anti-war
cnn tells me that today was the day for protests around the world against the war. i went to one on friday afternoon, (a few photos are here), but the big one was certainly today. i just got back and want to give a report, and would love to hear from anybody else (comments below) about protests in your city/country.
It was raining all day, which we've seen is pretty common in Buenos Aires in February. But come 5pm, the corner where the march started was packed with people. I was supposed to meet jeremy there but if he were there I wouldn't have been able to find him.
It wasn't until 6pm that everyone was assembled and someone gave the order to start marching to the U.S. Embassy. By that time i was basically soaked, but excited.
The march was made up mostly of piqueteros, the organizations of jobless families from the outskirts of Buenos Aires (see here and here for photos of their other protests), but maybe a fifth were just regular people, without organizations but with their own placards and flags. I couldn't get a good idea of how big the march was because it was impossible to see where the crowd began or ended... it was at the very least 15 blocks long. It was past seven by the time we arrived at the embassy.
The Argentine federal police had closed off the main road that swings by the embassy, so the march stopped at the barricades, facing the police, who were of course all riot-geared out, equipped with teargas bazookas and backed up by a riot tank and firetrucks.
For the next two hours, the crowd chanted and sang, banging drums and shooting off loud fireworks. I stationed myself close to the barricades to watch and to do some yelling myself.
Many of the chants were take-offs of ones the groups used last year against the government; tonight their demands that "Everybody must go" were changed to "Yankees must go!", out of Iraq and out of Argentina. One favorite was "Bush, fascista, vos sos la terrorista!", which you can probably translate on your own. One particularly excited group that arrived while I was standing on the barricade made up some chant to Bush that ended with "la concha de tu madre", which I can't translate here.
When it got dark, the torches came out and American and British flags appeared. I can't tell you how exciting a sight it was, the crowd crowd stretching far as I could see, circling a burning American flag and chanting about Bush the fascist. Almost makes up for not being back in my own country working to fix it.
Jeremy commented earlier that Argentina was the country with popular opinion most opposed to the war (read the report here). It's good to see that opposition in action, and to know that the US propaganda machine isn't working, here or in many countries around the world.
It was raining all day, which we've seen is pretty common in Buenos Aires in February. But come 5pm, the corner where the march started was packed with people. I was supposed to meet jeremy there but if he were there I wouldn't have been able to find him.
It wasn't until 6pm that everyone was assembled and someone gave the order to start marching to the U.S. Embassy. By that time i was basically soaked, but excited.
The march was made up mostly of piqueteros, the organizations of jobless families from the outskirts of Buenos Aires (see here and here for photos of their other protests), but maybe a fifth were just regular people, without organizations but with their own placards and flags. I couldn't get a good idea of how big the march was because it was impossible to see where the crowd began or ended... it was at the very least 15 blocks long. It was past seven by the time we arrived at the embassy.
The Argentine federal police had closed off the main road that swings by the embassy, so the march stopped at the barricades, facing the police, who were of course all riot-geared out, equipped with teargas bazookas and backed up by a riot tank and firetrucks.
For the next two hours, the crowd chanted and sang, banging drums and shooting off loud fireworks. I stationed myself close to the barricades to watch and to do some yelling myself.
Many of the chants were take-offs of ones the groups used last year against the government; tonight their demands that "Everybody must go" were changed to "Yankees must go!", out of Iraq and out of Argentina. One favorite was "Bush, fascista, vos sos la terrorista!", which you can probably translate on your own. One particularly excited group that arrived while I was standing on the barricade made up some chant to Bush that ended with "la concha de tu madre", which I can't translate here.
When it got dark, the torches came out and American and British flags appeared. I can't tell you how exciting a sight it was, the crowd crowd stretching far as I could see, circling a burning American flag and chanting about Bush the fascist. Almost makes up for not being back in my own country working to fix it.
Jeremy commented earlier that Argentina was the country with popular opinion most opposed to the war (read the report here). It's good to see that opposition in action, and to know that the US propaganda machine isn't working, here or in many countries around the world.
previously there was Differences
afterwards you have Elevator
I went to the protest in Madison, WI. It drew about 2,000 people. There have been protests here just about every weekend for months. The big one was about three weeks ago and brought out over 8,000 marching down the city's main drag. But the one on the 16th was fun because the organizers divided everyone into four groups and then paraded us all over the university area of town. The main target was the Kohl Center where the Badgers were playing B-Ball on national TV. All four groups of protesters kept circling back to the Kohl Center since that's where there were lots of non-protesters were coming and going. Most of the onlookers seemed supportive, but to be sure the people screaming from their concrete block, university housing that they "Love War." Good reminder why Bush got elected - we're surrounded by idiots who crave dominance.
It was fun, but it was also one of the few times I've missed NYC. I would have loved to be there this past Saturday. [submitted on 19 Feb 03]
As the evidence has mounted that Argentines strongly oppose the war, however, Menem apparently has seen the need to advance his campaign. Today he released a statment that "circumstances have changed" since 1991, and that he now advocates a peaceful resolution of the problem.
This was one of the 5 Argentina-related stories on the international wire today (normally there is 1 story every few days). The others:
2. The Argentine Peso is surprisingly stable.
3. Production/the economy is recovering faster than expected, Argentina and the World Bank agree.
4. A riot in San Telmo between squatters and police was labelled the worst violence since the fight on the bridge to Avellaneda 7 months ago.
5. The government's candidate for president, Nestor Kirschner, chose a pro-menem official as his running mate, annoying all the politicians but perhaps increasing his appeal to voters. [submitted on 25 Feb 03]