Penn students join nationwide anti-war rally

(Check out our slideshow of the march) "One, two, three, four! We don't want your oil war! Five, six, seven, eight! Stop the killing! Stop the hate!" This slogan -- among others that included "No blood for oil!" and "Move, Bush! Get out the way!" -- could be heard emanating from College Green yesterday as approximately 100 Penn students, staff and faculty members, as well as local residents, began an anti-war march that ended with a rally at City Hall. The march followed a walk out that students staged from their classrooms at 2:40 p.m. The protest, "Books Not Bombs," was part of the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition's anti-war effort. About 230 high schools and universities across the nation registered to participate in the walk-out. Earlier in the day, a teach-in was held in Houston Hall that featured an interfaith panel, a faculty panel and a poetry slam. To the rhythm of drums and cymbals, Penn's protesters chanted their way from College Green to 36th and Walnut streets, eventually reaching City Hall, on Market and Broad streets, where they joined hundreds of others from throughout the city. "Regardless of numbers, we have a very diverse group that I think is representative of the Penn community," said College junior Spencer Witte, a board member of Penn Students Against War in Iraq. "As the conflict escalates, our involvement needs to escalate. People need to decide where they stand. You can't just be in the middle. This is too important not to care." According to Melissa Byrne, Penn for Peace member and College of General Studies senior, the rally's broad anti-war base induced the diverse turnout. "It's not all about numbers but the authenticity," Byrne said. "Look -- there are frats, jocks, sorority girls, all people. This is what democracy looks like." In addition to concerned individuals, the event was officially endorsed by a handful of Penn organizations, including the Penn Arab Student Society, Muslim Students for Justice, Penn Pakistan Society and St. Mary's Episcopal Church at Penn. "It is important to add the Muslim voice to the debate against war, especially the American Muslim perspective," said Muhammed Mekki, a Wharton sophomore and president of the Muslim Students Association. "This war is not just and most of the government's arguments are not substantiated. Being an Iraqi-American, I don't believe the Iraqi people want to be liberated. It is hard to tell wether or not the implementation of American values will be good for Iraqis in the long run. A democracy forced on Iraq is against the spirit of democracy." Demonstrators were escorted by police vehicles and flanked by civil affairs police officers who said they were there to ensure the group's safety. The protesters gained steam as they proceeded down Chestnut and Market streets, flashing peace signs and increasing in number as pedestrians joined in. Not all observers were so encouraging, however. "They don't know what they are talking about," said Jim Geyer, a Desert Storm veteran and senior account manager at SST, a local electronic security firm. "They just see a protest on TV and want to copy it. They don't know what kind of guy Saddam Hussein is -- a murderer and a massachist. They are supporting a killer." At City Hall, demonstrators from Temple and Drexel universities, local high schools and such activist organizations as A Quaker Action Group II and the Student Environmental Action Coalition, and Quaker, Lutheran and Catholic religious groups, converged under the watch of three hovering helicopters. The protesters then circled the building and congregated on the front steps for the main demonstration. Speakers, introduced by College junior Carlos Gomez, included City Councilman Angel Ortiz, Kensington Welfare Rights Union leader Cheri Honkala, fifth-year Engineering and Wharton student Jesse Tendler and Mekki. Leaders for the Iraqi Pledge of Resistance, which specializes in nonviolent civil disobedience, and United for Peace, an umbrella group that works to coordinate efforts against war on Iraq, also spoke. "We are concerned about a 'too good' despot that we control and who we have been after for the past 10 years," Ortiz said. "I hope [the demonstration] makes Democrats open their eyes to speak out. George Bush doesn't understand. We need to send a message to Bush and Rumsfeld that we all do not walk in lock-step." Nearby, at the Armed Forces Recruiting Center on Cherry and Broad streets, 10 high school students handcuffed themselves to the front door. Although police were on the scene, no arrests were made. Protesters used a wide range of methods to express their opinions, and their reasons for attending were just as varied. "I am here because my cousin was shipped off yesterday," said Center City Parkway High School junior Shakia Lee. "We are here to say we are opposed to the war effort with or without U.N. backing," said Student Environmental Action Coalition volunteer Jim Hardy. "We are also here to protest the devastating environmental impact of war and the military in general." "Think peace, live peace, pray peace," said AQUAGII member Elizabeth Flower. "Don't accept war. Challenge your leaders. We are one world." Some participants, however, were not so personally invested in the protest. For some students, escaping the classroom was more of an incentive. "I haven't been to a protest in a while and missed being involved in political action," said College freshman Johannah Lebow. "I also don't like my three o'clock class." Witte acknowledged that Penn has traditionally been seen as a school that shies away from protesting but thinks that students are "starting to become more active." "I love the student support," Ortiz said. "They are my hope for the future."

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