On the third anniversary of the United States' campaign in Iraq, marches and demonstrations took place around the world to protest the war.
International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and Racism), an organization devoted to civil rights and social and economic justice, put together "Global Days of Action" from March 18 to 20 to protest the American presence in Iraq. Protests took place in 500 different places throughout the United States, along with demonstrations in England, Venezuela, Australia and other countries.
In the U.S., the largest demonstrations took place in Los Angeles and San Francisco, with the marches drawing approximately 20,000 and 25,000 people respectively. However, the relatively small numbers in other protests did not concern ANSWER. ANSWER Spokeswoman Susan Sloan said the goal of the marches was not about numbers, but to have as many demonstrations in as many places as possible.
The demonstrations were not just about Iraq, but also about "U.S. support for Israel, the U.S. role in Hati and U.S. threats against Iran and Venezuela," as well as connecting the war to domestic issues, such as spending more money on the war than on education or health care, Sloan said.
A small rally was held in D.C. Saturday followed by a concert by folk musicians Charlie King and Karen Brandow at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, in NW D.C. in Northwest D.C. The concert, which drew about 25 people, was a performance of both original songs and traditional folk songs from Ireland, England and Argentina. King and Bradford's original songs mixed topical humor into the lyrics, such as their song about gay marriage with the chorus, "defenders of marriage, defending the institution from people who want to get married."
King and Brandow mixed stories into their act to introduce some songs, with King telling the audience about a dream he had about Martin Luther King Jr.'s spirit confronting George Bush with the "folly of his administration" and Bush repenting and changing his ways. "So I wrote a drinking song about it," King told the audience.
The concert was well received by the audience, most of whom seemed familiar with King and Brandow's work already. Anna White, a D.C. resident, said she had "heard Charlie before and knew it would be a great show."
The political nature of the music was hardly lost on the audience.
"I'm frustrated with the current administration and wanted to come socialize with other like-minded people," said Nuala Cohen, also a District resident.
