March 19, 2008, anti-war protest
March 19, 2008, being the fifth anniversary of the United States 2003 invasion of Iraq and in protest and demonstration in opposition to the war in Iraq, anti-war protests were held throughout the world including a series of autonomous actions in the United States' capitol, Washington, D.C., in London, Sydney, Australia, and the Scottish city of Glasgow with the latter three being organized by the UK-based Stop the War Coalition.
[10] According to a study conducted by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, war coverage in television, newspaper and Internet stories fell from 23% during the first ten weeks of 2007 to 3% during the same period in 2008.
One person drew a comparison noting a "fundamental misconception" with many of the protesters, "They're against it not because it was wrong," stated Dave Pack, chair of the PeaceWorks board of directors, "but because it wasn't going the way they wanted it to.
[8][16] In Washington, D.C., the protests on March 19 were the culmination of other smaller demonstrations and events which took place during the weeks leading up to the five-year anniversary of the Iraq war.
[3][18][19] The events – involving up to 1000 people – took place throughout the downtown with protesters marching on 12th street to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building on Constitution Avenue declaring that they do not want any more tax money being used to wage war.
[1][3][8] Led, in part, by the War Resisters League and Code Pink, 31 people were arrested for crossing police lines at the IRS and blocking three entrances.
[10] Other protesters hurled balloons full of red paint at a military recruiting station and smeared it on buildings of defense contractors Bechtel and Lockheed Martin.
[22] Two blocks from the Whitehouse, in McPherson Square, over two hundred protesters declared victory in shutting down traffic with some engaging the police while others chained their hands together inside school desks while demanding cuts in war spending and more money for education.
[8] Members of the "Granny Peace Brigade" delivered hand-knitted "stump socks" – "meant to keep the ends of amputated limbs warm" – to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
[24] Outside the National Archives and Records Administration protesters laid a large cloth on the ground with the Preamble to the United States Constitution forcing those entering the building to walk over the text.
[2] Other events were planned for Beverly Hills, Echo Park, West Los Angeles, North Hollywood, Pasadena, Culver City and Malibu.
[2][9][16] Part of the success of the group coordinating named Direct Action was due to utilizing smart mob technologies including text messaging, Google Maps, live video-feeds and internet radio updates.
[9] Starting around noon and lasting for several hours the most "dramatic" protests were a die-in – again blocking the main traffic artery, Market Street – directly in front of California Senator Dianne Feinstein's office.
[9] Feinstein supported the Iraq war resolution and subsequent supplemental appropriations bills although she has stated she was deceived by the Bush administration about the weapons of mass destruction.
[36][37] In New York City autonomous events happened throughout the day, at one protest women "sang and counted the war dead" at the Times Square military recruiting station which was recently the target of a bomb.
[41] In Des Moines, Iowa, protesters stood in the hallway outside recruiting offices at the Armed Forces Career Center with signs such as "Enlist Now Pay Later - The Cost Is Too Great - Troops Home Now".
[45] Sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker social justice and peace organization, and the Baltimore Area Coalition for Truth in Recruiting they tried to add a visual representation of the loss of life.
