A Strong, Spirited D.C. March

by John Leslie / April 2009

A diverse crowd of from 5000 to 10,000 people converged on Washington, D.C., on March 21 to mark the 6th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. A large number of young people participated, showing the potential for a rejuvenated antiwar movement. The crowd also included numerous Arab and Muslim people.

Aubrey, a young activist from Connecticut, said: "This was my first national demonstration, and I had an amazing experience. The energy of the march was awesome and very inspiring. I think the experience got a lot of new people anchored into the antiwar movement, and I know it boosted my confidence in building the antiwar movement during the Obama era."

Speakers at the initial rally reflected the broad number of organizations that built the demonstration. They denounced the continued occupation of Iraq and the escalation of the war in Afghanistan.

Chris Gauvreau, speaking for Connecticut United for Peace and the National Assembly, reflected: "Each day, the corporate media runs a story about how the war in Iraq is winding down. But when I woke up this morning, I read the moving appeal from the Iraq Veterans and the Military Families. They said that we must keep marching until every last troop and mercenary is brought home from Iraq, and the Iraqi people have true self-determination. And I read the appeal from Iraqi trade unionists meeting in February to steel themselves to step up the fight against the theft of Iraqi oil by U.S. corporations with the blessing of the U.S.-backed occupation regime. They plead for our solidarity against the criminal plans that Exxon and Washington have cooked up for their country."

The march went first to the Pentagon and then on to Crystal City, Va.—home to defense contractors like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, and KBR. The march was led by a large contingent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. There were also contingents of Student and Youth ANSWER and the Campus Antiwar Network.

The National Assembly made its presence felt with hundreds of signs against the occupations and opposing the Wall Street bailout. National Assembly supporters also distributed literature publicizing the July 10 antiwar conference in Pittsburgh.

Antiwar leaders and monitors were able to keep the demonstration peaceful and orderly despite several provocations by the police.

At the end point of the march, several hundred riot-equipped cops and soldiers waited for the demonstrators. They cordoned off the areas where the defense contractors’ buildings are located. Demonstrators surged into a courtyard in front of the KBR building and chanted antiwar slogans.

(KBR, a Halliburton subsidiary, has received no-bid contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan for base construction and "reconstruction" projects. KBR is also implicated in the scandal involving poorly grounded showers built on U.S. bases, which led to the electrocution deaths of more than 18 soldiers and civilian personnel.)

I left on the bus back to Philadelphia. Conversations about Palestine, Afghanistan, and U.S. policy in the Middle East were carried on for most of the ride home. Some on our bus had just attended their first national demonstration. Others of us had lost count. Still, we shared one thing—a determination to end these wars and occupations and stop U.S. aggression worldwide.