U of R Students Rally Against War

Transfered from old site

U of R Students Rally Against War
 
By Elaine Russell, Rochester Indymedia
 

 
(March 5, 2003) Over 100 students and faculty members stood in the rain and snow to oppose a U.S.-led war on Iraq. The rally, organized by the University of Rochester Students for Social Justice, was held in solidarity with the National Student Strike, Books not Bombs.
 

 
About 15 speakers faced the crowd from the steps of the Rush Rhees Library in front of a cluster of protest signs. Some performed original and selected literary works, and others delivered fact-packed and thoroughly reasoned political speeches. The content of the speeches covered nearly every aspect of historical background and debunked the entirety of the Bush administration’s misinformation crusade.
 

 
The organizers allowed counter-protesters to stand on the library steps with their signs. This group of six or seven left after the first 20 minutes. They were invited to speak, but the only one to accept began by saying, “I don’t know much about the war, but . . .”
 

 
In an interview after the rally one of the organizers, Mansoor Khan, stated that there is growing support for the anti-war movement on campus. Students are experiencing the adverse effects of the cutbacks in aid to education in order to increase military spending.
 

 
The National Student Strike for Books Not Bombs was organized by the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition to oppose the “Bush Administration's plans for a pre-emptive, unilateral war in Iraq and to call for better-funded and more accessible schools.” NYSPC further calls for the removal of ROTC, increased financial aid, and the “repeal of the provision of the ‘No Child Left Behind Act’ which forces high schools to give their students names over to military recruiters or lose federal funds.” Student leaders from over 300 educational institutions pledged to participate.
 

 
Future projects for the University of Rochester Students for Social Justice include teach-ins, more rallies and creative protest.