(Mostly) Mainstream Covg of April 20 Demo in DC Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit April 20 March and Rally News Round-Up: (Mostly) Mainstream Coverage Washington Post - April 21, 2002 Demonstrators Rally to Palestinian Cause by Manny Fernandez Tens of thousands converged on downtown Washington yesterday to demonstrate for a variety of causes, but it was the numbers and passion of busloads of Arab Americans and their supporters that dominated the streets. Protesters for Palestinian solidarity demonstrate in Washington Saturday, April 20, 2002. Tens of thousands of protesters joined forces in Washington to demonstrate against everything from U.S. policy in the Mideast to globalization and corporate greed. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Roggenbrodt) Eager to make their presence felt and their voices heard in the nation's capital as never before, Arab and Muslim families marched and chanted for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel, overwhelming the messages of those with other causes in a peaceful day of downtown rallies and marches. Young men wore the Palestinian flag around their necks like a cape. Arabic was heard nearly as often as English, and cardboard signs held by women and children denounced Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Bush. Protesters rallying against corporate wrongs and the global economy found themselves tweaking Vietnam War-era chants to the Palestinian cause, shouting, "One, two, three, four: We don't want no Mideast war!" "The message here is we must support the Palestinian people against a military occupation and an apartheid state," said Randa Jamal, a graduate student at New York's Columbia University who joined thousands at a pro-Palestinian rally near the White House. She said her cousins were killed in Ramallah, and her 16-year-old sister has been unable to attend school because of the Israeli occupation. "What they are going through," she said, "is crimes against humanity." Palestinian rights was the theme of two of four permitted marches that merged on Pennsylvania Avenue NW in a loud and colorful procession to the Capitol. The host of other issues - anti-corporate globalization, antiwar and anti-U.S. policies in several areas - were boiled down to an essence visible on banners, placards and T-shirts. Banners read: "Drop debt, not bombs" and "Peace treaty in Korea now." Bumper stickers on T-shirts declared: "No blank check for endless war" and "We are all Palestinian." It was possible to stand on the Washington Monument grounds and hear simultaneous speeches from three rallies nearby - antiwar demonstrators, counter-demonstrators and pro-Palestinian activists - in a mind-boggling surround-sound mix. Protesters came from the Anti-War Committee in Minneapolis, Middlebury College in Vermont and the D.C. chapter of the International Socialist Organization. There were teenage anti-capitalists with black bandanas over their faces marching alongside Muslim mothers wrapped in traditional headdress and pushing baby strollers. Other demonstrations are planned today and tomorrow near the Washington Monument grounds and outside the Washington Hilton, the site of a pro-Israel lobbying group's annual conference. District police officials said the crowds were larger than they had anticipated and put the number at about 75,000. Metro transit officials said ridership increased significantly yesterday, but estimates would not be available until today. Organizers of the Palestinian-rights rally at the Ellipse said the gathering was the largest demonstration for Palestine in U.S. history. "We are here because we want to do something, to send a message," said Amal K. David, a Palestinian American who weathered a 12-hour trip in a 21-bus caravan from the Detroit area to join the rally organized by International Answer, an antiwar, anti-racism coalition that shifted the theme of its protest as the violence in the Middle East escalated. In tears, David spoke of the destruction that U.S.-financed Israeli weapons and tanks have done to Palestinians, saying: "My beloved country is financing such death and destruction. I am so ashamed." Many pro-Palestinian marchers said they learned of the march through their mosques. "All over the U.S., everybody got the word," said Issam Khalil of the Bronx, who traveled in a fleet of 50 buses from New York. Several downtown blocks away, several thousand other pro-Palestinian activists took to the streets for another march to free Palestine. The group was made up mostly of Arab Americans with relatives in the occupied territories and U.S. Jews opposed to the occupation. "The Palestinians here in the crowd look at us mistrustfully at first," said Rabbi Yisroel Weiss, 45, of New York. "But then they speak a few words with us, and they show us respect and friendship." Weiss traveled to Washington with several dozen Orthodox rabbis to join the march, which left the Washington Hilton, joined anti-globalization demonstrators outside the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund and continued on the Capitol. He said his group favored dismantling Israel and returning it to the Palestinians. Buses carried Jewish supporters from Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, among other places. Organizers at the march privately urged participants to strike swastikas from their