Pacifica's Peace Watch
Mon., Feb. 17, 2003
Today's Stories:
Voices for Peace in New York City
Peace Rallies in Iraq
Rallies for Peace in the Arab World
Anti-War Rally in Houston, TX
London Records Two Million Activists
What effect will the protests have?
Media’s coverage of Saturday protests
The audio of today's show is posted at http://www.radio4all.net/
Voices for Peace in New York City
Millions of anti-war protestors around the world marched
and rallied over the weekend, delivering the Bush administration
a dramatic rebuff of its war agenda. Half a million anti-war
activists braved frigid temperatures and a chilling police
presence in New York City Saturday to deliver the Bush administration
a political message. The massive rally got underway, despite
a ruling from the federal courts denying the rally organizers
a permit to march to the United Nations building a number
of blocks away from the rally site. But the irrepressible
spirit of the movement was difficult to contain, and activists
pressed through iron police barricades that sought to prevent
the hundreds of thousands from hearing the speakers. A host
of voices from around the world were present in what is being
characterized as one of the largest demonstrations to take
place since the Vietnam War.
Tape: Nobel Peace Prize recipient Bishop Desmond Tutu
Julian Bond, Executive Director of NAACP
Rev. Al Sharpton, civil rights leader and Presidential candidate
for 2004
Folksinger David Rovics
Civil Rights activist Angela Davis
Actor and civil rights activist Danny Glover
Musican group The Welfare Poets
[top]
Peace Rallies in Iraq
From New York to Cairo, there were millions protesting the
war in Iraq, while in Baghdad itself there were demonstrations,
but the mood was far more solemn and anxious. The streets
were filled Sunday with an assortment of enlisted Iraqi soldiers,
armed civilians and international peace protesters. They are
all in the line of fire, and though not carrying the same
message, they all urge the US to consult the UN and world
opinion.
Tape: Reporter Jeremy Scahill, speaking with Dennis Bernstein
of Pacifica’s Flashpoints
[top]
Story: Rallies for Peace in the Arab World
Thousands of people took to the streets of Damascus, Syria
over the weekend, for the largest demonstration against the
war in the Arab world. The demonstration was organized by
Syria’s dictatorial Ba’thist government, one of
Iraq’s few strong allies in the region. Other Arab capitals
saw smaller demonstrations.
Tape: Reporter Aaron Glantz in Amman, Jordan
(music)
[top]
Story: Anti-War Rally in Houston, TX
Anti-war protests dotted the globe from as far away as Arab
streets to the President’s backyard in Texas. In El
Paso, fifty protesters met fifty more fellow peace activists
from Juarez on the Santa Fe Bridge between Texas and Mexico
to demonstrate their opposition to an invasion of Iraq. One
hundred and fifty people gathered at the Federal Building
in Galveston. 1,500 protesters gathered in downtown San Antonio...
4,000 in Dallas. In Austin, 10,000 people took over the streets
marching from the capital building. And, in Houston, the largest
anti-war demonstration in the city's history drew over 3,000
people together in the energy capital of the United States.
Tape: Musical segment from Renee Feltz of Pacifica station
KPFT and the Houston Independent Media Center
(break)
[top]
Story: London Records Two Million Activists
The voices for peace around the world have reached record
numbers. From every village and hamlet, they marched. In Piccadilly
Square, a digital camera from the stage in London recorded
two million participants. All around the world the resounding
cry was no war in Iraq.
Tape: Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London
Tape: The Reverend Jesse L. Jackson
[top]
Story: What effect will the protests
have?
Media coverage of Saturday’s massive protests in the
U.S. were conspicuously absent from the 6 o’clock television
news coverage… but when half a million people protest
in the streets of New York City, the news will make its way
to the White House.
Tape: Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies
[top]
Story: Media’s coverage of Saturday protests
As hundreds of thousands were in the streets in NYC on Saturday
protesting the impending war, TV coverage of the events as
they unfolded painted distinctly different portraits. While
local community cable access, Manhattan Neighborhood Network
ran the protest live for 3 hours-- a collaboration between
Pacifica Radio and many community television providers-- network
news channels such Fox News gave the protests cursory notice,
which could be described as comical at best.
Tape: Montage of media coverage, produced by Deepa Fernandes
of Pacifica station WBAI
[top]
For a copy of today's show, please contact Pacifica
Radio Archives at 800 735 0230.
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