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Full Coverage

Analysis: Kerry's Iraq Hipocrisy

John C. Bonifaz | Common Dreams | February 12, 2004

"As he claims the qualities of leadership to be the next president of the United States, Senator Kerry should be held accountable for the failure to honor the commitment he made when he voted for the October Resolution." [more]

Bush Can't Dismiss Anti-War Sentiment

EDITORIAL | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | February 18, 2003

"It would be a cheap shot to write off last weekend's demonstrations — or the larger European unease about war — as knee-jerk pacifism. It isn't just Western Europeans who took to the streets on Saturday; there also were anti-war demonstrations in Russia, Ukraine, South Africa, Australia and New York." [more]

Transcript: An Analysis of Opposition Movements

Neal Conan | National Public Radio | February 18, 2003

"What can anti-war activists do as a follow-up? Where does the drive to stop the war go from here? Given the history of protest movements, how much opportunity is there now to sway public opinion? And why is it that the opposition, any opposition, finds it so difficult to counter a president once his mind is made up?" [more]

Millions March for Peace

Peter Fray and Tim Colebatch | Age | February 17, 2003

"The United States and Britain have indicated they will press on with a second UN resolution preparing the way for war against Iraq — in spite of a weekend of unprecedented worldwide peace rallies." [more]

Analysis: A New Power in the Streets

Patrick E. Tyler | New York Times | February 17, 2003

"The fracturing of the Western alliance over Iraq and the huge antiwar demonstrations around the world this weekend are reminders that there may still be two superpowers on the planet: the United States and world public opinion." [more]

A Day Late, but Not a Marcher Short, in San Francisco

Dean E. Murphy | New York Times | February 17, 2003

"At least 150,000 people marched through the city's financial district, chanted antiwar slogans and listened to John Lennon's 'Imagine' sung in Arabic." [more]

200,000 in SF Protest War Buildup

Joseph Menn and Rone Tempest | Los Angeles Times | February 17, 2003

"In what may be the largest U.S. protest against war in Iraq to date, at least 200,000 people massed in San Francisco on Sunday as activists tried to build on the momentum of Saturday's turnouts around the world." [more]

Anti-War Movement Galvanizing Minorities

Joe Garofoli | San Francisco Chronicle | February 17, 2003

"And indeed, many protesters came Sunday because they were actively recruited for the first time. While the total was modest compared with Sunday's overall turnout, the large number of newcomers pleased organizers, who face several challenges in organizing communities that have not turned out in large numbers for anti-war protests since the Vietnam War." [more]

Peaceful SF Crowd Protests Stance on Iraq

Anastasia Hendrix, Pamela J. Podger and Steve Rubenstein | San Francisco Chronicle | February 17, 2003

"Ringing cowbells, banging temple drums, chanting, singing, dancing and waving colorful signs, puppets and placards, the marchers moved slowly up Market in a huge anti-war demonstration. While most simply walked the route, many pushed baby carriages, underscoring the argument that war would threaten the future of children most of all." [more]

Millions Rally for Peace Around World

Peter Wilson | Australian | February 17, 2003

"Protesters hit the streets from London to Rio de Janeiro and New York to New Zealand, but the largest rallies were in countries where the governments support Mr Bush's war plans — including Britain, Spain, Italy and Australia." [more]

With One Voice, the World Says No

Valerie Lawson | Age | February 17, 2003

"The protesters joined a worldwide wave of demonstrations, not seen since the Vietnam War, with about 6 million anti-war protesters, some estimate up to 10 million, in more than 600 towns and cities from Auckland to San Francisco to Seoul." [more]

Sydney Throbs to Drumbeat of Peace

STAFF | Sydney Morning Herald | February 17, 2003

"As marcher Jackie Woods had said earlier: 'Who knows if it will achieve anything?' She had to march, though, like the 250,000 others. 'I feel like it's out of control and this is the only way I can express how I feel.' " [more]

'We're Here to Save Our Country'

Nanette Asimov | San Francisco Chronicle | February 17, 2003

"What differed from the protests of three and four decades earlier was the palpable fear that this time global annihilation is possible." [more]

Children's March Caps Peace Rallies

Margo Horner | Seattle Post-Intelligencer | February 17, 2003

"The demonstrations continued yesterday. And so did the rain. But this time it was children who marched in protest of war." [more]

Analysis: What Now?

