Hundreds Protest Wars & Torture, Demand Impeachment in Greensboro

Hundreds Protest Wars & Torture, Demand Impeachment in Greensboro

Photos by Greensboro Peace Coalition at
http://home.earthlink.net/~norasbooks/Cindy%20Sheehan/index.html

Photos by John Rash at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rashphoto/sets/72157600108407804/

Video of local news coverage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHZteaQRG2k

Greensboro, NC
Hundreds Protest Wars & Torture, Demand Impeachment
By David Dixon

On Saturday, April 21 over 400 hundred people marched and rallied in Greensboro against the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan, against torture & for the impeachment of Bush & Cheney. Groups that took part and/or spoke included Action Center For Justice, Chapel Hill Students for a Democratic Society, CodePink Charlotte, Grassroots Impeachment Movement (GRIM), Greensboro Peace Coalition, Justice at Smithfield Campaign, NC Labor Against The War, UNCG Campus Anti-War Coalition, Cakalak Thunder drummers, the World Can't Wait, ANSWER & Troops Out Now Coalitions, musical performances and others.

Local activists with Food Not Bombs provided food and drinks to the protesters.

The two keynote speakers were Cindy Sheehan, founder of Gold Star Families For Peace, and Terri Johnson, Iraq War G.I. Resister.

Of course, everyone was excited to hear Cindy speak and listened intently as she spoke the truth about the war from her perspective as a mother that lost her son, Casey. It was easy to see why Cindy has been referred to as “the Rosa Parks of the anti-war movement” by Rev Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus Against War as she energized the crowd to work for peace.

Terri Johnson, who went AWOL from the Army rather than being sent to Iraq gave an incredible and impassioned speech. She told us that anyone can get out of the military if they want to and we need to let the soldiers know that. She said we need to let the soldiers know we want to get them home any way we can and we will accept them when they get here, no matter how we feel about the war. It is important that we support G.I.’s that are resisting this illegal war. As someone who had been tricked by the recruiters promises into joining the military, Terri, told us we need to be outside the military recruitering offices to tell young people the truth.

A Palestinian Flag flew at the stage throughout the rally. This was a thoroughly anti-imperialist, multi-national demonstration.

The action was chaired by Scott Trent, with World Can’t Wait – Greensboro, the organizers of the demonstration.

The same pro-war group that tried to disrupt the March 17 March on the Pentagon, Gathering of Eagles, that has close ties to the Republican Party; Move America Forward; Free Republic, an “internet activism site for conservatives”; and Veterans for Victory, an entity headed by two retired Army officers who were central to the initial assault on Baghdad and pursuit of Saddam Hussein, tried again to disrupt this protest to no avail. (Workers World, March 22, 2007, “Tens of thousands march to Pentagon”). The anti-war protesters outnumbered the rightwing group by at least 4 to 1 and GOE’s taunts and curse words could not be heard from the protest stage. In fact, Scott Trent said it was the best anti-war/pro-impeachment protest they ever had in Greensboro.

April 28 National Impeach Bush & Cheney Day – Details at http://www.charlotteaction.org/

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Action Center For Justice
http://www.charlotteaction.org/
704.492.8527