Anti-War Protests in 50 Cities

3,000 People March In San Francisco To Say No To Occupation Protest Part of Emergency Nationwide Demonstrations

Media coverage: San Francisco    Washington DC

April 10, 2004, San Francisco: Called with less than 3 days notice, a determined demonstration of 3,000 people rallied in UN Plaza to call for the immediate end of the occupation of Iraq and to bring the troops home now. The protest, called by the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, marched through downtown San Francisco and was joined by many along Market Street.

As the national uprising in Iraq spreads, many came out to the demonstration to express their solidarity with the Iraqi people and their outrage at the violent escalation by the U.S. military resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Iraqi people in the last several days. The protest also called for money for jobs and education not for the occupation. As young soldiers begin to come back to the Bay Area in body bags or wounded, a growing number of people are turning against this war.

A.N.S.W.E.R spokesperson, LeiLani Dowell told the rally, "It is clear that more and more Iraqis are resisting the brutal nature of the occupation in a more determined and unified way to regain their sovereignty. Despite the overwhelming firepower of the U.S. military, the determination of the Iraqi people is beginning to emerge from all areas of their country."

For more information or to get involved with ANSWER, call 415-821-6545.

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Media Coverage

From the San Francisco Chronicle: : Anti-war protesters rally in San Francisco
Bay City News
Saturday, April 10, 2004
For full article: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/g/a/2004/04/10/protest10.DTL

Anti-war demonstrators gathered in United Nations Plaza in San Francisco this afternoon as part of a nationwide protest prompted by the "siege of Fallujah by U.S. forces,'' said Mazda Majidi, a member of Act Now to Stop War and End Racism Coalition.

The ANSWER Coalition organized what it called "emergency demonstrations'' in 50 cities across the country this weekend, spokesman Leilani Dowell said. ...

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From Washington Post: Demonstrators Seek Removal Of U.S.-Led Forces From Iraq

Aril 11, 2004--...."The Bush administration is a murderous regime, trying to strip the rights of the Iraqi people," shouted Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, member of the steering committee for International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), which organized the rally in Washington and protests in 50 other U.S. cities. Organizers estimated overall participation at "tens of thousands."

"We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Iraq and in other countries," Verheyden-Hilliard told a crowd of people of varied ages and ethnic backgrounds. "We tell them that we [the American people] are not their enemy, and we will work to bring this war to an end." ....

For full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2371-2004Apr10.html