STAFF | Economist | February 17, 2003

"Attempts are being made to close the international divisions over what to do about Iraq. Although new UN resolutions are in the works, the prospects for war remain high." [more]

'The Whole World is Against This War'

John Nichols | Nation | February 17, 2003

"The larger-than-expected crowds that rallied around the world fed a renewed confidence among peace activists that the message of signs carried at one of the weekend's first rallies — in Auckland, New Zealand — might yet turn out to be right: 'We can stop this war.' " [more]

Media Distortion of a Peaceful Protest

D.V. Bernard | Independent Media Center | February 17, 2003

"As the streets are being snowed over, I can’t help thinking that the voice of the people is receiving a similar snow job." [more]

Verse by Verse, a Plea for Peace

Elizabeth Mehren | Los Angeles Times | February 17, 2003

"With 11 leading American poets, the event — dubbed 'A Poetry Reading in Honor of the Right to Protest as a Patriotic and Historical Tradition' — capped a long weekend of antiwar demonstrations around the world and across the country." [more]

England Packs Picnic, Sets Off to Change Face of Politics

Ann Treneman | Times of London | February 17, 2003

"So far the atmosphere had been one of stalwart good cheer, but the physical experience was not unlike that of commuting where you often find yourself shuffling along en masse ... We were surrounded by thousands of stationary people. The only thing we needed was a banner saying 'Queue Against the War'." [more]

From New York to Melbourne, Protests Against War on Iraq

Robert D. McFadden | New York Times | February 16, 2003

"Confronting America's countdown to war, throngs of chanting, placard-waving demonstrators converged on New York and scores of cities across the United States, Europe and Asia yesterday in a global daisy chain of largely peaceful protests against the Bush administration's threatened invasion of Iraq." [more]

Analysis: After a Weekend of Protests, Blair Looks Lonely

Alan Cowell | New York Times | February 16, 2003

"As he prepares for a summit meeting of European leaders on Monday, Mr. Blair is heading for the gathering armed with little more than a sense of high moral purpose and an alliance with President Bush — neither of which has done much to persuade fellow Europeans to join a war in Iraq." [more]

In Word, Song and Sign, an Emphatic No to Invasion of Iraq

Jodi Wilgoren | New York Times | February 16, 2003

"Wearing skeleton suits topped with Uncle Sam paper hats, a dozen musicians, and several dozen more marchers tooting kazoos and banging plastic buckets or aluminum pots, turned this city's protest into an upbeat parade, as thousands of people high-stepped to patriotic tunes like 'You're a Grand Old Flag.' " [more]

Wide Range of Ages, Races and Parties Unite on Iraq

Craig S. Smith and Jason Horowitz | New York Times | February 16, 2003

"Armed with a kaleidoscope of hand-scrawled placards and a few choice words for Mr. Blair, hundreds of thousands of protesters braved frigid weather and descended on the heart of London today to oppose a war with Iraq in what is being described as the largest demonstration in [Britain's] history." [more]

Anti-War Rallies Raise a Chorus Across Europe

Alan Cowell | New York Times | February 16, 2003

"From the parks of London to the piazzas of Rome and the avenues of Paris and Berlin, more than 1.5 million Europeans marched today in a huge protest against war in Iraq. It was the Continent's biggest coordinated peace demonstration in memory and left many protesters jubilant at the show of antiwar sentiment." [more]

Reminiscent of the 60's; Mainstream to the Core

Andrew Jacobs | New York Times | February 16, 2003

"Although yesterday's demonstration against war was speckled with professional peace activists, leftist doctrinaires and a kaleidoscopic array of malcontents advocating the end of capitalism, imperialism, sexism and taxation, a great many of those who converged on the East Side of Manhattan were the unaligned and the unaffiliated." [more]

Millions Worldwide Protest Iraq War

Glenn Frankel | Washington Post | February 16, 2003

"The largest rallies were in London, Rome, Berlin and Paris — the heart of Western Europe — where the generally peaceful demonstrations illustrated the breadth of popular opposition to U.S. policies among traditional allies." [more]

Analysis: Anti-War Organizer's Politics Cause Rift

Evelyn Nieves | Washington Post | February 16, 2003

"Over the last several days, ANSWER's politics have created a rift within the leadership of the antiwar movement that demonstrates the difficulty in having such a small, radical group play a prominent role in organizing the peace effort." [more]