posters, but few complied. It was a running debate among many participants, though several swastikas appeared on signs in reference to Sharon by the end of the day. Walking down the sidewalk of Pennsylvania Avenue near the Justice Department as thousands filled the street, D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey praised the decorum of the demonstrations. "The organizers did an outstanding job," said Ramsey, baton in hand. "If it stays this way, it will be the best one we've ever had. . . . This is really what protest ought to be." By about 4 p.m., no major clashes had broken out between police and protesters. The events were a stark contrast to Washington demonstrations in April 2000, when protests against the World Bank and IMF led to a virtual shutdown of the downtown area and sparked clashes between police and demonstrators that ended in mass arrests. D.C. emergency officials said only two people were transported for medical treatment, though neither case was serious. Both were falls, one involving a police officer and the other involving a civilian. Ramsey said that in his view, yesterday's demonstrations went smoothly because organizers worked closely with police. At least three field marshals from the pro-Palestinian side negotiated with Ramsey, then barked instructions into their speaker-phones. Hani Ahmed, 16, of the District was one of them, and he was marching with a pro-Palestinian group that swelled the ranks of the anti-globalization forces across from the World Bank and the IMF. "That kid, he was only 16 and he was working so well with us. That was one of the things that made it work so well," Ramsey said. At one point, the parade got to Dupont Circle, and marchers wanted to go around the circle rather than through the tunnel, where their permit instructed them to go. Tashim Sallah, 45, of Buffalo told Ramsey and Executive Assistant Police Chief Terrance W. Gainer that he was worried that people would suffocate in the tunnel. Gainer grabbed his hand and said, "We're going down with you. There's no danger." The group followed Ramsey and Gainer into the tunnel, and delighted in the cool shade and underground echo for their chants. That cooperation was in marked contrast to the first day of demonstrations, when more than three dozen bike-riding protesters were arrested downtown during a Friday evening protest at rush hour. All of the 41 people arrested were released, a D.C. Superior Court official said. Yesterday, though, no incidents of that nature occurred. The only arrests came after most protesters had disbanded. Police arrested 24 adults and one juvenile who were found inside a parking garage in the 1000 block of 13th Street NW, apparently preparing to spend the night. All were charged with unlawful entry. Earlier, the day was marked only by little dramas on street-corner stages among the tangle of protesters, tourists, police and counter-demonstrators clogging downtown on a humid, sticky afternoon. The atmosphere was mostly civil and occasionally comedic, with only brief flashes of arguments or hostility. About 1 p.m. at H and 16th streets NW, a small scuffle broke out between members of the New Black Panther Party and one man intent on disrupting them. A couple of dozen members of the party showed up at the anti-globalization rally wearing black masks and black military-style uniforms. They had swastikas and shouted anti-Jewish slogans. The scuffle amounted only to pushing and angry remarks before members of the crowd broke them up. A short time later, the Patriots Rally for America - a group that opposed the antiwar protesters with whom they shared the Washington Monument grounds - had heated up and was getting protection from 10 police officers on horseback and 13 more on foot. At many points during the afternoon, D.C. police and federal authorities enveloped the marches and rallies with officers on foot and in cars, on horseback and on bicycles. But their presence was less dominating than in previous Washington demonstrations, and most officers were not outfitted in riot gear. More than a few were spotted at downtown intersections yawning or leaning on police gates. "That's the way we like it," Ramsey said. "They ought to be low-key. People have a constitutional right to protest." The effect of the pro-Palestinian demonstrators became evident when their smaller march joined anti-globalization forces outside the World Bank and IMF. The emotion of the Mideast conflict appeared to overpower issues of economic fairness, and many of the signs and chants called for freedom for Palestinians and the end of U.S. sponsorship of Israel. The Mobilization for Global Justice, which played a large part in organizing the day's activities, acknowledged that the pro-Palestinian sentiment had overtaken its economic issues. "It seems more important to the safety of the world," said Mark Rickling, a Mobilization organizer. "But we're all united on the issues of oppression. I'm just floored by the amount of people here today." By afternoon, the more militant forces of the pro-Palestinian movement dominated, with swastikas and anti-Sharon and anti-Bush slogans and banners. Aside from handing out signs, organizers seemed to have taken care of nearly every need of protesters, in an ad-hoc kind of way. One all-important telephone number - 202-462-9627 - was inked onto many arms; it's the number those arrested are to call. Legal support was being provided at the number by a local law collective, the National Lawyers Guild and D.C.