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Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, May-June 2009, page 68 Waging Peace Police Brutality Mars San Francisco Anti-War March
ON MARCH 21, as the U.S.-led war on Iraq entered its seventh year and with more American troops being sent to Afghanistan, several thousand people marched from San Francisco’s Justin Herman Plaza to a rally at Civic Center to demand that U.S. troops come home now. Chanting “Money for Jobs and Education, Not War and Occupation,” the diverse crowd included members of Veterans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, labor unions and religious organizations. Protesters also decried Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestinian land and its vicious attack on Gaza. Wearing black-and-white checkered keffiyehs, a large number of Arab-American youths carried Palestinian flags and posters reading “Free Palestine—Let Gaza Live!” Initiated by the ANSWER coalition (<www.answersf.org>;) and other peace organizations, the event included dozens of speakers, including Clarence Thomas of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 10, Carl Davison of Iraq Veterans Against the War, and activists Gloria La Riva and Millie Phillips. Tensions rose at the closing rally as some 50 pro-Israel supporters taunted Palestinian supporters, and San Francisco police officers rushed into the crowd. Dressed in riot gear and with batons swinging, police officers grabbed a little boy who they thought was carrying rocks in a backpack. Bystanders attempting to shield the child were beaten by police officers, while speakers and event leaders on the stage demanded the officers leave, accusing them of brutality and overreacting. Although the young child was released, five Arab-Americans were arrested and incarcerated awaiting arraignment. —Elaine Pasquini |
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