Mass D.C. Rally Holds New Congress Accountable: 300 from Rochester Join National Anti-War Rally

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 28, 2007 — An indeterminate number of protesters comprised of everyday people, organizers, citizen groups, lawmakers, celebrities and God knows what all, joined me in Washington over the weekend to protest the U.S. occupation in Iraq. You’ll notice a few things about that opening sentence: There is no body count on attendees; the word ‘celebrities’ doesn’t dominate the focus; and the word ‘war’ isn’t in it. This, because the overwhelming majority of participants were everyday people; the so-called “war” in Iraq is really an occupation of a sovereign state; and the tally of those attending the rally is any body’s guess. I’ve been to a number of huge rallies in my day, having come of age in the 60s, and I’ve never seen anything like this.

I will further confess that I’m exhausted not only by the occupation—but from what anyone who joined me riding chartered buses (we affectionately dubbed ours a ‘rolling gulag’) experienced when we were jammed into cramped seats among, beside and beneath our traveling gear. I can’t sleep in such conditions and so I now suffer the almost hypnotic symptoms of one who last slept on Thursday night, worked Friday and then left for DC at midnight, driving through the night and arriving early Saturday morning, to film the rally until late afternoon and then re-board the bus at 6 P.M., finally arriving home this morning at 4:30. Quite a sleepless stint by any measure, but being buzzed from the experience, I still found it impossible to sleep. So when I got home I decided I’d take a look at what the media were reporting about the rally. Read the rest of the article at Street Level.

Photos:
From the march (Javier): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
From the Capitol/march (Sera Brown): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

Video: january 27, 2007 Washington DC March to End the War on Iraq

Other Accounts: Is Peace itself offensive?

Additional Information: At Street Level | Tens of thousands across the nation protest the war on Iraq c/o Indymedia U.S. | Rochester Against War | Metro Justice | Protest: Scenes from the Washington March c/o City Paper | J27: Photos and video footage from the rush to the Capitol

Related: The US gears up for war with Iran | Protests Planned for Fourth Anniversary of US-Led War in Iraq