Thousands march in US against Iraq war

WASHINGTON – Convinced this is their moment, tens of thousands marched in an anti-war demonstration linking military families, ordinary people and an icon of the Vietnam protest movement in a spirited call to get out of Iraq.

Celebrities, a half-dozen lawmakers and protesters from distant states rallied in the country’s capital Saturday under a sunny sky, seizing an opportunity to press their cause with a Congress restive on the war and a country that has turned against the conflict. Marching with them was Jane Fonda, in what she said was her first anti-war demonstration in 34 years.”Silence is no longer an option,” Fonda said to cheers from the stage on the National Mall.The actress once derided as “Hanoi Jane” by conservatives for her stance on Vietnam said she had held back from activism so as not to be a distraction for the Iraq anti-war movement, but needed to speak out now.The rally on the Mall unfolded peacefully, although about 300 protesters tried to rush the Capitol, running up the grassy lawn to the front of the building.Police on motorcycles tried to stop them, scuffling with some and barricading entrances.Protesters chanted “Our Congress” as their numbers grew and police faced off against them.Demonstrators later joined the masses marching from the Mall, around Capitol Hill and back.About 50 demonstrators blocked a street near the Capitol for about 30 minutes, but they were dispersed without arrests.United for Peace and Justice, a coalition group sponsoring the protest, had hoped 100 000 would come.They claimed even more afterward, but police, who no longer give official estimates, said privately the crowd was smaller than 100 000.At the rally, 12-year-old Moriah Arnold stood on her toes to reach the microphone and tell the crowd: “Now we know our leaders either lied to us or hid the truth.Because of our actions, the rest of the world sees us as a bully and a liar.”The sixth-grader from Massachusetts organised a petition drive at her school against the war that has killed more than 3 000 US service-members, including seven whose deaths were reported Saturday.More Hollywood celebrities showed up at the demonstration than buttoned-down Washington typically sees in a month.Actor Sean Penn said lawmakers will pay a price in the 2008 elections if they do not take firmer action than to pass a nonbinding resolution against the war, the course Congress is now taking.”If they don’t stand up and make a resolution as binding as the death toll, we’re not going to be behind those politicians,” he said.Actors Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins also spoke.Nampa-APMarching with them was Jane Fonda, in what she said was her first anti-war demonstration in 34 years.”Silence is no longer an option,” Fonda said to cheers from the stage on the National Mall.The actress once derided as “Hanoi Jane” by conservatives for her stance on Vietnam said she had held back from activism so as not to be a distraction for the Iraq anti-war movement, but needed to speak out now.The rally on the Mall unfolded peacefully, although about 300 protesters tried to rush the Capitol, running up the grassy lawn to the front of the building.Police on motorcycles tried to stop them, scuffling with some and barricading entrances.Protesters chanted “Our Congress” as their numbers grew and police faced off against them.Demonstrators later joined the masses marching from the Mall, around Capitol Hill and back.About 50 demonstrators blocked a street near the Capitol for about 30 minutes, but they were dispersed without arrests.United for Peace and Justice, a coalition group sponsoring the protest, had hoped 100 000 would come.They claimed even more afterward, but police, who no longer give official estimates, said privately the crowd was smaller than 100 000.At the rally, 12-year-old Moriah Arnold stood on her toes to reach the microphone and tell the crowd: “Now we know our leaders either lied to us or hid the truth.Because of our actions, the rest of the world sees us as a bully and a liar.”The sixth-grader from Massachusetts organised a petition drive at her school against the war that has killed more than 3 000 US service-members, including seven whose deaths were reported Saturday.More Hollywood celebrities showed up at the demonstration than buttoned-down Washington typically sees in a month.Actor Sean Penn said lawmakers will pay a price in the 2008 elections if they do not take firmer action than to pass a nonbinding resolution against the war, the course Congress is now taking.”If they don’t stand up and make a resolution as binding as the death toll, we’re not going to be behind those politicians,” he said.Actors Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins also spoke.Nampa-AP