-based Partnership for Civil Justice. But yesterday, there were no confrontations or trouble during the marches. There was even day care, a service offered for many activist-parents by the Anti-Authoritarian Babysitters Club. A gentle rain started about 2:30 p.m. as marchers walked along Pennsylvania toward the Capitol, but the sun broke through about 3:15. By then, most marchers were at the east end of the Mall and many had stopped to pray on the puddled ground. Next came speeches and music and, as the light faded, the protesters began drifting away, with only 100 or so still on the Mall as a light rain began to fall at dusk. © 2002 The Washington Post Company ***** Associated Press - April 21, 2002, 12:05 AM ET Diverse Protests Fill Capital by DAVID HO, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Marching with puppets and placards and armed with many messages, tens of thousands of protesters joined forces on a warm spring Saturday to demonstrate peacefully against everything from U.S. policy in the Mideast to globalization and corporate greed. Protesters massed at sites across the city, then swarmed down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol, in an eclectic crowd that mixed young communists, Black Panthers and "Raging Grannies." People came in busloads from around the country to show there are vibrant opposition views in the United States. "I think the movement is beginning to wake up," said 80-year-old Valerie Mullen of Vershire, Vt., part of the "grannies" group. She said she came to protest "any war." Six-year-old Kira Appleman of Silver Spring, Md., came with her mom and held aloft a sign that said, "Palestinian children have rights, too." Palestinian flags proliferated as demonstrators marched through downtown. The various groups converged for a concluding rally near the Capitol and support for the Palestinians' cause was the main theme of the day. Authorities do not provide official crowd figures for demonstrations in Washington, but Police Chief Charles Ramsey gave a rough estimate of 35,000 to 50,000. With helicopters hovering overhead, police with wooden batons and their riot gear close by kept watch around the city, standing shoulder to shoulder along the marchers' route. A brief rain shower sent some demonstrators ducking for cover but most continued their march. "It's been very peaceful, very orderly, just the way it's supposed to be," said Assistant Police Chief Terrance Gainer. While no demonstrators were arrested during the day's events, afterward 25 protesters were arrested for unlawfully entering an underground parking garage and using it as a sleeping area for the weekend demonstrations, said police spokesman Quintin Peterson. More protests were planned for the next two days, and Ramsey said police were "going to have our hands full" on Monday, when several unauthorized rallies were expected during morning rush hour. In San Francisco, as many as 14,000 people marched through the city's streets protesting war, racism and poverty, police said. Marchers were predominantly pro-Palestinian, and carried placards, flags and stretchers to represent Palestinians wounded or killed in the Mideast. The daylong rally culminated with activists marching to Civic Center Plaza, snarling traffic and packing downtown streets in what police say was one of the largest peace rallies in years. In Seattle, a rally to protest similar issues drew several hundred people. Police stopped a small crowd that broke away from the permit area, and 12 protesters were arrested on charges including property damage. The White House had a front-row seat for a number of the protests Saturday, but President Bush missed the scene. He was spending the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. It was the spring meeting of world financial powers at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund that attracted the protesters to Washington, but anti-globalization forces did not seem to mind sharing the stage with many other causes. The various protests are "all connected in the sense that it's all part of how the world economic structure works," said 24-year-old Brad Duncan of Detroit. At the financial institutions' spring meeting two years ago, police made 1,300 arrests during the week. This time, one of the biggest groups sought to show solidarity with the Palestinians and protest U.S. policy that demonstrators said was tilted toward Israel. Protesters marched with two open wooden coffins bearing young sisters of Palestinian descent. When 7-year-old Philastine Mustafa was overcome by the heat, a young boy quickly took her place. "My people back home her age are being killed," said Anwar Mustafa, 33, of Philadelphia, the father of the girls. "Me and my daughters can spend a little time in the heat to show people who don't know." In a counterdemonstration, a few hundred people gathered on the mall to show their support of U.S. policies. Some carried signs that said "Peace through superior fire power." Outside the barricaded buildings of the IMF and World Bank, where world financial powers were meeting, a 30-foot-tall inflated Earth bearing a "For Sale" sign and the Citibank logo was erected. "It's becoming a global doomsday economy," said 22-year-old Rob Fish of New Jersey. Not all the groups were in perfect agreement. When Black Panthers chanting "jihad" and "holy war" hoisted a Palestinian flag next to a picture of Osama bin Laden, a Palestinian activist urged them to take the flag down. ***** The American Muslim Council (AMC) Press Release April 20, 2002 More than 50,000 in D.C. Demand Freedom for Palestine In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful ---------------------------------------------------------------------- MEDIA RELEASE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Faiz Rehman, Communications Director April 20, 2002 Tel: 202-789-2262. Fax: 202-789-2550 (Media inquiries: 714-225-4297) media@amconline.