http://www.nycap.indymedia.org:8081
700 Rally Against War for Oil in Albany Saturday 26 Oct 2002
author: Mark Dunlea, IMC
summary
More than 700 Capital District residents paraded through the streets of downtown Albany Friday to protest the pending war against Iraq.
More than 700 Capital District residents paraded through the streets of downtown Albany Friday to protest the pending war against Iraq.
The crowd stretched for close to three city blocks as it left off from the Capitol shortly after four with a rousing send off by musician Paddy Kilrain. Signs and banners were plentiful and colorful, with slogans such as "No War for Oil," "Stop Hate, Stop War," "An Eye for An Eye Leaves the Whole World Blind."
The rally of Townsend Park was an eclectic mixture of long time peace activists and the youth culture, with rap and poetry from individuals such as Victoria Reyes and Ian VanHeusen mixing with rock music from Rockets and Blue Lights and folk songs from performers such as Ruth Pelham and the Solidarity Singers. Emma Gordon, a member of Students for Peace and Survival from Bethlehem High School, was one of several speakers to lead the crowd in spirited chanting. Josh Lieberson, the Green Party candidate for state Assembly, noted that the Greens were the only political party in New York opposing the war in Iraq before leading the crowd in singing John Lennon's peace anthem, "All We are Saying is Give Peace a Change."
One of the highlights was, as Alisa Sikelianos was performing, an individual climbed the memorial to the Philippine War to place a flower in the gun barrel on the soldier. As the crowd cheered, the Albany Police unsuccessfully decided to chase him to try to arrest him, leading many children to turn to their parents to ask what was illegal about flowers. The police, who were cooperative during the march, became increasingly surly during the course of the rally.
One of the most effective speakers was Shokriea Yaghi, whose husband was deported and spoke as a representative of families of detained and departed individuals. The loss of civil liberties, the persecution of immigrants and the link between war and racism was a theme throughout the rally. Muata Currie, a member of the Free Mumia Committee, said "this war, like all wars, is about imperialism, about colonialism. The Bush administration is running roughshod over sovereign nations. Peace can't happen without justice. We need to reign in rogue nations like the U.S." Like make speakers, Currie noted that regime change needs to begin at home.
Eleanor Stein of the newly organized Women against War was one of several speakers who highlighted that woman and civilians were the principal victims of war. Emily Collins, one of 7 protestors recently arrested for occupying Cong. McNulty's office in Troy and a member of the Ironweed Collective, cited the "need to get out there and make a statement. The politicians aren't listening. We need to get out in the streets. No Blood for Oil."
Doug Bullock, speaking on behalf of Solidarity, noted that many of the Labor Councils in the Capital District (Albany, Troy) along with UUP and the Capital District Labor Religion Coalition, had adopted resolutions opposing the war with Iraq. "Whereas, wasting billions of dollars on the Iraq war buildup translates into cutbacks of essential and job-producing social programs at home such as education, health care, social security and housing, and threatening the rights of labor to strike and organize; and Whereas, the Bush Administration's war drive has a domestic component threatening to turn his "endless war" against the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) and as an opening wedge against the entire labor movement, by threatening government intervention on the West Coast docks under the guise of "Homeland Security," on the side of the Pacific Maritime Association bosses and a coalition of anti-union corporate interests including WalMart and The Gap; be it Resolved, that the Albany and Troy Central Federations of Labor join the growing movement in opposition to any US war against Iraq".
Dan Wilcox of Veterans for Peace was one of several speakers that chastised the media's role in promoting war. Media coverage of one of the largest local demonstrations in the Capital District in year was noticeably absent from the daily newspapers and most of the evening television broadcasts. Dan urged the crowd to learn how to translate what the media says. "When the media says Iraq, think about Enron. When the media says terrorist, think about Bush. When the media says axis of evil, think about Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld. When the media says regime change, think about the need to vote out those who support war. Think about peace, not war."
A theme highlighted by many of the protestors was that the Bush administration, with its dubious claim to the White House, has decided to become a War Presidency to enable it to promote its agenda to increase military spending and corporate welfare while curtailing political dissent, civil liberties and investments in human services and the environment. The cost of a land war with Iraq would further threaten an already shaken economy at home while further destablizing a region beset with violence and corrupt, undemocratic governments propped up by the United States in exchange for access to their oil supplies. War with Iraq might serve the interests of the defense and oil industries, but it would be a disaster for the rest of us.
Later that evening, many hundred Capital District residents climbed into buses, vans and cars for the trip to DC to join in the nationwide protests against the war in Iraq. Others will be traveling to Kingston and Utica to join in protests.