San Fran: Anti-War Protests Flare, 1,000+ Arrests

Post-9/11 Era Forum

Police arrested more than 1,000 people in San Francisco on Thursday -- the most demonstrators taken into custody on a single day in the city in 22 years -- as tens of thousands protested across America against the U.S. war in Iraq.

"If this was happening in every city, there would either be martial law or an end to war," said one Berkeley student who chained himself to 16 others on a major San Francisco street.

Protests took place in other cities across the United States as well as in European capitals.

During morning rush hour in the Washington D.C., more than 100 demonstrators temporarily shut down the Key Bridge, a major route from Virginia into Washington's Georgetown neighborhood and three were arrested.

About 100 protesters later gathered in pouring rain on the streets near the White House, and about 350 demonstrators blocked evening rush hour traffic on a main Washington thoroughfare.

In New York, which took the brunt of the September 11, 2001 attack that President Bush has repeatedly cited as an example of the threat to America, "September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows" condemned what they called an illegal and immoral U.S. war.

Anti-war demonstrators overflowed police barriers during rush hour in Times Square, completely shutting New York's Broadway for two blocks below 42nd Street.

"A year and a half ago you were heroes," one onlooker shouted as police forcibly led away one demonstrator. "Don't become our enemies."

SUPPORT FOR TROOPS

Under sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-60s F, San Francisco protesters started early and continued strongly through the evening in actions aimed at choking off traffic across the city.

Police in riot gear made at least 1,000 arrests, and the numbers continued to rise into the evening, a spokeswoman said, adding it was the highest total in San Francisco in 22 years. Some were kept in temporary pens erected on the street.

Many towns in America displayed support for the troops, albeit in a quieter way. Towns like Waxahachie, south of Dallas, put up yellow ribbons in support of U.S. troops.

Some yelled in other cities at the protesters.

"They are nothing but traitors. This does nothing but give aid and support to the enemy," said Debbie Petee in San Francisco, a Bush supporter.

Protesters across that nation said opposing war was not at odds with being an American patriot. "It's not like we're burning flags," said Danielle Geroux, a student at an anti-war rally at Florida's capital, Tallahassee. "We just don't want people to die."

Vietnam veteran Mike Ward, 56, who participated in protest marches in the 1960s, wore his combat ribbons in San Francisco so that no one would question his patriotism.

HISSES AT HARVARD

Students gathered at campuses across the nation, including at Harvard University, where hundreds walked out of classes at noon and at least 1,500 people gathered at a rally.

Students at California's Berkeley campus, a hotbed of dissent against the Vietnam War in the 1960s and early 1970s, occupied the main administration building for several hours before at least 120 were arrested,

Police in Pittsburgh fought with some protesters and arrested dozens.

At San Francisco's Federal Courthouse, at least two protesters took medicine that induced them to vomit. Some in the crowd flew Iraqi, Palestinian and French flags. In some areas, police charged protesters to carry them off. Sparks flew as officials sawed through chains linking protesters. Some of the city's fabled cable cars were halted.

In Madison, Wisconsin, a traditional hotbed of protest, police investigated vandalism at the state Republican party headquarters on Wednesday night in which a half-dozen windows were broken and paint bombs were tossed around.

The war also clouded the upcoming Academy Awards. California's governor on Thursday assigned a National Guard unit to protect the Oscars, but at least one prominent star withdrew from the ceremonies, saying now was not the time to celebrate. Will Smith pulled out of Sunday's ceremony and other stars including Dustin Hoffman said they will wear peace sign pins, doves and even duct tape to protest the war in Iraq. More than 100,000 protested in Germany. In London, thousands of British anti-war campaigners blocked roads and scuffled with police. More than 10,000 people, mostly students, surged through Paris chanting anti-war slogans and some burned the U.S. flag.

Source: Reuters

There was some big protests here in Portland too, people buring American flags and stuff.

I think these people should all be deported to Iran. See how they feel about the US then.

I saw Alice Walker (author of the colur purple) interviewed by David Moyer of PBS. She and the ****Journalist**** came across as such peace lovinng people. She protested in DC friday. I (Being from South Carolina) and in fact the island (james) (Fort Johnson)which housed the cannon battery which fired the first shots of the Civil war. I wondered How would she feel about peace activists if they were were protesting against Mr. Lincolns War. hum..............would it be politicaly correct to Oppose the US civil war. A million men died if you count both sides. Yet a greater good was achieved. Do the peace activists prefer slavery to war. Am I too far off base in makeing such an analogy?

Yes, vik - peace protesters prefer slavery to war - child rape to war -

Burning American flags?
They must hate their own loved ones

Oh, please. You hear a rumor about a single person doing something unpatriotic, and then make sweeping conclusions about all of the protesters.

I was in the San Francisco protests. The overwhelming majority of people I saw there expressed goodwill for our troops -- so much so that they did not want to place them in harm's way at all. Some proudly carried American flags. I am proud to be in a country with freedom of speech, and it pains me to think that there are people who believe that those who disagree with the President should be deported. America is the land of the free. If you don't like the fact that people can disagree, why don't you move to a country where dissent isn't tolerated?

Because I oppose this war, does that mean that I oppose any war? No, that's stupid. I proudly supported the Gulf War, when we acted with cooperation with a true worldwide coalition -- and we were responding to actual aggression rather than pre-emptively attacking because of something that might be done in the future. There were other just wars in our history, as well as some unjust ones like the Spanish-American War and the Seminole War.

A single person?
Were have you been?
There have been thousands of people bouncing around a burning flag - throwing rocks at Mcdonalds.
This is not peace .
By the way - France objected to the first Gulf-War at first.
Gee - no wonder they do it now.
They could be gassed and would still object.

Well, I have been at three of the protests in San Francisco and seen thousands of protesters. During that time, I did not see a single person treating the flag with anything but respect. Can you say when and where any particular flag-burning happened? Nor did I see anyone do anything to McDonalds (though I consider it pretty laughable that you appear to put objecting to McDonalds in the same category as disrespecting the flag).

it was at the 9-11 memorial
Yeah, the McDonalds popped into my head at the same time - I hate their soybean burgers - anyways.... There's been protests on both sides in my state.
Last night and the night before - but no one has destroyed anything in my city yet.