Thousands Demonstrate In Seattle and Worldwide

Dateline Seattle – Today an estimated 3,000 – 5,000 people marched in the streets of downtown Seattle demanding peace. The theme of the demonstration was “Stop the War Before It Starts!”. Grandmothers, Vietnam vets, families with children, high school students, and lots of dogs joined activists and community leaders to oppose the Bush administration and call for peace at a time when the US government is beating the war drums for an invasion of Iraq. Many of the speakers claimed that oil interests are the real motivation behind Bush’s push for war.

One of those who gave that opinion was none other than US Senator Jim McDermott. He told the thousands who had gathered at Denny Park, “We’ve got to stop George W. Bush!” Once again he referred to Bush as an imperialist trying to create an American empire.

Seattle City Council member Heidi Wills, who was a participant in the Persian Gulf War mass protests in Seattle, addressed environmentally sustainable energy sources as an alternative to perpetual wars for oil. She pointed out that Iraq is second in the world in total oil production.

Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich also addressed the crowd with a fiery speech about building a sustainable movement for social change in the US.

King County Labor Council Executive Steve Williamson shouted about the Bush administration’s “war on working families”. He promised the support of 150,000 KCLC members and led the demonstrators in a pledge to oppose the Bush administration’s policies. He called George W. Bush a fake leader
and blamed him for the tension on the west coast docks between corporations and the ILWU. He was especially angry about the threat Bush made of calling out the military if the longshoremen strike.

The memory of the late Senator Paul Wellstone was invoked throughout the demonstration as conspiracy theories were discussed openly on local Seattle radio talkshows. Williamson told the protesters, “Don’t mourn – organize!”
Sounds like Mother Jones… Some people felt like weeping but most were inspired by the large numbers of participants and marched proudly through the downtown business district to the surprise of many motorists and pedestrians. The march was led by the Anti-Fascist Marching Band and included a group of school children carrying a huge globe of the earth on their backs.

Meanwhile, around the world protests against the American government
have been taking place with thousands marching and demonstrating for peace. Demonstrators blockaded a US spy base at Meriwith Hill in the UK.
15,000 protested in Glasgow on October 20th. An anti-imperialist rally was held in Brussels. Over 90 towns and cities in Germany protested in solidarity with the US anti-war movement. In Spain, 3,000 protested in Seville. Anti-war events were planned in Rome and a half dozen other Italian cities.
Major demonstrations are planned in London, Leeds, Brighton and Manchester in the UK on October 31. These are just a few examples of the events as they take shape globally. The news is still coming in on other protests.

Corporate media coverage has been mixed. Local news broadcasts gave as much time to the one Bush supporter in the crowd as they gave to the thousands who came there to oppose him.