On Saturday, around fifty people gathered at Rosa Parks Circle to demand that area legislators–Representative Vern Ehlers and Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow–support an immediate end to the occupation of Iraq. The protest was organized by the group ACTIVATE/SDS who on Friday organized a protest against the occupation of Iraq outside of Vice President Dick Cheney’s speech in Grand Rapids.
The rally began with ACTIVATE/SDS reading their ten reasons they are calling for an immediate end to the occupation of Iraq. The document is available online, but the group’s position includes a number of points not typically considered in local–or even national opposition to the war–including a demand that all private security contractors be withdrawn, opposition to the economic restructuring of Iraq, and that reparations be paid to Iraq for both the most recent invasion as well as the twelve years of sanctions.
Following ACTIVATE’s opening statements, two speakers delivered short speeches relevant to both General Petraeus’ recent testimony before congress as well as ongoing antiwar organizing. Karen Henry offered a critical perspective as an Arab that focused on what the Iraqis want, which is almost completely ignored in the debate. Henry described the war as “a humanitarian disaster of epic proportions that continues to worsen” and explained that the Iraqis want the United States out of their country immediately. Grand Valley State University sociology professor Michael Ott put President Bush’s Iraq policy into a larger context, explaining that it fits into systems of “capitalism” and “imperialism” and suggested that people in the antiwar movement should not be afraid to use those terms. Ott also expressed that people need to hold politicians accountable and make demands of them. Moreover, Ott explained that Iraq is merely one component of an imperialist project and that antiwar activism must challenge that project in its entirety.
ACTIVATE/SDS also offered a number of ways for people to get involved in antiwar work in Grand Rapids. The group mentioned that it has ongoing counter-recruitment activities, especially focused on “opt-out” work. The group also gathered signatures for a petition for local legislators demanding an immediate withdrawal from Iraq, which the group will be delivering before the upcoming congressional vote on war funding. As part of its work targeting legislators, the group is planning to go to the Grand Rapids City Commission to demand that the City Commission pass a resolution against the war. The Commission had previously said that it would pass a resolution, but later reneged. Additionally, the group announced that it will be participating in an effort with the Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy (GRIID) to hold the local media accountable for its failure to provide adequate coverage of the war. In conjunction with this effort, the group also encouraged people to sign a petition as part of a campaign organized by Media Mouse to get Democracy Now! on local television and radio.
Following the rally, the group led an unpermitted march through downtown Grand Rapids. Led by a large banner that read “Stop Funding War,” protestors chanted “War and Occupation is not Liberation,” “No Justice, No Peace, US out of the Middle East,” and “This is what Democracy looks like.” After about fifteen minutes, the Grand Rapids Police Department showed up and began threatening people with arrest if they did not go on the sidewalk. No arrests were made and the march finished its final two blocks on the sidewalk.
The rally and march were held in solidarity with a mobilization on Saturday in Washington DC organized by ANSWER. According to reports from the Washington DC Independent Media Center, the march–led by a contingent from Iraq Veterans Against the War–numbered 100,000. 189 protestors were later arrested at a die-in held outside the White House.
Related posts:
- Protest Calls for End to US Occupation of Iraq
- Military Recruiting Protest Calls for “Supporting the Troops” by Ending the Occupation of Iraq
- Protestors Call for an End to the Occupation of Iraq Outside Cheney Visit
- Protest Demands Obama Really “End the War” by Removing All Troops from Iraq
- Video: Protest Targets Representative Ehlers’ Support of the Iraq War
