by William Hughes

Washington, D.C. - On Monday, Oct. 5, 2009, just after noon and under a warm sun, 61 activists were arrested at the White House for failing to obey a police order to move off the sidewalk. The nonviolent “Civil Resistance” protest was the largest such antiwar demonstration at this particular site since President Barack Obama took office, in January, 2009.

Hundreds more activists participated in the spirited event, but chose not to get arrested. Some of those detained by the police wore orange jump suits and black hoods. A few had even chained themselves to the White House fence on the North Lawn. Included in that gutsy group was “Peace Mom,” Ms. Cindy Sheehan. She has been one of the most visible and passionate opponents of the Iraq War. Her son, Casey, age 24, a U.S. Army Spc., was killed in Baghdad on April 4, 2004. He had been assigned to the 1st Calvary Division. Ms. Sheehan has indicated that she will soon move from her home state of California to Washington, D.C., to spend more of her time creating a strong grass roots movement that will bring about real change in the U.S.

According to the press release of the sponsoring groups, the demonstration was carried out in order “to focus attention” on ending the U.S. war in Afghanistan and the U.S. occupation of Iraq; stopping the U.S. drone bombings in Pakistan; and to demand the closing, as a moral and legal issue, the Guantanamo Bay and Bagram prisons. The activists also want the culpable members of the Bush-Cheney Gang brought to the Bar of Justice for their role in sanctioning and carrying out the illegal policy of torture.

Prior to the mass arrests, this reporter talked with various pro-Peace activists at the scene who shared their views on the need to continue opposing the current wars even though there is a new, and Democratic, administration in town. Sarah Sloan, National Staff Coordinator, of the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) Coalition, said, “The Pentagon and the Obama administration are talking not about bringing the troops home, but about escalating the wars...We’re here to say ‘no’ to that; ‘no’ more troops--and to bring all the troops home, immediately.”

The ANSWER Coalition, one of the largest advocacy antiwar groups in the nation, is gearing up in the weeks to come for protest actions around the country. They will also be preparing to stage yet another massive antiwar rally on Saturday, March 20, 2010. This one, in this capital city, will be entitled, “A National March on Washington,” according to Sloan.

David Swanson is an author/activist who runs the popular web site AfterDowningStreet.org. He said: “You end these wars, like a majority of the population wants, and you’ll have more than enough money to give us Single Payer healthcare, with money left over.” Swanson’s new book, “Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union,” is a scathing attack on the administration of the Bush-Cheney Gang. Mr. Swanson was also one of the 61 activists arrested at this rally.

One of the most creative Peace and Justice organizations is “Code Pink.” I chatted with one of its cofounders, Medea Benjamin. She had just returned from a visit to Afghanistan. She labeled it, “a quagmire.” Ms. Benjamin continued: “The thought that this White House might be calling for 40,000 more troops [in Afghanistan] is absolutely heart breaking...That will just increase the endless cycle of violence...We’re hear to say that we in this country have different priorities. We want our money going to healthcare, to education and to fixing our nation’s infrastructures.”

Mike Ferner is the President of “Veterans for Peace,” a national antiwar organization. He underscored: “We are urging the President not to send in [to Afghanistan] any more of our troops. And, we’re urging Congress to cut off the money for war and to put it into healthcare, for example, and other things that we need.”

Activist Kevin Zeese of VotersforPeace.org, standing in front of the White House while holding up a poster/photograph showing four Iraqi women mourning the dead victims of that war, probably summed up best how most of the protesters at this rally were feeling. He said: “We’re here to ‘wake-up’ the antiwar movement. The Afghan war is about to escalate and we want to stop it. So, this is the beginning of the ‘new’ antiwar movement, saying ‘no to [Barack] Obama.’ A bomb from Obama is just as bad as a bomb from [George W.] Bush! And, we’re just trying to make that clear.”

Editor's Note:

To view four videos on YouTube of the White House related antiwar rally, which were taken by this writer, go to:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l9PEDaSyqU
2. http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=liamh2#play/uploads/4/V2NA1t3esZE
3. http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=liamh2#play/uploads/3/WObDnwkqq5g
4. http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=liamh2#play/uploads/1/uXWpjay6Hkg=

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by William Hughes Published, at: "Washington Report on Middle East Affairs," http://www.washington-report.org/component/content/article/345-2009-december/6916-waging-peace-mass-arrests-at-white-house-antiwar-rally.html