Despite politicians' calls for Americans to get behind our troops now that war has begun, rallies in major U.S. cities on Thursday showed that many people are too enraged to hold their tongues.
Large rallies were staged in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, with numerous arrests reported in many cities. In San Francisco, police arrested more than 1,400 people, Reuters reported.
In New York's largest protest, soggy war protesters chanted "No war for big oil" and "Money for books, not for bombs." On the other side of metal barricades, a sea of police in blue uniforms and black rain gear struggled to keep the crowd from swelling past the containment area, which went up one side of Broadway from 41st to 46th Street, with gaps in front of Times Square stores and business entrances. (Click to see photos.)
When protesters got too close to the off-limits areas, cops threateningly converged, and if the wave of activists didn't recede, officers reached into the masses to forcefully push them back. Those who remained disobedient were plucked out and arrested.
Many of the more dramatic arrests took place in front of Nasdaq headquarters, where crowds yelled "One, two, three, four/ We don't want your racist war/ Five, six, seven, eight/ We will not cooperate." Around 6:45 p.m., police yanked six demonstrators from the crowd and forced them face-down onto the wet pavement. Plastic handcuffs were slid over their wrists, and the protesters were dragged into vans on the other side of the street, which was also crowded with cops on horseback and police cruisers with flashers on.
About 30 minutes earlier, a young couple two blocks away was removed by four officers who pushed them against a car and cuffed them. Seconds before the sobbing girl was taken away, she leaned over and kissed her boyfriend, who called out, "I love you."
The permit for the dramatic Times Square rally called for the demonstration to start at 5 p.m. and run for three hours. At 8 p.m. 21 people had been arrested for disorderly conduct or resisting arrest, a police spokesperson said. While officials wouldn't estimate the number of protesters on hand, it looked like about 1,500 people were assembled in the streets.
Protests in New York began around noon in Union Square, where about 150 people braved the pouring rain to speak their minds on an open mic. One of the best receptions was given to a young woman who read her passionate verse: "I will live to bear witness in New York City, USA/ Mine eyes will see the glory of the youth changing this every day/ You cannot leapfrog from the masses marching up your ass/ Although you've never fought yourself, Mr. Bush, your first fight will be your last."
The crowd included members of such groups as Eastsiders Against War, Vote to Impeach.com and the International A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition. A small group of college students wore garbage bags and laid on the ground like corpses, while a middle-age woman yelled, "He went AWOL during Vietnam. What's he going to do to make sure our troops come home safe?" One young woman held up a sign that read, "Fighting for peace is like f---ing for virginity."
As aggressive and impassioned as the New York rallies have been, they haven't drawn anywhere near the numbers that demonstrations across Europe have, where some were reportedly attended by tens of thousands.
Many of the New York protesters assembled not only to speak their mind and promote their cause, but also to bond with others who share their rage and confusion.
"I've been outraged and saddened by what has happened. Innocent people have died, and I feel I have to come and be among people who are feeling the same way as I do," said 22-year-old Maya Sen, who added that America's vehement opposition to Saddam Hussein is hypocritical.
"America claims that we're doing this because we need to get a dictator out of power, but that's ridiculous. When we were at war with Iran, we were allies with Saddam Hussein. And the U.S. supports Musharraf in Pakistan, who is a military dictator. There are certain dictators who will be our friends, and the ones who aren't complying with what we say will be our enemies. I think that's disgusting."
In Chicago, many sign-carrying demonstrators gathered at the Federal Building in a peaceful protest. But after the speeches were through, a crowd of thousands marched down Lake Shore Drive, shutting down traffic. Riot police herded protesters away from the main thoroughfare and arrested 543 people.
In a rally in West Los Angeles outside the Westwood Federal Building, more than 40 people were arrested and one LAPD officer was videotaped striking two women with his baton and pushing a man who tried to photograph his badge, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In Boston on Wednesday, 26 protesters who linked arms in front of the JFK Federal Building at City Hall Plaza were arrested and detained for several hours, the Boston Globe reported. Another 10 people were arrested for blocking the street and sidewalk in front of the Boston Stock Exchange.
