1-30-08, 9:00 am
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 Contact: Leslie Cagan, 212-868-5545; Judith Le Blanc, 212-868-5545;
Anti-War Movement Announces Plans for Actions to Mark the 5th Anniversary of the War in Iraq
United for Peace and Justice, the nation's largest antiwar coalition with 1,400 member groups, today announced plans for activities on the 5th anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq.
March 19, 2008 will mark the passage of 5 years since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the beginning of the 6th year of war and occupation.
'The presidential candidates, the Congress, the White House and the media all seem to be working hard to push Iraq off the agenda until after the elections this fall -- we can't let that happen! They may be willing to let hundreds more U.S. soldiers and thousands more Iraqis die between now and when the next president and Congress are sworn in, but we are not!' said Leslie Cagan, National Coordinator of UFPJ.
United for Peace and Justice is calling for and supporting a set of activities on and around the 5th anniversary that will manifest the intensifying opposition to the war:
* March 13-16, Winter Soldier: UFPJ member group Iraq Veterans Against the War is organizing historic hearings March 13-16 in Washington, DC. Veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Iraqis and Afghans, will tell the nation the real story of this war. UFPJ is helping local groups and individuals plan events that directly link to and amplify the Winter Soldier hearings, from which we hope to have a live video feed available so that communities around the country can gather to watch and listen. * March 19, Mass Nonviolent Direct Action in Washington, DC: UFPJ is organizing for what we hope will be the largest day of nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience yet against the war in Iraq. The coalition is working to have delegations from all 50 states take part in this massive day of action. * March 19, Local Actions Throughout the Country: Congress will not be in session and so our representatives and senators will be in their home districts/states. The coalition is encouraging those who are not able to make it to Washington on March 19 to organize local antiwar actions. These events will vary in location or character, and they will all be tied to the actions in Washington and sending the same message to the policy makers: It is time to end this war and occupation!
More information about these activities can be found at the new website UFPJ has created for the 5th anniversary efforts: www.5yearstoomany.org.
United for Peace and Justice will be sending updates about these events in the coming weeks.
From United for Peace and Justice