In New York, Thousands Protest a War Against Iraq

Michael Powell | Washington Post | February 16, 2003

"A sea of protesters poured through the frigid streets of midtown Manhattan today to protest a possible United States invasion of Iraq, as police hurriedly closed avenues to make way for the chanting, sign-waving, horn-tooting thousands." [more]

A Deeper Chill

Nancy Capaccio | Common Dreams | February 16, 2003

"This is not an America we recognize. When we recited the pledge of allegiance in our long-ago scout meetings, it was to a different America, one with different principles. It was an America that lived by the rule of law. An America that was a land of compassion and brotherly love. An America that took seriously a promise to be a good neighbor, both across the street and around the globe." [more]

Report from New York

Liza Featherstone | AlterNet | February 16, 2003

"In an exhilarating expression of the anti-war movement's profound decentralization and spontaneity, peaceful demonstrators filled the streets, marching in whatever direction they could. It was the best anti-war protest yet, everyone agreed. Who needed to stand still in the cold and listen to the (at least 30) boring speeches, when so much of the city was one enormous, intoxicating, unpredictable protest march?" [more]

Dissent and a Mayor's Betrayal

Terra Lawson-Remer | AlterNet | February 16, 2003

"It was only the remarkable restraint of protesters accustomed to obeying the law — a diverse array of families from the boroughs, twenty-something Manhattanites, and retired couples from Westchester — that prevented the day of peaceful dissent from turning into a riot." [more]

Report from Midtown

A. Venesky | Independent Media Center | February 16, 2003

"The immediate hypocrisy was maddening! The cops had instigated the violence by penning people in and then pushing them back when they had nowhere to go. Sending a message for the long-term, I'd say." [more]

More than 250 Arrested in New York Protests

STAFF | Associated Press | February 16, 2003

"More than 250 people were arrested during a massive demonstration against possible war in Iraq as tens of thousands of protesters packed a 20-block area north of United Nations headquarters, New York police said Sunday." [more]

Millions Cry 'Peace'

Roselyn Tantraphol | Hartford Courant | February 16, 2003

"The antiwar mood in Europe seemed to crystallize Friday after Hans Blix, the United Nation's chief weapons inspector in Iraq, told the Security Council that he had not uncovered any weapons of mass destruction." [more]

Millions Protest War Plans

Robert Barr | Associated Press | February 16, 2003

"Millions of protesters — many of them marching in America and the capitals of America’s traditional allies — demonstrated Saturday against possible U.S. plans to attack Iraq." [more]

Anti-War Push Brings More Time for Iraq Diplomacy

Nadim Ladki and Saul Hudson | Reuters | February 16, 2003

"The United States and Britain considered giving diplomacy more time on Sunday in the face of resistance at the United Nations to their plans for war to disarm Iraq and after vast weekend peace protests." [more]

What Some of the Protesters Came To Say

Margaret Ramirez | Newsday | February 16, 2003

"Yesterday, a new diverse, anti-war movement was born on the streets of New York." [more]

250 Arrested During Rally

Joshua Robin | Newsday | February 16, 2003

"Police last night said the arrests were mostly for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. To manage crowds that were larger than expected, the Police Department's highest ranking uniformed official, Chief of Department Joseph Esposito, declared a Level 4 mobilization, the force's largest emergency deployment." [more]

Barrage of Barricades Corral Crowds

Chau Lam | Newsday | February 16, 2003

"It's a strategy of the stockyards applied to people, and called, appropriately, 'the pens.' " [more]

US Says Protesters Strengthen Saddam

Edward Alden, James Blitz and Jo Johnson | Financial Times | February 16, 2003

"The US on Sunday dismissed millions of anti-war protesters around the world and European-led efforts to delay a conflict with Iraq, saying they strengthened Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi leader, and made war more rather than less likely." [more]

Diverse and Determined

John Simerman, Meera Pal and Corey Lyons | Contra Costa Times | February 16, 2003

"Thousands rode BART into the city this morning for anti-war rallies and a march that organizers said could be one of the biggest in recent memory." [more]

Analysis: Anti-War Demonstrations Relatively Quiet Throughout Mideast

Greg LaMotte | Voice of America | February 16, 2003

"While huge anti-war demonstrations have been taking place around the world, the streets of the Middle East have been relatively quiet. Political analysts say one reason is because governments in the region have don't want large demonstrations, fearing they could turn into anti-Arab government rallies." [more]

