“No to war, yes to peace, U.S. out of the Middle
East,” chanted students gathered in Meyerhoff Park Tuesday
afternoon at a student “speak out” against a possible
war in Iraq.
Coordinated by Students for Global Peace and Justice, the speak
out was a means to raise awareness and rally support against war,
said organization member Yousef Tajsar, a third-year political
science and international developmental studies student.
Sporting anti-war arm bands, students waved peace-advocating
banners around the podium as speakers took to the microphone.
Speakers reiterated the theme of the rally that was stated on
one of the banners: “War is a Distraction.”
The first speaker Joel Andres, author of the recently published
book “Addicted to War,” explained what he thought were
the real motives behind the U.S. push for war.
The United States does not want to combat terrorism or promote
democracy in Iraq, Andres said.
“The war is about establishing a U.S. client state in
Iraq,” he said referring to his belief that the United States
is only concerned with its own interests.
As the rally progressed, students who supported war began
surrounding the stage with their banners sporting anti-Saddam
Hussein slogans.
“They’re getting completely off-topic,” said
Tony Napolitano, a second year biology student and member of the
Bruin Republicans.
“They are bringing up irrelevant race issues that have no
bearing on the war,” he said.
Holding up the face of a bruised and bloodied Saddam Hussein,
Napolitano said the United States should do whatever is necessary
to protect the world.
But some see the war as having detrimental effects at home.
Fourth-year American literature student Catherine Arendano
addressed education budget cuts that some fear might correlate with
increased defense spending.
“It is clear where (President Bush’s) priorities
lie,” Arendano said referring to what she called a
disproportionally small amount of the federal budget spent on
education compared to the percent spent on defense.
“This is not what we as students need. What we need is for
the government to rebuild our schools,” she said.
The war will also hinder students’ aims for a higher
education said Bryant Tan, former academic affairs commissioner for
the Undergraduate Students Association Council.
Instead of going to college, many men and some women may have to
enlist in the military, Tan said.
“A lot of men will have to sacrifice their lives,”
he said.
Another student speaker, Cristina Lopez, a member of Conciencia
Libre, said money taken from social service programs for defense
would harm laborers and immigrants.
Second-year political science student Jane Shevtsov said a U.S.
attack on Iraq would be an attack on the people as well.
“It is a lie that (the United States) has no quarrel with
the (Iraqi) people,” Shevtsov said.
“How can you starve them and say you have no quarrel with
them?” she added.
Some students said they believed the protesters weren’t
representative of the general student body.
“The average student is not as devoted to the pro-peace
cause as the (rally-goers) are,” said David Hackett, a
fourth-year political science student.
Rally coordinators encouraged students to sign the petition
going around for an anti-war resolution to be considered by
USAC.
But others thought student government should focus on what they
thought were more relevant issues to campus.
“I don’t think (student government) should waste
their time, when they don’t have control over the
issue,” Hackett said.
The Students for Global Peace and Justice will present the
resolution to USAC at their meeting next Tuesday.
Global Justice Week also features a panel on fact and fiction
about the war Wednesday and a free night concert Thursday.