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Over 50,000 March in Washington to Support Free Palestine WASHINGTON, DC, April 20, 2002: Over 50,000 Americans marched in front of the White House to support freedom for the Palestinians and to protest against racism and Ariel Sharon's war crimes in the occupied territories. Protesters, men, women, and children chanted slogans condemning the Israeli occupation and the massacre of Palestinians by the Israeli army. People carried placards sharply criticizing the US-backed Israeli aggression. The rally was organized by ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism) International Coalition. It was supported by major Muslim organizations, including AMC, CAIR, and MPAC. Ramsey Clark (former U.S. Attorney General), Mahdi Bray, Randa Jamal (Al-Awda Palestine Right of Return Coalition), Rev. Graylan Hagler (Senior Minister, Plymouth Congregational Church), Magdy Mahmoud (Metropolitan Muslim Federation), Rev. Kiyul Chung (Coordinator, Korea Truth Commission, International War Crimes Tribunal),Mara Veryheyden-Hilliard (Attorney and co-founder, Partnership for Civil Justice- LDEF), Peta Lindsay (Washington DC high school student, A.N.S.W.E.R. youth and student coordinator), Brian Becker and Larry Holmes (International A.N.S.W.E.R.), Marcrina Cardenas (Mexico Solidarity Network), Jennifer Wager (IFCO/Pastors for Peace), and representatives from Union of Arab Student Associations, Committee to Support the Iraqi People, and Bayan, USA. ***** Newsday - April 21, 2002 Protesting In the Capital: Largest advocates Palestinian state by Scott Sloan WASHINGTON BUREAU Washington - Tens of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of the nation's capital yesterday using the meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund as backdrops to advocate ideas ranging from ending the war on terrorism to creating an independent state for Palestinians. Of five scheduled protests, the largest supported the Palestinian people as advocates chanted phrases such as "Free, Free Palestine" while holding Palestinian flags and signs that urged peace instead of violence. "Violence is not going to get you anywhere," said Mohamed Shariff of Long Island. "Israel wants to say they want peace. They need to come sit down and talk." Shariff, Syed Ibrahim, also of Long Island, and many others asked those who were curious to learn more about the plight of the Palestinians. "This is one side no one's looking at - the Palestinian side," Ibrahim said. Those with family in the region said they are especially distressed by the lack of understanding. "You can tell people you're a Palestinian, and they think you're a terrorist," said Arwa Hazin, who was born in Jordan to Palestinian refugees. Hazin said it is essential that people recognize that Palestinians have claims to the land as well. "A Moroccan Jewish family lives in our home," Hazin said of the home that her parents lived in before the creation of Israel in 1948 forced them to move. Another demonstrator said the public needs to understand the difficulty of living in the Middle East. "The trips people used to make in five minutes now take them four to five hours," said Hussein Ata, who lives in Chicago after emigrating from the West Bank in 1974. World Bank President James Wolfensohn said Friday that the violence in Israel and the occupied territories has cut the $4.5 billion Palestinian economy in half. "Today, there is virtually no one working in Israel," Wolfensohn said of the Palestinians. Other protests were aimed at the policies of the World Bank and the IMF, which demonstrators said resemble "colonization." "The IMF is holding whole national economies in line by saying you've really got to tow the line or you're not going to be bailed out of debt," said Cliff Alles-Curie Rodas of Grand Rapids, Mich. Rodas carried an American flag that had corporate logos including CBS and Shell replacing the stars to convey what many demonstrators consider to be an unjust concentration of decision-making in the corporate elite. "You can't sell your products all over the world and export all the money back to the United States," said George Brittenburg of Pittsburgh, referring to Coca-Cola, one of three corporations targeted by demonstrators. The demonstrations began in the morning at different points throughout the city before merging at the Capitol in the afternoon. Police described the rallies as peaceful and said no one had been arrested by early afternoon. Copyright © 2002, Newsday, Inc. ***** Radio Havana Cuba - April 20, 2002 RHC Weekend-20/21 April 2002 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - Weekend