International Women’s Day took an anti-war turn at the
fourth Global Women’s Strike on Saturday. Hundreds of women,
children and men crowded in front of the Federal Building in
Westwood to rally against the war and an expanding military budget.
“Millions all over the world are now speaking up, and I think
eventually the government will have to listen because there’s
so many people speaking out,” said Sarah Jane Hall, Los
Angeles resident and rally participant. The Global Women’s
Strike consisted of women and their supporters in 80 countries
around the world speaking out against the war and voicing demands.
These demands ranged from payment for work done in the home, to
investing in welfare rather than the military budget.
Representatives for various organizations ““ not just
women’s groups ““ against a possible war in Iraq took to
the streets to express these demands. “We’re organizing
the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities and their
supporters “¦ because we don’t believe that the
community is responding enough as a group to fighting the
war,” said Bill Kaiser, member of Out Against War. Kaiser
said civil liberties of the LGBT communities are at stake under the
PATRIOT Act, which expands law enforcement investigative powers. He
said as a minority group, the LGBT community could be persecuted
with the freedoms granted to law enforcement. Other groups showed
up to voice their opinions against the military budget in
particular, and had personal issues with government spending.
“My child died of AIDS in 1990. I’m here representing
his spirit, and representing parents of gays and lesbians, to say
that we do not approve of this paper war,” said Patricia
Nabarro, also a member of Out Against War. In addition to
organizations, families with children of all ages covered the
streets and grass near the building. Sheldon Jacknowitz brought his
4-year-old granddaughter, who made a peace dove out of cardboard
and paint for the rally. “I don’t know if a 4-year-old
can comprehend what’s going on, but I think it’s
important for them to get out and see that their parents and their
grandparents object to violent things happening,” said
Jacknowitz. Protesters’ children watched Native American
dancing on a platform stage and helped make signs. Many of the
women attending the rally wore signs around their necks with the
name of a country stenciled across the posterboard. These signs
were passed out as a means to represent women across the globe, and
were made by the organization, Crossroads for Women, said Ileen
Gething, a volunteer for the group. Gething, dressed in a clown
costume, was among many who wore outfits to illustrate their
opinions. “(The situation) is so sad. If I wasn’t a
clown right now, I’d be crying,” said Gething of the
prospect of war. Gething joined most of the protesters at the rally
as they marched along Wilshire Boulevard and down Westwood
Boulevard in protest. Actor Danny Glover was present at the front
of the crowd, supporting the cause with the protesters. The march
and rally went peacefully, and police remained distant on the
event’s outskirts. The Los Angeles Police Department worked
with the Department of Transportation and the California Highway
Patrol to block off the streets where the march took place, said
Sergeant Craig Lally, assistant watch commander for West Los
Angeles. The protesters’ conflict did not lie with the
police. It was directed at the war and the prospect of violence.
“I’m a mother and grandmother and I want to see my kids
grow up in a peaceful world,” said rally participant Francee
Garret. Federal authorities estimated 650 people gathered for the
protest.
A new method of protest A small group of women at the Federal
Building on Saturday tried something new in hopes of stopping war.
They undressed down to their thongs. The women who shed their
clothes were followers of the Raelian sect, who believe Earth was
created by space aliens. They encouraged others to follow their
example. “Whenever everybody undresses, the ego goes away and
then we can make decisions,” said protester Nadine Gary.
“Imagine President Bush nude addressing the State of the
Union. Imagine Saddam Hussein nude.” In December 2002,
Clonaid ““ a group started by the Raelians ““ claimed to
have produced the first human clone, but failed to produce the
child for DNA testing. With reports from the Associated Press.