9-20-06, 8:59 am
New York, NY -- As President Bush made his way to the U.N. today, at least 3,500 antiwar protestors took to New York City's streets to call for an end to the Iraq war and no more wars.
Protestors marched north from Sixth Avenue and 37th Street, then east on 47th Street to a rally across from the U.N. The march and rally were organized by United for Peace and Justice.
The sidewalk where demonstrators assembled on Sixth Avenue was so jammed with people that the New York Police Department opened a lane on Sixth Avenue, and then the entire street on 47th Street for the marchers. At one point on 47th Street, the march stretched from Sixth Avenue to Lexington Avenue, almost 3/4 of a mile.
Among the participants were grandmothers, recent Iraq war veterans, older veterans, students, clergy, a contingent from Maine, parents, and members of the hospital and health care workers union, Local 1199 SEIU.
At the rally, David Cline, National President of Veterans for Peace, reminded the crowd that those serving in the armed forces have 'sworn an oath to defend all enemies' of the Constitution, 'both foreign and domestic. An enemy is speaking in our name at the UN today.'
Towards the end of the rally, Rev. Jesse Jackson said, 'We must leave no stone unturned to end this war. It is sapping the soul of our nation. We have been lied to and spied on. We will not stop protesting until this war is over and until this regime is over. We deserve better leadership and a better vision. We are losing lives and losing honor. We are a better nation than this leadership and this regime. We must move forward by hope, not backward by fear.'
About the demonstration, Judith LeBlanc, Co-Chair of United for Peace and Justice, said, 'Today we march to end the deadly occupation of Iraq. But Bush now has his sights set on Iran. We saw what happened when Bush blocked the UN weapons inspectors from completing their job in Iraq. The lessons are clear and deadly. We need to start with respect for the UN and the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, not confrontation. We have to end the policy of jettisoning international law for war. The only way out of the standoff with Iran is to sit and negotiate.'
With more than 1,400 member groups under its umbrella, United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) is the U.S.' largest peace and justice coalition. Since its founding in October 2002, UFPJ has spurred hundreds of protests and rallies around the country, including the 500,000 strong 'We Say No to the Bush Agenda' march during the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City. http://www.unitedforpeace.org