News Update - 20/21 April 2002 *ACTIVISTS CONVERGE ON WASHINGTON FOR PRO-PALESTINE, ANTI-GLOBALIZATION DEMO Washington, April 20 (RHC)-- Caravans of buses began arriving in Washington D.C. Saturday morning to participate in what is expected to be the largest ever pro-Palestinian demonstration in the United States. Protesters will also be targeting the International Monetary Fund and World Bank gathering in the US capital, as well as Washington's terrorism policies. Early Saturday police had not blocked a protest outside the offices of the Citibank, despite having banned demonstrators from going near the financial institution. A group of about 100 chanted outside the firm "Drop debt not bombs." Leading up to the protest, representatives of dozens of nongovernmental organizations gathered late Friday to thrash the IMF and World Bank for failing to promote debt reduction for poor countries. Marie Clarke, coordinator of the Jubilee USA Network, cited a new report by the Bank that found that debt reduction was being held up by the IMF's insistence that governments comply with structural adjustment programs to make those countries more attractive to private and foreign investment. Among other measures, they are designed to cut government spending, liberalize trade and financial regimes, privatize state-owned companies and expand exports - which numerous critics say are to the detriment of the poorest sectors of developing countries. On Thursday, the Washington-based advocacy group Africa Action released a new report entitled "Hazardous to Health: The World Bank and IMF in Africa" which found that government budget cuts forced on African nations in the 1980s resulted in major cutbacks in health systems that had managed to sharply reduce infant mortality rates over the previous two decades. It found that in 42 of the continent's poorest countries, spending on healthcare fell by some 50 percent during the 1980s even as the same countries were forced to greatly increase payments on their foreign debts. While the Bank claims that it has become more sensitive to the needs and vulnerabilities of the poor and modified programs accordingly, NGOs gathered in Washington say they have seen no real substantial changes in the two agencies' pro-market policies in recent years. (c) 2002 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 ================================================================= ***** La Jornada (Mexico City) - April 21, 2002 Miles marcharon en Washington contra la "guerra antiterrorista" de Bush Alto a las matanzas en nuestro nombre, coreaban 75 mil personas, según cálculos de la policía Esta fue la mayor manifestación de rechazo a la política exterior del mandatario estadunidense JIM CASON, DAVID BROOKS Y ROBERTO GONZALEZ AMADOR CORRESPONSALES Y ENVIADO Washington, 20 de abril. Decenas de miles de personas marcharon este sábado por las calles de esta capital, en lo que fue la mayor protesta contra la política exterior del gobierno de George W. Bush desde que asumió el poder. Palestinos de todas partes de este país se unieron a activistas antiguerra, a manifestantes contra la globalización empresarial y las políticas del FMI, a estudiantes, artistas, sindicalistas, ambientalistas, religiosos, anarquistas, y a miembros de movimientos de solidaridad con Colombia y México, entre otros, quienes se expresaron en favor de detener la creciente guerra de Bush dentro y fuera de este país. La policía de Washington calculó que el número de manifestantes llegó a 75 mil, con lo que es, por mucho, la protesta popular más numerosa contra las políticas de Bush, en particular todo lo que implica su "guerra contra el terrorismo". La avenida Pennsylvania, una de las principales vías de esta capital, fue inundada de verde, blanco, y negro con triángulos rojos -las banderas palestinas- y miles de mujeres y hombres con vestido tradicional, y niños gritando "queremos paz", con camisetas en las que se leía "todos somos palestinos". Sin duda, el contingente más numeroso de hoy fue el palestino, y así, esta fue una expresión política y pública sin precedente de esa comunidad en la historia de Estados Unidos. El hecho fue aun más notable dado que miles de palestinos, árabes-estadunidenses y musulmanes decidieran presentarse tan públicamente y viajar desde todas partes del país en medio de un clima de intimidación y racismo en su contra, generado por los ataques del 11 de septiembre. Que termine el apoyo a Israel "Fondos estadunidenses financian a asesinos israelíes", rezaba una pancarta. Gran parte del mensaje aquí se enfocó en los miles de millones de dólares anuales que se destinan a armas para Israel, y se demandó el fin de este apoyo para promover la paz y el fin de la ocupación en Palestina. Esta mañana, un contingente palestino inició su marcha a unas cuantas cuadras de la sede del Banco Mundial, y avanzando por la avenida Pennsylvania se encontró con unos cientos de activistas que coreaban y bailaban contra las políticas del organismo financiero. Un enorme globo de siete metros de diámetro, que representaba el planeta y donde se leía "este mundo no está a la venta", fue colocado frente a la sede del Banco Mundial, y poco después la marcha palestina llegó para unirse a este acto, o más bien, para sumarlo a su marcha mucho más grande. De ahí, los manifestantes avanzaron encabezados por un grupo de