[Mb-civic] Media Downplay Historic Day of Protests

[Michael Butler]

    Media Downplay Historic Day of Protests
    By Scott Galindez
    t r u t h o u t | Report

    Sunday 20 March 2005

    Fayetteville, NC -- The second anniversary of the war was the impetus
for major demonstrations throughout the world. In the United States, over
800 communities held events calling for an end to the occupation.

    CNN, however, reported that in the United States "barely a ripple was
made while large protests took place in Europe." The New York Times reported
that protests in the United States ranged from 350 people in Times Square to
thousands in San Francisco. Later in the same story, the Times reported that
several thousand marched from Harlem to Central Park. If thousands marched
in New York, why did the Times highlight the 350 in Times Square?

    CNN's report was worse Š nothing about US protests. While they only saw
a ripple, a huge wave passed them by. If CNN had been in Fayetteville, North
Carolina, they would have seen what could be a major turning point in the
anti-war movement. The largest Anti-war protest ever in this heavily
military town took place.

    The march was led by two banners carried by family members of soldiers
who died or served in Iraq. The first banner said "The World Still Says No
to War" and the second banner was "Bring the Troops Home Now." A few feet
behind was a banner carried by Veterans of the Iraq War. One of those
veterans, Sergeant Camillo Mejia, recently served 9 months in jail for
refusing to return to Iraq after leave. Mejia told the crowd: "After going
to war and seeing its ugly face, I could no longer be a part of it."

    Following the Iraq Veterans was Military Families Speak Out. "I can't
remain silent on these issues, slap a yellow ribbon on my car and call it
supporting our troops," said Kara Hollingsworth, the wife of a soldier
serving his second tour of duty in Iraq. "I support our troops by making
sure they are not put in harm's way unless absolutely necessary."

    Many veterans of past wars were also among the ranks. Sections of the
march resembled army units marching in formation calling cadence.

    Speaker after speaker told stories of loved ones they had lost during
the war and the now 2-year-old occupation of Iraq. Flag-draped mock coffins
were carried by many.

    Congresswoman Lynn Woosley of California called on the crowd to lobby
Congress in support of House Concurrent Resolution 35, calling on the
President to bring U.S. troops home.

    The March was part of a series of events aimed at breathing new life
into the anti-war movement. The first-ever Iraq Veterans Against the War
national conference is also taking place, along with a Conference of
Military Families Speak Out. A third major conference of Southern anti-war
organizers is also taking place in Fayetteville.

    CNN missed the boat Š perhaps a good thing for them, since they were
only prepared for a ripple and not the giant wave that formed in
Fayetteville.

 

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