Wave of Peace Rallies Sweeps World

STAFF | British Broadcasting Corporation | February 16, 2003

"Rallies and marches have been held in hundreds of towns and cities worldwide, attracting millions of people opposed to a US-led war against Iraq." [more]

Anti-War Protests Extend to Second Day

STAFF | MSNBC | February 16, 2003

"Tens of thousands of people thronged the streets of Sydney and other Australian cities on Sunday, beginning a second day of global marches against a possible U.S. war on Iraq. In a massive wave of demonstrations not seen since the Vietnam War, more than six million peace protesters took to the streets in towns and cities from Cape Town to Chicago on Saturday." [more]

Report from Paris

Gerald Lenoir | War Times | February 16, 2003

"Despite intense pressure from the Bush administration, French President Jacques Chirac continues to maintain that France will veto a United Nations Security Council resolution authorizing a war in Iraq. Today, I witnessed firsthand why Chirac maintains his firm antiwar stance." [more]

San Francisco's Protest, Celebration

STAFF | Associated Press | February 16, 2003

"While other major cities around the world held peace rallies Saturday, a demonstration planned in San Francisco was held back a day to make way for the city's traditional Chinese New Year's parade." [more]

Europeans Angry, Disgusted with Bush

Anna Badkhen, Veronique Mistiaen, Elizabeth Bryant and Jody K. Biehl | San Francisco Chronicle | February 16, 2003

"Interviews conducted over the past few days in England, France and Germany show mounting anger and disgust with the administration's perceived determination to push the Iraq crisis to a military conclusion regardless of world opinion." [more]

One Million – And Still They Came

Euan Ferguson | Guardian | February 16, 2003

"The unprecedented turnout had shocked the organisers, shocked the marchers. And there at the end before them, high on top of the Wellington Arch, the four obsidian stallions and their vicious conquering chariot, the very Spirit of War, were stilled, rearing back — caught, and held, in the bare branches and bright chill of Piccadilly, London, on Saturday 15 February 2003." [more]

United in Word and Deed

STAFF | Newsday | February 16, 2003

"The big crowd yesterday was in New York City, but people in dozens of cities across the country held peace demonstrations as well." [more]

US Stunned by Anti-War Protests

STAFF | Agence France-Presse | February 16, 2003

"From New York to Hollywood via Chicago and Colorado, anti-war protestors took to the streets in the broadest display so far of American public dissent to a military strike on Iraq." [more]

Millions March Against War

Eric Sorensen | Seattle Times | February 16, 2003

"Seattle lent its voice and lots of feet to peace demonstrations around the world yesterday, with thousands of marchers turning out for what might have been the biggest anti-war march in the city's history." [more]

The Day of the Anti-War Protests

Ana M. Alaya and Katie Wang | New Jersey Star-Ledger | February 16, 2003

"In an extraordinary day of protest evoking the anti-war fervor of the 1960s, at least 100,000 people massed in Midtown Manhattan yesterday, demanding a peaceful end to the U.S. showdown with Iraq." [more]

Relatives of Sept. 11 Victims Speak Out

Joe Malinconico | New Jersey Star-Ledger | February 16, 2003

"They have done all the things that anti-war activists normally do. They marched on Washington. They requested meetings with the president. They prayed. 'We want justice, not retribution,' said Bethke, a Methodist pastor from Freehold whose brother Bill died [in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks]." [more]

Thousands in San Francisco Join Protests

Angela Watercutter | Associated Press | February 16, 2003

"More than 100,000 people hit the streets of San Francisco on Sunday to join the voices around the world this weekend protesting a possible U.S. invasion of Iraq." [more]

Across the US, Protesters Rally Against War

Josh Getlin | Los Angeles Times | February 16, 2003

"Thousands of people opposed to a war with Iraq protested across the United States on Saturday, staging rallies in New York, Southern California, Detroit, Miami, Chicago and other communities that recalled the peace demonstrations of the 1960s and '70s." [more]

Anti-War Rallies Draw Millions Around World

Sebastian Rotella | Los Angeles Times | February 16, 2003

"Protests in Europe included some of the largest antiwar demonstrations in decades, authorities said. And the biggest marches took place in nations that are strong U.S. allies and whose governments support President Bush's confrontation with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein." [more]

Living in Fear, Speaking in Anger

Michael Slackman | Los Angeles Times | February 16, 2003

"To Nile Delta villagers, a war on Iraq would be unjust — and a disaster for Egypt's economy." [more]

