19 marzo:il giorno della protesta globale contro la guerra

March 19, 2005- Today, tens of thousands of people
converged on New York City to oppose an illegal war of
aggression against the people of Iraq. People drove from
as far away as Florida and Minnesota to demand an
immediate end to the occupation.

The day began with a rally in Harlem's Marcus Garvey Park.
Speakers included Brenda Stokely, President of DC 1707,
Nellie Bailey of the Harlem Tenant's Council, and Carl
Webb, a member of the Army National Guard who has refused
to deploy to Iraq.

After the opening rally, more than 15,000 marched to join
thousands already gathered in Central Park. As they
marched through Harlem, they were greeted by cheers and
applause from the community. People came out of stores and
apartments to join the march. Others hung out of their
windows and flashed the peace sign or raised their fists.

Speakers at the Central Park Rally included Representative
Charles Rangel, New York City Council Members Margarita
Lopez and Charles Barron, former U.S. Attorney General
Ramsey Clark, and attorney Lynne Stewart.

After the Central Park Rally, thousands marched to the
Upper East Side mansion of billionaire Mayor Michael
Bloomberg with the slogan, "Fund Cities, Not War!"

The turnout for this demonstration confirms that the
antiwar movement has entered into a new phase of
organizing against the war. It confirms that the greatest
attention must be paid to reaching out to communities most
impacted by the war and by the policies of the Bush
Administration. These communities are the targets of the
budget cuts. They are also targeted by military
recruiters, who exploit economic hardship with false
promises of opportunity. As a result, the children of
these communities are dying disproportionately in Iraq,
paying the ultimate price for a policy of greed and
empire.

Organizers with the Troops Out Now Coalition plan to
continue to protest the war and occupation. On May 1, the
Troops Out Now Coalition will join the Million Worker
March on the streets of New York City in a rally and march
to demand, "Jobs, Not War! Bring the Troops Home Now!"

In addition to the Troops Out Now Demonstration in New
York City, there were
demonstrations in more than 700 cities throughout the
U.S., including major regional demonstrations in
Fayetteville, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago.

This weekend saw protests all over the globe. There were
demonstrations in Argentina, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico,
Australia, Vietnam, South Korea, Pakistan, Iceland,
Ireland, Germany, Cyprus, and many other countries.

Tens of thousands of people marched through central London
on Saturday, calling on Prime Minister Tony Blair to get
British troops out of Iraq.
Protesters marched from Hyde Park Corner past the US
embassy to a rally in central London's Trafalgar Square.

The protesters placed a black cardboard coffin with the
slogan "100,000 dead" scrawled across the daffodil-strewn
lid against a tree outside the US embassy. As the coffin
was laid down, the crowd chanted: "George Bush ... Uncle
Sam. Iraq will be your Vietnam."

In Sweden, protesters filled up Sergel square in downtown
Stockholm, chanting: "USA, out of Iraq!"

In Istanbul, an estimated 15,000 people marched, some
carrying signs reading "Murderer Bush, get out."

In Poland, which has 1,700 troops in Iraq, more than 1,000
marched to the US Embassy in Warsaw, holding banners
reading "Pull out from Iraq now" and "Poles back to
Poland."

In Athens, about 3,000 trade unionists, members of peace
groups, and students brought the city center to a
standstill for about three hours as they marched to the US
Embassy.