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Up To 350,000 March in New York for Peace, Justice and Democracy

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Hundreds of thousands of people from around the country marched through New York City on Saturday in what organizers billed as a March for Peace Justice and Democracy. We hear Cindy Sheehan and NYC Transport Workers Union leader Roger Toussaint address the crowd. [includes rush transcript]

Hundreds of thousands of people from around the country marched through New York City on Saturday in what organizers billed as a March for Peace Justice and Democracy.

For nearly two hours, protesters made their way down Broadway through Soho and Chinatown, to rally in Foley Square outside Manhattan’s city hall. Marches demanded that the US pull its troops out of Iraq and protested against the possibility of a war in Iran. The march’s lead contingent included Oscar winning actor Susan Sarandon, NYC Transport Workers Union leader Roger Toussaint; and Michael Berg, whose son was the first U.S. civilian hostage killed in Iraq. The Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton also spoke.

The march came a day after the military announced that this month was the deadliest month for American forces in Iraq this year. 70 U.S. troops have been killed since the beginning of April. Among those who addressed the crowd Saturday was Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq in 2004.

  • Cindy Sheehan, speaking in New York City, April 29, 2006.

Transit Workers Union leader Roger Toussaint also spoke at the New York rally on Saturday. Toussaint was jailed Monday for authorizing last year’s strike that shut down New York City’s Transit system. He was released Friday after four of a ten-day sentence.

  • Roger Toussaint, speaking in New York City, April 29, 2006.

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Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: Among those who addressed the crowd was Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq April 4, 2004.

CINDY SHEEHAN: Not only do we want the troops home from Iraq, we do not want the maniacs to invade Iran. We are standing here with the people of Iran to say that most of America is not on board with an invasion of your country. People tell me it would be crazy to invade Iran. Well, the people governing us are crazy.

AMY GOODMAN: Transit Workers Union leader Roger Toussaint also addressed the New York rally. Toussaint was jailed Monday for authorizing last year’s strike that shut down the New York City subway system. He was released Friday, after serving four days of a ten-day sentence.

ROGER TOUSSAINT: The war in Iraq is linked to the war at home. At home, we just did some jail time, because they need to silence the fight back movement at home. We just did some jail time, because they are attacking pensions and health benefits and living standards at home, while they are waging a war abroad, spending a billion dollars a day abroad to conduct a war against the Iraqi people, while they’re claiming that they don’t have money for pensions, health benefits, living standards, education for American workers. A government that can’t provide health benefits, pensions, education for its own has no business telling people around the world how they should live, has no business conducting an illegal war across the world, has no business at all. We need our troops home.

AMY GOODMAN: That is Roger Toussaint of the Transport Workers Union. Those are a roundup of the protests this weekend.

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