June 11: Largest mass demonstration this year
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3039) OSA Over 60,000 marched in New York City on June 11.
A June 11 New York City anti-nuclear weapons march and rally drew an estimated 60,000 people, making it the largest U.S. protest to occur this year. A support action in San Francisco attracted 3000.
A coalition of national peace groups called for national actions on June 11 in New York and San Francisco to mark the opening of the Third United Nations Special Session on Disarmament (SSD III). Similiar protests also occurred in 1976 and 1982 during SSD I and SSD II.
The New York June 11 demonstration was organized by the SSD III National Coalition. The San Francisco Mobilization for Peace, Jobs and Justice began organizing for June 11 immediately after its successful April 30 march and rally, which drew 12,000 people. PRO Actions in both cities emphasized the international character of the struggle against nuclear weapons. Five hundred Japanese survivors (Hibakusha) of the Hiroshima/Nagasaki atomic bomb blasts led the New York march, with a smaller number also leading the San Francisco protest.
In a particularly dramatic moment at each rally, the Hibakusha raised the Peace Flame and called for an end to all nuclear weapons. The Peace Flame was ignited in Japan in 1987 by burning roof tiles left from embers of the atomic explosions.
In San Francisco, the Sisters of Mercy accepted the Peace Flame from the Japanese guests for placement in their Peace Sanctuary. Charlene Tshirhart, co-chair of the rally and a leader of SANE/Freeze, noted with shame "that the first atomic bombs destined for Hiroshima and Nagasaki were shipped from Hunters Point Naval Base in AMERICAS MEALTH:
Francisco on July 16, Impact of New York action The themes of the New York protest were "to abolish nuclear weapons, to stop military intervention and for economic development and social justice.
Several prominent speakers addressed the rally. Coretta Scott King, president of the Martin Luther King Center in Atlanta, called for cutting the world's military spending to "feed and provide decent housing for every person on earth."
Detroit Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, author of the 1982 Bishops' Pastoral Letter on Nuclear Disarmament, received rousing approval when he said, "We also want to end the greatest lie of all—SDI [Star Wars]."
Other speakers included Garrett Morris, former star of TV's Saturday Night Live; Rabbi Balfour Brickner of the Stephen Columbia University professor and member of the Palestinian National Council.
It was also the first time that Stas Namin, one of only two governmentsanctioned Soviet rock groups, performed at an American peace rally.
What Next?
In San Francisco, organizers anticipated the small size of the protest because most activists were involved in the California Democratic Party presidential primary elections, which ended only four days before June 11.
Unfortunately, most peace, student, community, and trade-union activists still believe that supporting the Democratic Party presidential ticket is the best way to achieve genuine peace, jobs, and justice. These illusions temporarily preclude a large base supporting mass protests independent of capitalist parties.
These same election pressures affected the New York action as well. The large size of the New York City demonstration is, therefore, particularly impressive.
The chief lesson is that despite most organizing energy being diverted into capitalist electoral campaigns, a united and authoritative coalition would be able to mount a successful mass demonstration against U.S. intervention in Central America and the U.S. military nuclear threat.
It seems unlikely in the short run, however, that such a coalition will emerge. Neither the New York nor San Francisco coalitions plan to continue organizing mass protests in the fall.
Leslie Cagan, national coordinator of the SSD III National Coalition, reported that "there are no further plans for the coalition other than trying to raise money to pay our $50,000 debt." [To help the SSD III coalition pay back its debt, you can write to 11 John St., Room 803, New York, N.Y. 10038, or call (212) 608-8155.] The co-chairs of the San Francisco Bay Area Mobilization for Peace, Jobs and Justice will also propose to a July 12 coalition meeting that the group refrain from organizing further mass actions until after the elections.
Thus, the biggest weakness in the anti-intervention protest movement remains — there is no authoritative section of the movement proposing a strategy of consistent mobilizations.