, 2005.
 * "Western New Yorkers Join National Peace March in Nation's Capitol," WIVB.com (Buffalo), September 24, 2005.
 * "Washington packed with protesters," Associated Press (KVAL TV Eugene, OR), September 24, 2005: "Anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan drew a roar when she admonished Bush by saying, 'Shame on you.'"
 * Holly Yeager, "Washington's anti-war campaigners draw strength from Katrina," Financial Times, September 24, 2005.
 * "Demonstrators rally for end to Iraq war," Associated Press (Dallas Morning News), September 24, 2005.
 * Jennifer C. Kerr, "Anti-War Protesters March in Washington," Associated Press (Guardian Unlimited (UK)), September 24, 2005.
 * Michael Hartigan, "Anti-war groups headed to D.C.," Cape Cod Online, September 24, 2005.
 * Jennifer C. Kerr, "Anti-War Protesters March in D.C., London," Associated Press (Guardian Unlimited (UK)), September 24, 2005: "A crowd in London, estimated by police at 10,000, marched in support of withdrawing British troops from Iraq. ... Rallies were planned, too, in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Florence, Rome, Paris and Madrid."
 * Sue Leeman, "UK protesters demand Iraq pullout," Canadian Press, September 24, 2005.
 * "Anti-War Demonstrators Gather In Washington. D.C. Police Say They Expect Little Trouble"; (2:29 PM EDT); "Few Arrests Made In Anti-War Rally. Thousands Of Protesters Participate," NBC4.com (Washington, DC), September 24, 2005 (5:33 PM EDT).
 * "Tens of thousands set to march against Iraq war," ABC News (Australia), September 24, 2005: "The Stop The War coalition, which organised the London rally jointly with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Muslim Association of Britain, said it expected at least 100,000 people to take part."
 * "Anti-War Protestors March Through San Francisco," On the Record, September 24, 2005.
 * Duncan Campbell and Jamie Wilson, "Anti-war movement takes to streets on both sides of Atlantic," Guardian Unlimited (UK), September 24, 2005.
 * "Thousands protest Iraq war, globalization," Reuters, September 24, 2005 (9:02 PM EDT).
 * Petula Dvorak, "Antiwar Fervor Fills the Streets. Demonstration Is Largest in Capital Since U.S. Military Invaded Iraq," Washington Post, September 25, 2005.