Penn activists join rally for peace in D.C.

(Check out our online slideshow of the rally) WASHINGTON -- The dawn was breaking on one of the coldest days of the year, and a group of people stood on the corner of 34th and Walnut streets, waiting. Defying the weather and Saturday morning laziness to make the trip to Washington D.C., they set out to support what they believe in -- along with tens of thousands of other people. In the sea of flags and posters that covered Capitol Hill, 120 Penn students and Philadelphia activists met at 11 a.m. in front of Capitol Hill for the anti-war rally sponsored by peace group International A.N.S.W.E.R. From there, the protesters marched for two miles, reaching the Naval Shipyard on M Street around 4 p.m. During the march, 16 people were arrested, The New York Times reported. Joining demonstrators from all parts of the country, Penn students and faculty members came together for "the largest pre-emptive movement in history," as it was called by the members of International A.N.S.W.E.R. Penn for Peace was founded by Penn students, faculty and staff in the wake of the events of Sept. 11. The group is now actively engaged in manifesting its dissent against the war in Iraq. The movement already expressed its opposition to the Iraqi conflict when Vice President Dick Cheney came to Penn for the inauguration of Huntsman Hall. Penn for Peace publicized the march heavily across campus, mainly through flyers on Locust Walk, colorful posters and word of mouth. "We've been trying to do as much as we can," said College freshman Elise Wang, one of the group's organizers. Many rally participants expressed similar feelings. "It is a testament to how well corporate greed can make a case for a ridiculous venture," said Penn staffer Matt Schwartz, a member of both Penn Faculty and Staff Against the War in Iraq and the Philadelphia Physicians for Social Responsibility. An anti-war advocate since the age of 8, Schwartz commented, "If George Bush wants to see the axis of evil, he should look in the mirror." Although Penn for Peace members were not thrilled with what they call the "sheep mentality" that many U.S. citizens have professed over the issue, they were pleased with the activism that many others were showing, especially on Penn's campus. "I like the way Penn reacted," College senior Matt Swartz said. "There is a great interest. People are thinking about it and talking about it." Such sentiments were not limited to the Penn group. Protesters were highly responsive to the words of the speakers, many of whom were representing both national and international anti-war organizations. "It is time to find a solution to fighting evil that does not include turning into the enemy ourselves," Executive Director of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation Mahdi Bray said, reminding people of another anti-war march that was taking place at that moment in San Francisco. Although some of the protesters came as individual dissenters, most were part of organized movements with widely different backgrounds. All ages and creeds were represented, ranging from the middle-aged men of the Arab American Civic Organization to the young students of the University of Texas at Austin. The protesters echoed the words of each representative by chanting slogans like "one, two, three, four, we don't want your racist war," and sporting a diverse array of signs and costumes. The march was scheduled to take place on the weekend before Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a means to celebrate his life and ideals. "It is important on the eve of Martin Luther King's day to show our voices," Wang said. "This war is against sense, against international law and is completely unwarranted." The march's goal, according to some participants, was to express opposition to the Bush administration's military policy. However, many people asserted that another of the rally's objectives was to make the world aware of the ambivalence that exists within the United States itself over this issue and to show other dissenters that they are not alone in this feeling. "There is value in trying to express a dissenting opinion," College senior Jessica Hill explained. Despite the strong opposition, the majority of the people present declared that they thought the war in Iraq to be a distinct possibility. If the nation does go to war, however, Penn for Peace has vowed to persevere in its anti-war efforts. "We will continue with the protests and the civil disobedience," Wang said. The next step will be a series of anti-war resistance events organized by International A.N.S.W.E.R. It will start on Feb. 13 and will culminate in New York City on Feb. 15.