Stop the War, a student organization opposed to the war in Iraq, held a protest march yesterday afternoon for Veteran's Day. The demonstration began on Library Mall and included approximately 50 peace activists who marched down University Avenue and Johnson Street in the middle of rush hour, stopping traffic on both thoroughfares.
Lydia Barbash-Riley, a UW-Madison sophomore and a member of STW, explained the protest.
\We're fighting for U.S. troops out of Iraq right now,"" she said. ""It's an unwinnable war that's taking U.S. lives and resources and Iraqi civilian lives.""
UW-Madison senior Kevin Prosen, also a member of STW, briefly summarized his organization's plan of action.
""Long term, our goal is to rebuild the anti-war movement here. So that means doing things like this and also educating people on the roots of the occupation and the roots of imperialism in the Middle-East,"" he said
The protest in the streets elicited a gamut of reactions from supportive horn toots, to angry horn blasts, and one young man that got out of his car to say the procession was blocking his progress to the hospital. The protesters let his car pass and proceeded to the UW-Madison ROTC recruiting office, where the group picketed.
The Madison police department was a constant presence throughout the march, blaring sirens and at one point herding the group back onto the sidewalk with their squad cars.
Even so, protesters stressed the necessity of getting the public's attention.
""I believe that a bunch of people sitting around and talking about doing something for peace isn't going to make a difference,"" said UW-Madison freshman and STW member Ben Sties. ""I do think we need to be out, we need to be visible.""
Caroline Greenwald, an artist and Madison native, allowed the protesters to carry her unique sculpture, a 240 foot-long line of white cloth that fluttered in the breeze, along the length of the procession.
Greenwald explained the significance of her artwork, saying, ""This is a memorial for the dead in Iraq from the war, and the white line I hope brings comfort to people ... it just adds a sharing of our grief for this horrible situation.\
