Several hundred students gathered to listen to speakers protest war in Iraq at the Price Center on Jan. 30 in the largest anti-war rally held on campus in the current academic year.
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The event, which included a march down Library Walk and past UCSD’s administrative complex, gathered together undergraduate, graduate and faculty speakers.
“”This was definitely planned in response to the State of the Union address and to the U.N. inspections report,”” said Rebecca Anshell, a member of the UCSD Peace Coalition and one of the rally’s organizers.
President George W. Bush’s Jan. 28 speech addressed the issue of action in Iraq at length, stating that “”if Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm … [the United States] will lead a coalition to disarm him”” and, in asking other nations to join the United States, that “”the course of this nation does not depend on the decisions of others.””
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Several speakers, including lecturer Thomas Cardoza, who teaches Making of the Modern World courses at Eleanor Roosevelt College, directly criticized the president’s address and argued that there is not enough international support for a United States-led war in Iraq.
“”It is increasingly clear that the vast majority of people on this planet, as well as at least half the people in this country, believe that war is not right at this time,”” Cardoza said.
According to Cardoza, hundreds of posters advertising the rally were torn down in the days preceding the event.
“”I think the most important message we can send is that it’s OK to be against war, and that it can even be patriotic to be against this war,”” Cardoza said. “”It takes a considerable amount of courage to come out and stand up against a powerful government and its supporters — considerably more courage, I would suggest, than it takes to anonymously tear down posters.””
According to Anshell, the campus rally was part of a national day of action planned by various college campus leaders at the San Francisco protests on the weekend of Jan. 18.
“”It looks like a war with Iraq is really inevitable at this point, so what we’re trying to do is show there’s opposition,”” Anshell said in reaction to the State of the Union address.
Anshell said that the group’s goal was realistic.
“”We don’t expect to stop it before it starts, but we do expect to build a growing movement,”” she said.
The noon-time rally not only attracted passing students, but also local TV camera crews, UCSD professors and administrators, including Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Life Carmen Vasquez.
“”I’m glad that this is happening on our campus,”” Vasquez said. “”I think it’s important for students to be able to challenge systems and question issues. It’s the life and heart of the university.””
Sponsors for the rally included the UCSD Peace Coalition, the UCSD Greens and Students for Justice and Peace.
The UCSD Peace Coalition sponsored several other anti-war events during fall quarter, including a concert held at Price Center in December 2002.
