MASSIVE ANTI-WAR PROTESTS TODAY
"More than half (of America has) said Bush had not fully justified the need for attacking Iraq."
"Bush has said that he intends to launch a pre-emptive war, and now he's facing the most formidable obstacle, which is a pre-emptive anti-war movement,"
reuters.co.uk
Thousands gather for anti-war protests
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans opposed to waging war in Iraq are gathering in Washington and San Francisco for mass demonstrations asking the White House to back down and let U.N. weapons inspections run their course.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to demonstrate at the rallies on Saturday, which organisers said would be the largest showing of U.S. anti-war sentiment since President George W. Bush started making his case for attacking Baghdad last year.
Protesters say the recent deployment of U.S. troops to the Gulf, and widespread speculation a January 27 report by U.N. arms inspectors could serve as a trigger for war, had lit a fire under the American peace movement.
"Bush has said that he intends to launch a pre-emptive war, and now he's facing the most formidable obstacle, which is a pre-emptive anti-war movement," said Washington lawyer Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, who is helping organise the protests.
The Washington demonstration is set to start just before noon at Capitol Hill and activists will march to a downtown Navy base to demand the right to inspect U.S. weapons of mass destruction.
The rally will feature speakers including actress Jessica Lange, Vietnam War veteran and "Born on the Fourth of July" author Ron Kovic, and civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
In San Francisco, actor and activist Martin Sheen is expected to address the demonstration outside of City Hall, which organisers say could draw about 50,000 people.
Though U.S. opinion polls have shown broad support for ousting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, a Pew Research Centre survey published this week showed that for many, that support would require proof of a threat from Iraq.
Two thirds in the Pew poll, conducted in January, said they favour military action but only under certain circumstances. More than half said Bush had not fully justified the need for attacking Iraq.
On Thursday, United Nations inspectors found empty rocket warheads designed to carry chemical warfare agents, a discovery the White House called "troubling and serious" and evidence Saddam was not disarming. |