War Protests in US, Europe Draw Millions

Lisa Anderson and Vincent J. Schodolski | Chicago Tribune | February 16, 2003

" 'Peace! Peace! Peace!' screamed South African Bishop Desmond Tutu from a platform in the middle of Manhattan's First Avenue. The Nobel Peace Prize winner exhorted President Bush, 'Listen to the voice of the people because, many times, the voice of the people is the voice of God.' " [more]

Chicago Marchers Ride Wave of Protests

Rick Jervis | Chicago Tribune | February 16, 2003

"[The] message was shared Saturday by thousands of protesters in Chicago and millions around the world: No war in Iraq. The rally was part of a global wave of protest that started early Saturday in New Zealand and rolled west to North America." [more]

A Global Peace March

Fawn Vrazo | Philadelphia Inquirer | February 16, 2003

"On a global scale, the demonstrations were among the largest in decades, and, taken as a whole, may have been the largest simultaneous, single-day antiwar protest in history." [more]

Peace March Draws 10,000 in Philadelphia

Chris Gray, Oliver Prichard and Sam Wood | Philadelphia Inquirer | February 16, 2003

"Philadelphia police estimated the crowd at 10,000, making the gathering one of the largest peace demonstrations in city history." [more]

Millions March Against War

Tatsha Robertson | Boston Globe | February 16, 2003

"Demonstrators said they are anxious that time is running out to stop an attack on Iraq, but they said they hoped the massive rallies coming on the heels of a rebuff of the US position at the United Nations on Friday will make things particularly uncomfortable for the Bush administration." [more]

Millions Give Dramatic Rebuff to US War Plans

STAFF | Agence France-Presse | February 16, 2003

"Weekend protests worldwide by millions of anti-war activists delivered a stinging rebuke to Washington and its allies on their hard-line advance towards war." [more]

Oil, Imperialism and 'Hypocrisy'

David Akerman | Salon | February 16, 2003

"This is a the charge sheet and lexicon of the 'antiwar' movement. Whatever possible benefits might flow from military action are, it seems, rejected and disparaged, either on grounds of the means (the cure is worse than the cold), or on grounds of America and Britain's corrupt and hypocritical motives." [more]

A New York State of Mind

Michelle Goldberg | Salon | February 16, 2003

"Yet even as demonstrators declared that they were standing with the world — and especially with Germany and France, whose opposition to war with Iraq in the U.N. was commended on sign after sign — the event was filled with the burnished spirit of New York. Although there were marchers from across the country, locals predominated, many angrily rejecting the way they say the administration has hijacked their city's grief." [more]

Analysis: Americans Gather to Protest Possible War in Iraq

Margot Adler | National Public Radio | February 16, 2003

"As diplomatic and military preparations continued toward a possible war with Iraq, anti-war protests stretched around the globe yesterday And although the demonstrations in the United States paled in comparison to those in Rome, Berlin and London, marches and rallies took place in more than 150 American cities." [more]

Protesters at UN Rally Against Iraq War

Verena Dobnik | Associated Press | February 15, 2003

"Anti-war demonstrators packed the streets north of the United Nations headquarters Saturday, filling police-barricaded protest zones for more than 20 blocks as civil rights leaders and celebrities energized the banner-waving crowd." [more]

Massive Anti-War Protest Held in Rome

Sabina Castelfranco | Voice of America | February 15, 2003

"While the rest of Rome was deserted, the streets of the city center were flooded with colorful rainbow peace flags and joyful demonstrators." [more]

Analysis: Can Protests Sway Public Opinion?

Kim Campbell and Gail Russell Chaddock | Christian Science Monitor | February 14, 2003

"In the current campaign against a war with Iraq, large rallies are a valuable publicity tool for antiwar groups whose attempts to woo undecided Americans are frequently drowned out by a government that argues that it may be necessary to go to war. Given the disparity of antiwar groups and how some have tried to promote agendas that go beyond Iraq, swaying ordinary Americans on the issue isn't always easy." [more]

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This website is a tribute to Why War?, one of the nation's first and most innovative post-9/11 student antiwar organizations. Born on October 22, 2001 at Swarthmore College, we were a handful of freshmen and sophmores who vocally opposed the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. And now, seven years later, we are retiring this website as we focus our efforts on new directions. We hope that it continues to serve future activists and we remain confident that humanity is on the verge birthing a better world.