WASHINGTON, Jan 27: Anti-war slogans echoed in the US capital on Saturday as tens of thousands of people marched to the Pentagon to show their rejection of the Bush administration’s Iraq strategy.
“End the war now,” chanted the protesters as they gathered in the National Mall to listen to anti-war speakers.
The organisers – a coalition of groups called ANSWER or Act Now to Stop War and End Racism – chose Jan 27 for the march because it is the 4th anniversary of the start of the Iraq war while 2007 is also the 40th anniversary of the historic 1967 march on the Pentagon against the Vietnam War.
“We are returning to the Pentagon to challenge the system that is addicted to war and global domination,” said a joint statement issued by the coalition. “The Iraq war is a criminal endeavour based on lies. It was always about conquering the entire Middle East with its vast repositories of oil.”
The coalition claimed that Mr “Bush and the Pentagon generals are determined to prolong the war” and they are “building a nation-wide anti-war movement to prevent them from doing so.”
A bright and sunny day helped the organisers by undoing the effects of the cold wave that had gripped Washington throughout the week.
Hundreds of buses came from across the United States, endorsing the organisers’ claim that the entire country that has turned against the war.
Those near the stage could hear the speakers but thousands were so far away from the stage that they could not hear anything. So they formed small groups that went around chanting anti-war slogans: “Troops out Now, Stand up to Bush, Love troops, Hate war, No Blood for Oil.”
Half a dozen members of Congress also addressed the gathering, rejecting President George W. Bush’s strategy of sending more troops to Iraq.
The House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Congressman John Conyers, said he will use congressional powers to try to stop the war. "George Bush has a habit of firing military leaders who tell him the Iraq war is failing," he said. "He can't fire you. He can't fire us,” referring to the masses and the lawmakers.
Congressman Maxine Waters, a Democrat from California said Mr Bush "tricked" the country into an immoral war. "He did not tell the truth," she said. "I will not vote one dime for this war."
