Protesters gathered on McKeldin Mall for impersonations, songs and speeches against war with Iraq before marching around campus and across Route 1. RYAN OWEN--THE DIAMONDBACK
Posted on 03/06/2003 7:11:03 AM PST by jae471
Doves shoot down warhawks in rally
400 converge on Route 1 as part of nationwide strike
By Sam Hedenberg
Staff writer
| Protesters gathered on McKeldin Mall for impersonations, songs and speeches against war with Iraq before marching around campus and across Route 1. RYAN OWEN--THE DIAMONDBACK
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Students, faculty, staff and other protesters gathered around the sundial in the center of the mall at noon to protest a number of highly debated issues, ranging from the imminent conflict in Iraq to student tuition hikes.
The group, which was assembled by the March 5 Strike Committee - composed of members from the university's Peace Forum, Students and Workers Unite! and the Muslim Students' Association and supported by about 10 other university groups - assembled for about two hours to express to the world its views on local and national issues, organizers said. The event attracted about 400 protesters at its peak, but numbers throughout the day averaged 200 to 300, University Police said.
The event was a part of a nationwide effort to protest the Bush administration's actions in Iraq. Students numbering in the tens of thousands walked out of class in more than 300 institutions across the country. Numbers reached to about 1,500 at Penn State University and 1,000 at Santa Monica City College in California, for example.
 Nadia Brandon, political science graduate, holds her sign up on Route 1 during the peace protest yesterday. RYAN OWEN--THE DIAMONDBACK
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Aside from deviating from the original parade route, the protesters presented relatively minimal problems, according to police.
"This protest is a lot different from experiences we've had in the past," said University Police Maj. Paul Dillon, referring to recent student riots after major sporting events. "These people are here for a cause, they're sober, there has been no animosity towards police and there has been no looting or burning."
Other officers said they encountered a few conflicts, but no injuries or arrests were reported. One such incident involved a pair of students yelling at the line of chanters as they passed on Route 1.
"You're terrorists! All of you!" shouted senior marketing major Steve Smith, who was pushed back from the crowd by police after being barraged with a round of insults from the protesters.
"You'll be the first one to get drafted!" yelled a protester to Smith.
Smith said he was angry at the mass, arguing most protesters were looking for an excuse to skip class.
"This type of protest doesn't unify America; it divides it," Smith said. "I don't mind when people express how they feel, but most people protesting don't even know the issues at hand."
The crowd was far from the stereotypical "hippie" group that reveled in the colorful anti-war protests of the 1960s.
Summer Jafari, a sophomore art history major, sported an T-shirt promoting Anti-Flag, a punk band well known for its anti-war, anti-government position.
"I think it's amazing that all these people can come together and protest the same thing, no matter if you're a hippie or a corporate worker, or just an average student," Jafari said.
Faculty members also showed support for the movement. American Studies chairman and professor John Caughey riled the crowd by questioning the Bush administration's action in Iraq.
"What the f--- is happening with our president?" Caughey asked the crowd. "Why is he fighting against everything the United Nations is for?"
Caughey then began chanting "U.N. yes, Bush war no," which was met with wild applause and cheers of agreement.
Staff members also came out to support the student-spun event, taking the opportunity to show their distaste for tuition increases and the lack of wage increases for staff members.
"The power is in the people!" shouted Vincent Brown, vice president of the university's chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. "It's all about sticking together."
Brown warned students to be wary of the administration, in light of a recent 5 percent mid-semester tuition increase and other impending increases as a result of $67 million in recent state budget cuts to higher education.
"The university has the money; it's just a matter of where they allocate it," Brown said. "They tried to take money from the staff members, but we unionized and now they can't. Students don't have any representatives at a collective bargaining table, so they need to show the administration that they care. The administration doesn't think students care, and it's time to prove them wrong."
Though protesters claim interest in the rising costs to attend the university, little proof has been put forward, following paltry student turnout to events like last week's tuition task force meeting that only attracted about 40 students.
While anti-war protesters chanted, members from the Maryland Federation of College Republicans conducted a counterprotest on the steps of McKeldin Library. About 10 members holding signs spoke in defense for the Bush administration, saying that though they did not have the numbers, their side was being heard.
Senior psychology major Jessie Connolly said the counterprotest was going well, considering the federation had not planned until early Tuesday evening to assemble. She said the group passed out about 400 flyers in support of President Bush's current actions in Iraq in an hour.
Connolly said several members of the anti-war protest had come over to engage the small group in a debate of semantics, and some had gotten heated.
"They started coming over and yelling stuff, but the police escorted them away and it was no big deal," Connolly said. "There are people who agree and people who disagree, and as long as it is in a peaceful manner, there's nothing wrong with expressing it."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
In the U.N., Bush is fighting the Socialists of Europe, the Autocrats of Russia, the Communists of China, and the Totalitarians of the Arab world.
Freedom has many enemies, and the U.N. is one.
No that was the last President.
Ummm...scuse me little miss antiwar protesor lady... maybe it's cuz the UN doesn't stand for anything? At least, nothing valuable? Ya know???
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