CWA 1180 - Political Action

The world says no to war
11 million march on Feb. 15; NYC tries to stop demonstrators
February 2003

On February 15, millions of people all over the world made history with a powerful series of protests against U.S. war in Iraq. It was an unmistakable display of the power that ordinary people have when they act together. Even the New York Times (2/17/03) was forced to admit:

"The fracturing of the Western alliance over Iraq and the huge antiwar demonstrations around the world this weekend are reminders that there may still be two superpowers on the planet: the United States and world public opinion….For the moment, an exceptional phenomenon has appeared on the streets of world cities. It may not be as profound as the people's revolutions across Eastern Europe in 1989 or in Europe's class struggles of 1848, but politicians and leaders are unlikely to ignore it."

In New York City, Local 1180 members and thousands of other union members joined a half a million people or more in a peaceful protest that was a great success despite the government's best efforts to keep it from happening. The New York protest was one of more than 600 worldwide that took place over the weekend. In Rome, 2.5 million took to the streets; in Madrid, 2 million; London, 1.5 million; Barcelona, 1 million; Paris, 800,000; Berlin, 500,000. There were demonstrations in 142 American cities, including 100,000 in San Francisco and 100,000 in Los Angeles. There were demonstrations on every continent on earth, including one at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica. In all, at least 11 million people protested against the U.S.'s unilateral war plans.

Perhaps the most significant event was the London protest. It was the biggest demonstration in the history of the country, and it sent a unambiguous signal to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has been Bush's only significant ally in the push for war, that his own nation was deeply opposed to his stand on Iraq. Blair, who has been derisively called a "Yankee Poodle Dandy," seems to have a choice between sticking with Bush or keeping his job. If Blair backs off of his unpopular support for Bush, Washington would be completely isolated in its drive for war, a prospect that might give even the arrogant occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue pause to think.

In New York City, hundreds of thousands braved sub-freezing temperatures and biting winds to march for peace. The elements weren't the only obstacle, as the NYPD made it impossible or nearly impossible for tens of thousands of people to ever reach the rally site on 1st Avenue.

With federal officials looking over their shoulder, the city had earlier in the week denied protesters the right to march in opposition to the war, a clear violation of the First Amendment that was nonetheless held up by a federal judge in the name of "security concerns." It didn't take a conspiracy theorist to be skeptical of the weeklong hysteria around the alleged terrorism "high alert" and the marketing bonanza for duct tape; it was hard to escape the thought that the "code orange" hype was designed to keep people from coming to the demonstrations and to give cover to law enforcement efforts to keep people away.

The New York City demonstration was denied a permit to march, but a spontaneous counter-strategy emerged as 71 separate groups planned "feeder marches" to the rally site. From all over the city, groups of thousands or hundreds of people marched to 1st Avenue. In response, the NYPD blockaded the way in many instances, herded people and penned them in, denied them access to the rally (for which demonstrators did have a legal permit) and in some cases arrested them. There were some 350 arrests in New York City on February 15—the only place in the entire world where protesters that day were kept from exercising their right to dissent against the U.S. government's plans for war. It was another violation of the First Amendment, which guarantees "the right of the people peaceably to assemble" (among other things).

The denial of the march permit, the terror alert scare tactics of the week before the demonstration, the deliberate obstruction keeping people from the rally and the hundreds of unprovoked arrests are all worrisome signs of the further erosion of American civil liberties. There should be a vigorous protest against these violations, and the Bloomberg Administration should be held accountable for their complicity in supporting the Bush Administration's assault of the right to dissent.

And still, despite all that, the day was a huge success!

Back to Solidarity Works page

Back to News & Views page

Back to Political Action page