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Mobilization in Washington
Pittsburghers came to Washington in waves, in buses organized by the
Thomas Merton Center, in vans and car-pools. A major contingent made a one-day
trip on Saturday, April 20, for the massive rally at the Washington Monument and
march up Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol. Another group came on Sunday
and stayed over to Monday for actions calling for closing of the School of the
Americas and an end to U.S. support for the war in Colombia. Others joined
anti-globalization demonstrations against the World Bank and International
Monetary Fund.
The weekend of protest was spurred by the U.S. war on terrorism, the bombing
in Afghanistan and the Bush Administration's threats to carry the war to other
countries. The call to mobilize came initially from the National Youth and
Student Peace Coalition and was quickly endorsed by many other organizations,
including the Thomas Merton Center.
The demands were varied, ranging from the broad and general ("A U.S.
foreign policy based upon social and economic justice, not military and
corporate oppression") to the specific (ending of racial profiling, full
disclosure of military contracts with universities, and "increased funding for
non-military-based financial aid for education").
The nature of the protests changed dramatically after March 29, when the
Israeli army invaded the West Bank in response to the suicide bombing at a
Passover Seder in Netanya. By April 20, the Israeli invasion, and the
intractable militance of Ariel Sharon, had come to dominate other concerns.
Leading the anti-Israeli, pro-Palestinian cause was another activist coalition,
International A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism), known for
hard-edge politics and high-handed dealings with other groups.
What could have been a destructive rivalry between ANSWER and the student
coalition was headed off on April 14, when the two groups
reached an ageement to
stage separate rallies followed by a single unified march and co-sponsored rally
at the Capitol.
So on April 20, protesters had their choice: either a student coalition
rally at the Washington Monument, or an ANSWER-sponsored rally across
Constitution Avenue on the Ellipse facing the White House. While the student
rally was huge, the pro-Palestinian rally appeared even larger, and when the
march began, the pro-Palestinian forces led the way, chanting "Long Live
Palestine" and occasionally "Long Live the Intifada," and Palestinian flags were
everywhere.
For most protesters, the march was an inspiring display of solidarity.
"I'm sure the impact of this demonstration will have a positive effect on
the powers that be across the globe," said Pittsburgher Dessie Bey. "We made
sure the government knows that we are united on several issues, such as
terrorism on the Palestinian state, racial profiling, globalization and world
debt."
Dennis Brutus, the South African poet, leader of the Africana studies
program at Pitt, world-class social and political activist and Merton Center
board member, said the Washington demonstration achieved several major goals:
"It forced the media to pay attention to the event and report it on the
whole with reasonable accuracy," Brutus said. "The message was support for the
Palestinian cause and opposition to the Israeli actions, and it showed that the
people of the U.S. are not totally supportive of Bush's war against terrorism.
The New People Table of Contents, May 2002