September 24, 2005 anti-war protest
Encyclopedia
On September 24, 2005, many protests against the 2003 invasion of Iraq
and the Iraq War took place.
Protesters from around the country joined a march in Washington, D.C.
organized by ANSWER Coalition
and United for Peace and Justice
to promote peace and an end to the war in Iraq. Organizers claim that around 250,000 people attended the demonstration. Police said that 150,000 was "as good a guess as any". C-SPAN
, which broadcast the pre-march speeches, is said to have estimated 500,000. The demonstration route was chosen to be close to the White House
, though President George W. Bush
was away at the time.
Representative Cynthia McKinney
, George Galloway
, Carlos Arredondo
, Cindy Sheehan
, Jesse Jackson
, and former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark
attended the rally.
The September 24 March also included over 300 members of Military Families Speak Out
, which represents about 2,500 military families.
and International Monetary Fund
(IMF), held to coincide with the fall meetings of the World Bank and IMF, which were happening on the same weekend.
The feeder march met at Dupont Circle
. In addition to more mainstream demonstrators, a large black bloc
had gathered. This march from Dupont Circle did not have a march permit from the D.C. government, and as such, details of the actual march route were not disclosed until the last minute. Along with the crowd that had initially gathered, a second feeder march protesting the School of the Americas
joined the World Bank/IMF group at Dupont Circle.
The Mobilization for Global Justice's feeder march ran from Dupont Circle down Connecticut Avenue and past Farragut Square
, reaching Murrow Park and the World Bank. After marching west along H Street as far as 19th Street NW, encountering police barricades on three sides, the march did an about-face and marched east along H Street to Lafayette Square
, joining the main march sponsored by ANSWER and UFPJ.
Following the Mobilization for Global Justice's feeder march to the World Bank and then the White House, the Black Bloc began a separate, quite circuitous march through the streets of Washington, headed for the nearest recruitment center. Reaching the recruitment center, police began backfiring their motorcycle engines. A number of demonstrators unfamiliar with the tactic assumed that rubber bullets were being fired, and much of the Black Bloc scattered, seeking cover. With the main bloc reduced to around sixty people, the Black Bloc retreated, with many scattering newspaper boxes and trash receptacles in an attempt to slow police. The retreat ended when police charged through the group at 11th and K Streets NW.
sponsored a counter-protest, which attracted about 100 people, and was held along Pennsylvania Avenue from the J. Edgar Hoover Building to the US Navy Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
Several thousand attended a rally in Dolores Park
in San Francisco and rallies were also held in Los Angeles
, Seattle, and Birmingham, Alabama
.
to Hyde Park
. Police estimate that 10,000 took part but organizers put the figure at 100,000. The demonstration was organised by the Stop the War Coalition
, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
(CND) and the Muslim Association of Britain
(MAB). The protest was organized to coincide with the Washington protest and to occur just before the start of the Labour Party
Conference.
, Rome
, Paris
and Madrid
.
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
and the Iraq War took place.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
organized by ANSWER Coalition
A.N.S.W.E.R.
Act Now to Stop War and End Racism , also known as International A.N.S.W.E.R. and the ANSWER Coalition, is a United States-based protest umbrella group consisting of many antiwar and civil rights organizations...
and United for Peace and Justice
United for Peace and Justice
United for Peace and Justice is a coalition of more than 1,300 international and U.S.-based organizations opposed to "our government's policy of permanent warfare and empire-building."...
to promote peace and an end to the war in Iraq. Organizers claim that around 250,000 people attended the demonstration. Police said that 150,000 was "as good a guess as any". C-SPAN
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
, which broadcast the pre-march speeches, is said to have estimated 500,000. The demonstration route was chosen to be close to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, though President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
was away at the time.
Representative Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia Ann McKinney is a former US Congresswoman and a member of the Green Party since 2007. As a member of the Democratic Party, she served six terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives. In 2008, the Green Party nominated McKinney for President of the United States...
, George Galloway
George Galloway
George Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...
, Carlos Arredondo
Carlos Arredondo
Carlos Arredondo made national news when his son Marine Lance Corporal Alexander Arrendondo, 20 years old, was killed in An Najaf, Iraq during his second tour of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom on August 25, 2004...
, Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Lee Miller Sheehan is an American anti-war activist whose son, U.S. Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, was killed by enemy action during the Iraq War. She attracted national and international media attention in August 2005 for her extended anti-war protest at a makeshift camp outside President...
, Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
, and former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark
Ramsey Clark
William Ramsey Clark is an American lawyer, activist and former public official. He worked for the U.S. Department of Justice, which included service as United States Attorney General from 1967 to 1969, under President Lyndon B. Johnson...
attended the rally.
The September 24 March also included over 300 members of Military Families Speak Out
Military Families Speak Out
Military Families Speak Out is a US based anti-Iraq war group.Military Families Speak Out was founded by two military families in November, 2002 to speak out against the planned US invasion of Iraq to try to prevent the invasion....
, which represents about 2,500 military families.