palestinos, hombro con hombro con un grupo de judíos ortodoxos de Brooklyn, en lo que fue quizá la imagen más sorprendente y esperanzadora del día. A la vez, esta marcha, que ya sumaba varios miles, se unió, a unas pocas cuadras de la Casa Blanca, con otra de decenas de miles que cantaban, bailaban y coreaban por la paz. "Alto a las matanzas en nuestro nombre, no a la guerra en nuestro nombre", se oía a coros y se leía en mantas. Un grupo de 40 personas empujaba un carrito con toda una serie de instrumentos de percusión, junto a una sección de trompetas, que se llamaban "la unión de trabajadores del ritmo". También había las "abuelitas rabiosas", grupo de mujeres de edad avanzada. En otra parte de la masiva marcha caminaban decenas de títeres con una sección de tambores, todos realizando una coreografía. Una enorme bandera estadunidense tenía signos de paz en lugar de estrellas y las barras eran la palabra paz en decenas de idiomas. El abanico de manifestantes era amplísimo, desde anarquistas vestidos de negro portando pancartas con la leyenda: "Chinga tu madre, CIA" y "Cárcel para Bush", que marchaban pocos metros detrás de otro contingente mejor vestido, con un mensaje de "republicanos por la paz y justicia para todos". Aquí y allá se identificaban grupos judíos por la paz, incluso uno encabezado por un rabino que reclamaba el fin de la ocupación israelí de Palestina. Pero todos estos manifestantes, que provenían de California, Texas, Maine, Vermont, Chicago, Detroit, Nueva York, etcétera, estaban unidos en su oposición a la creciente "guerra contra el terrorismo". "Mi única hija, de 20 años, murió en el avión que cayó en Pennsylvania el 11 de septiembre. Yo estoy aquí, y fui a Afganistán para decir lo mismo, no más víctimas civiles, no más víctimas en nombre de mi hija. Pero mi voz no ha sido suficientemente fuerte, y hay más maldad doblada sobre maldad", afirmó Derril Bodley en un mitin antes de arrancar una de las marchas. "Lo último que escribió mi hija en su diario fue: 'yo busco la paz', y yo ahora, por ella, pido la paz, todos queremos paz". Este mensaje provocó una ovación y lágrimas, como las de Amber Amundsen, mujer de 28 años cuyo esposo, quien trabajaba en el Pentágono, murió el 11 de septiembre. "Yo no quiero que nadie use el nombre de mi marido para justificar la muerte de nadie más", exclamó. Dijo que había pedido al presidente Bush que retirara el nombre de su esposo de la lista de víctimas que la Casa Blanca usa para justificar su guerra como venganza. "En nombre de mis hijos, paren las matanzas... para que ninguna otra familia en el mundo tenga que sufrir lo que hemos sufrido", dijo Amundsen. En la marcha también se encontraba un contingente de veteranos de guerra estadunidenses, incluso uno de la brigada Abraham Lincoln, de la Guerra Civil de España; otros habían luchado en Corea y Vietnam, y hoy se manifestaron contra la guerra al "terrorismo" y por la paz en Medio Oriente. "La única forma para lograr la seguridad y la paz es que los países promuevan políticas domésticas y exteriores que no estén basadas en la explotación empresarial o la dominación militar. En su lugar necesitamos políticas que nutran la justicia social y económica, los derechos humanos, la autodeterminación y la democracia", declaró David Cline, de la organización nacional Veteranos por la Paz. Libertad para Chiapas "Palestina libre, Chiapas libre, México libre", coreaba un sector de manifestantes frente a la Casa Blanca. Otro grupo llevaba un cartel con una foto de Hugo Chávez en la que se leía: "presidente electo democráticamente", junto a una foto de Bush: "presidente no electo democráticamente". Ligia Inez Alzate Arias, representante de la confederación sindical de Colombia, declaró en un mitin que las mujeres y los sindicalistas de su país -después de 3 mil 45 agremiados asesinados-, han "optado por la paz", y dijo que regresará "contenta a Colombia porque podré decir que hay un gran movimiento de paz y solidaridad en Estados Unidos". Diversas marchas confluyeron desde diferentes puntos y mítines en esta capital para llegar unidos a una concentración frente al Capitolio, donde culminaron los actos de hoy. En el mitin final, la escritora egipcia Nawal el-Saadawi declaró ante la multitud: "tenemos que alzar las voces contra el poder económico global que utiliza a este sistema para explotarnos a todos. No sólo en Medio Oriente, sino en todas partes del mundo". ***** Reuters - April 20, 2002 Tens of Thousands Protest in U.S. Capital WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chanting, singing and beating drums, tens of thousands of protesters converged on the U.S. capital on Saturday to demonstrate against the U.S.-led war on terror, Israeli military actions in the West Bank and globalization. Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Charles Ramsey unofficially estimated there were between 35,000 and 50,000 demonstrators, the force's press office said, while organizers put the figure at above 50,000, perhaps as high as 70,000. Unlike in previous years when globalization opponents clashed with police, protesters were peaceful as they gathered in front of the White House and elsewhere in the city amid a heavy police presence. The diverse groups later joined ranks for a mass march down Washington's Pennsylvania Avenue to the U.S. Capitol, waving flags, posters and street puppets, and chanting. "Down, down Israel," was one refrain. "I think it is a tremendous success. So many different people from all over the place stood together in solidarity," said Roxanne Lawson, a national coordinator for United We March, one of the main organizers of the day's events. Police said there had been no protest-related arrests as of early evening. "There are just large numbers of people who want to have their voices heard and that's what America is all about, so it's good for all of us," Ramsey said. "As long as it's like this, God bless them." In San Francisco, 15,000 or more demonstrators sprawled across the lawn in the plaza in front of city hall, chanting "Free, free Palestine", waving Palestinian flags and holding placards ranging from "Peace Not War" to wordless posters showing a swastika and a Jewish six-pointed star with an equal sign between them. "Today is the biggest day of solidarity with the Palestinian people in U.S. history," one speaker shouted to a cheering crowd gathered under clear skies. San Francisco police said they had made no arrests despite minor vandalism. PROTESTERS GATHER Washington streets were nearly deserted except for media and police as international dignitaries arrived in the early morning at the International Monetary Fund-World Bank headquarters for the groups' spring meetings. Police had blocked off streets and set up a large security perimeter around the groups' downtown headquarters to ensure they could maintain control should violence erupt. Such international financial gatherings have become frequent protest targets. One protester was killed and more than 200 were hurt in clashes with police at a Group of Eight summit in Genoa, Italy, last July.the street from the IMF and World Bank buildings to denounce lending policies they believe harm the environment and hurt the world's poor, their ranks swelling as the morning wore on. "The World Bank, the IMF and their policies are a vehicle of oppression and it's time that people stood up against it," said Sarah Sholis, an Ohio Wesleyan University student who helped to hold a banner that read, "Drop Debt, Not Bombs." About a half-dozen blocks away, on the grassy Ellipse in front of the White House, thousands of protesters waved Palestinian flags and posters reading "Free Palestine, no war on Iraq" as they shouted, "Stop the killing, stop the crime, Israel out of Palestine." "The Israelis are animals. They are scary. All these lives lost for nothing," said Jenin Ali, a Palestinian-American. She held a sign saying "A suicide bomber is a poor man's F-16." Across the street a much smaller counter-rally by a group calling itself the Free Patriots waved American flags. "I am an American. I'm here to support the war on terrorism as opposed to those people over there who hate America," said Dave Quaadman of New York, gesturing across the street. Outside a hotel that will house a meeting of a pro-Israel U.S.-based lobby group beginning Sunday, a few thousand pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered. "I am very pleased to see so many Americans coming out to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people and to protest U.S. foreign policy supporting the illegal occupation (by Israel of the West Bank)," said Hassan Abdel Rahman, the Palestine Liberation Organization's Washington representative. The group later joined globalization critics near the IMF building, some of whom held a 35-foot (10-meter) tall balloon depicting Earth and bearing the slogans "For sale?" and "Citi lives richly and the Earth pays." It was a reference to Citigroup, a top lender to developing countries. Police expected marchers to be mostly peaceful, but said they came prepared for anything. "We have to be concerned not only about large crowds but about someone using an event like this as an opportunity to commit some kind of terrorism or other criminal activity," Ramsey said. "If we need to make an arrest as a last resort, we'll make an arrest." Copyright 2002 Reuters Ltd. ***** The New York Times - April 21, 2002 Many Thousands in Washington March in Support of Palestinians By STEPHEN LABATON WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Tens of thousands of Arab-Americans blended with demonstrators against the military campaign in Afghanistan and those criticizing international financial institutions during protests today in Washington, with the cause of the Palestinians and criticism of Israel turning into the main message of the multifaceted crowd. The protest was as peaceful as it was pained, with many families arriving with their young children to spend the day urging American policy not to support Israel's actions in the West Bank. On Monday, a large rally in support of Israel had taken up the same space on Washington's spacious Mall. "My sister has been trapped in the Church of the Nativity for more than two weeks now," said Issa Danho, a 44-year-old construction worker from Alexandria, Va. "It is a holy place. They thought they would be safe there." Mr. Danho said he had not talked to his sister, Diana, since she entered the church because there is no electricity to charge her cell phone. He said he had wanted to speak rationally about American foreign policy but that it was hard not to lapse into emotionalism. "If this president, with his limited vocabulary, says Sharon is a man of peace, then Napoleon was a man