On Saturday between 150,000 and 200,000 people protested in Washington D.C. in the largest anti-war demonstration in the United States since the Vietnam War. Meanwhile smaller protests were held in dozens of cities across the country and world including 50,000 in San Francisco. Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) joined 10,000 in the streets of Seattle. In Taos, New Mexico (pop. 5,000) some 3,000 marched to War Secretary’s Donald Rumsfeld home. In Minnesota, 10,000 gathered in the streets of the Twin Cites to protest war and to memorialize Senator Paul Wellstone.

The press coverage of the Washington protests was mixed. CNN reported 200,000 took part in the rally while the Associated Press initially claimed that “hundreds of demonstrators” were in Washington. The Washington Post and Baltimore Sun put the protest on the front page. The New York Times dedicated a total of four paragraphs on the protest and didn’t include a crowd estimate or the names of any of the speakers.

The article began:

“Thousands of protesters marched through Washington’s streets, chanting and waving banners against possible military action against Iraq. The rally was one of several held in American and foreign cities today.

“Fewer people attended than organizers had said they hoped for, even though after days of cold, wet weather, the sun came out this morning. Participants said the shootings in and around the city in the last three weeks had kept people from planning to visit Washington.”

Today we will go to the Washington protests to hear Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) and actress Susan Sarandon.

Tape:

• Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General.
• Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader.
• Susan Sarandon, actress.
• Rev. Al Sharpton, civil rights leader.
• Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, (D-GA).