World Bank/IMF feeder march
In addition to the main rally and march sponsored by ANSWER and United for Peace and Justice, the Mobilization for Global Justice sponsored a feeder march to protest the policies of the World BankWorld Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
and International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
(IMF), held to coincide with the fall meetings of the World Bank and IMF, which were happening on the same weekend.
The feeder march met at Dupont Circle
Dupont Circle
Dupont Circle is a traffic circle, park, neighborhood, and historic district in Northwest Washington, D.C. The traffic circle is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue NW, Connecticut Avenue NW, New Hampshire Avenue NW, P Street NW, and 19th Street NW...
. In addition to more mainstream demonstrators, a large black bloc
Black bloc
A black bloc is a tactic for protests and marches, whereby individuals wear black clothing, scarves, ski masks, motorcycle helmets with padding, or other face-concealing items...
had gathered. This march from Dupont Circle did not have a march permit from the D.C. government, and as such, details of the actual march route were not disclosed until the last minute. Along with the crowd that had initially gathered, a second feeder march protesting the School of the Americas
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation , formerly the United States Army School of the Americas is a United States Department of Defense educational and training facility at Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia in the United States...
joined the World Bank/IMF group at Dupont Circle.
The Mobilization for Global Justice's feeder march ran from Dupont Circle down Connecticut Avenue and past Farragut Square
Farragut Square
Farragut Square is a city square in Washington, D.C.'s Ward 2. It is bordered by K Street NW on the north, I Street NW to the south, and on the east and west by segments of 17th Street NW, and it interrupts Connecticut Avenue NW...
, reaching Murrow Park and the World Bank. After marching west along H Street as far as 19th Street NW, encountering police barricades on three sides, the march did an about-face and marched east along H Street to Lafayette Square
Lafayette Square
Lafayette Square may refer to a place in the United States:*Lafayette Square, Los Angeles, California, a neighborhood in the mid-city section of L.A.*Lafayette Square, New Orleans, Louisiana, in the Central Business District*Lafayette Square, St...
, joining the main march sponsored by ANSWER and UFPJ.
Black bloc breakaway march
Counter-protests
Free RepublicFree Republic
Free Republic is a moderated Internet forum for activists, and chat site for self-described conservatives, primarily within the United States. It presents articles and comments posted pseudonymously by registered members, known as "Freepers", using screen names...
sponsored a counter-protest, which attracted about 100 people, and was held along Pennsylvania Avenue from the J. Edgar Hoover Building to the US Navy Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
Other U.S. cities
Dolores Park
Mission Dolores Park is a San Francisco, California, city park located in the neighborhood of Mission Dolores, at the western edge of the Mission District, which lies to the east of the park. To the west of the park is a hillside referred to as "Dolores Heights" or considered a part of the Castro...
in San Francisco and rallies were also held in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Seattle, and Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
.
United Kingdom
Thousands joined a march from Parliament SquareParliament Square
Parliament Square is a square outside the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in London. It features a large open green area in the middle, with a group of trees to its west. It contains statues of famous statesmen and is the scene of rallies and protests, as well as being a tourist...
to Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
. Police estimate that 10,000 took part but organizers put the figure at 100,000. The demonstration was organised by the Stop the War Coalition
Stop the War Coalition
The Stop the War Coalition is a United Kingdom group set up on 21 September 2001 that campaigns against what it believes are unjust wars....
, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
(CND) and the Muslim Association of Britain
Muslim Association of Britain
The Muslim Association of Britain is an Islamic organisation in the United Kingdom established in 1997.-Anti-war activities:Along with Stop the War Coalition and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, it has co-sponsored various demonstrations against the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq...
(MAB). The protest was organized to coincide with the Washington protest and to occur just before the start of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Conference.
Worldwide
Demonstrations were held in FlorenceFlorence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
See also
- Protests against the 2003 Iraq war
- List of protest marches on Washington, D.C.
- ANSWER CoalitionA.N.S.W.E.R.Act Now to Stop War and End Racism , also known as International A.N.S.W.E.R. and the ANSWER Coalition, is a United States-based protest umbrella group consisting of many antiwar and civil rights organizations...
- United for Peace and JusticeUnited for Peace and JusticeUnited for Peace and Justice is a coalition of more than 1,300 international and U.S.-based organizations opposed to "our government's policy of permanent warfare and empire-building."...
- Veterans for Peace
- Iraq Veterans Against the War
External links
- ANSWER Coalition Co-sponsor
- United for Peace and Justice Co-sponsor
- Mobilization for Global Justice Feeder march sponsor
- Protest Warrior Counter-protest group
- "My Speech at the Antiwar Rally," LewRockwell.com, 25 September 2005
- Student contingents in D.C. and San Francisco marches
Photography in Washington
- Aerial photo of the massive crowd at the Ellipse
- Bread and Puppet Theater, creator of paper mache art use in march
- Anarchist photos from the march
- Richard Renner's photos of the 2005-09-24 Peace March on Washington
- SeanMCollins.com Anti War Protest Gallery
