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Iraq war anniversary draws protesters to U.S. capital
Vietnam War veteran, Les Gibson,right, with his wife Mary, left and daughter Kaitlyn, center, touch the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, as anti-war protestors gather nearby to mark the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq, Saturday, March 17, 2007 in Washington. Gibson served in Vietnam in 1974 as an 18-year-old U.S Navy volunteer.
By LARRY MARGASAK | Associated Press
March 17, 2007
WASHINGTON (AP) - Thousands of critics and supporters of the U.S. policy in Iraq shouted at each other Saturday from opposite sides of a street bordering the National Mall as protesters prepared for a march to the Pentagon to denounce a war now entering its fifth year.
The war has killed more than 3,200 members of the U.S. armed forces.
The anti-war group carried signs saying "U.S. Out of Iraq Now" and "Illegal Combat." The other side carried signs saying "al-Qaida Appeasers On Parade."
Saturday's march was the main event in demonstrations around the United States, leading up to the anniversary of the invasion Tuesday.
Several thousand people, many of them service members, rallied in support of the war. They played "The Battle Hymn of the Republic;" the anti-war crowd danced to Stevie Wonder's "Superstition."
Park Police Lt. Scott Fear said more than 200 people were arrested from a crowd of several thousand protesters who marched to the White House on Friday night after a peace service at the Washington National Cathedral.
Those arrested were handcuffed, taken away on buses and fined $100 (?75) for disobeying a lawful order or crossing a police line. They had demonstrated on the sidewalk in front of the White House, where protesters are required to continue moving and not stand in one place.
The windows of the White House were dark, as President George W. Bush was away for the weekend at Camp David in Maryland.
The protests drew John Pattison, 29, to his first anti-war rally. He said his opposition had developed over time.
"Quite literally on the night that shock and awe commenced, my friend and I toasted the military might of the United States," Pattison said. "We were quite proud and thought we were doing the right thing."
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Associated Press writers Matthew Barakat and Ann Sanner contributed to this report.
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