of peace," he said. "There is black and white in the country right now because of September 11, but the Palestinian issue is not black and white. It is a hopeless time and, I'll be honest, I have no answer." Thousands of police were in the streets, many of which were closed. Those who marched against globalization seemed largely sympathetic to those marching for peace or in support of the Palestinians. Organizers said it was the biggest rally ever here in support of the Palestinian cause. Though the causes represented here today were disparate and disjointed, many protesters appeared to lump them together. "The airlines have taken advantage of the September 11 attacks to attack the labor movement," said Rodney Ward, an unemployed flight attendant, listing a variety of reasons he had come to town. . "It certainly doesn't help to be humiliating the Palestinians, and the war in Afghanistan only breeds more terrorism. It's important for citizens to speak up. That's part of being a patriot." Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company ***** The Independent (UK) - April 21, 2002 Thousands protest in Washington by Andrew Buncombe in Washington A huge security operation was launched yesterday as thousands of protesters descended on Washington - demonstrating on issues ranging from globalisation to peace in the Middle East. As finance ministers from the main industrial countries - among them the Chancellor, Gordon Brown - arrived for the spring IMF and World Bank meetings, police kept at bay demonstrators protesting against the war in Afghanistan, US aid to Israel and Colombia, and Third World debt and poverty. There was also a counter-demonstration in support of US policies. Police had erected barricades and closed off streets in expectation of large crowds of demonstrators. Officers wore patrol uniforms, but many carried riot gear in bags. "What we have to do is make sure the groups don't go at each other and wind up with someone getting harmed," said the city's police chief, Charles Ramsey. Around 40 protesting bicyclists were arrested on Friday night after police said they ignored red lights and rode the wrong way down a one-way street. They were protesting against the US military's School of the Americas, which they claim produced Latin American military leaders who went on to commit human rights abuses and join oppressive juntas. One protester, Kyla Hershey-Wilson, said that she was focusing her efforts against Citigroup. "They're using people's money to fund projects all over the world that are just really horribly destructive," she said. "They're the number one funder of fossil fuels and mining and one of the top funders of logging." ***** [Note: the numbers eventually were corrected to 100,000 and 35,000 in DC and SF, respectively-- NY Transfer] Frontlines Newspaper (San Francisco) - April 20, 2002 50,000 in DC and 10,000 in SF Supporting Palestinians April 20 Demos: Support for Palestinians Overwhelming. by Frontlines correspondents While officially billed as demonstrations against the IMF/World Bank and the "war on terrorism" April 20's demonstrations showed an overwhelming support for the Palestinian people. Thousands of Palestinian flags in Washington, hundreds in San Francisco and massive contingents of Palestinians and Arab-Americans were present at both demonstrations. There were signs about capitalism, the IMF/World Bank, Argentina, Venezuela and Colombia ... but it was clear that the Palestinian struggle was the main motivator and unifier of the demonstrators. Contingents organized around economic issues or causes such as those of Latin American countries readily voiced their support for the Palestinians and a rejection of US/Israeli policies in the Middle East. The outpouring of the Palestinian and Arab and Muslim communities was predicted when all major community organizations issued calls the last two weeks to mobilize for April 20th. Jewish groups opposed to Israel's military occupation of the West Bank were also present both in Washington and San Francisco. Every left organization, from the Communist Party to Democratic Socialist of America and from the Workers World Party to the Left Party were also present with contingents and banners. Civil rights organizations marched demanding for the fate of the "disappeared" in the American war against "terrorism" and environmentalists raised the issue of Bush's agenda to drill the Artic. In Washington, there were also large contingents of Colombians protesting "Plan Colombia" and Puerto Ricans against the continuing colonial status of the Island. The turnout on both major demonstrations was significant and expressed the growing sympathy in the US for the Palestinian cause and the flexing muscle of the Arab American and Palestinian communities. Democrats and Republicans were completely absent from the demonstrations - as opposed to their presence and support during pro-Israel rallies last week. ********************************************************************* "The first duty of a revolutionary is to be educated." --José Martí ********************************************************************* The Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory http://www.toplab.org ********************************************************************* ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytact-04.22.02-19:20:19-5668