Two Years of War and Occupation — U.S. Out of Iraq Now!

Revolutionary Worker #1272, March 27, 2005, posted at rwor.org

Actions were held around the world from March 18-20 to commemorate the second anniversary of the U.S. bombing of Iraq. The largest was in London, estimated at 100,000 by organizers, and marchers also targeted their own British government's involvement in the continuing occupation of Iraq.

15,000 marched in Istanbul, Turkey with signs calling out the "Murderer Bush." Thousands in Tokyo denounced U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Japan, and the Japanese government's participation in the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

Worldwide, actions were held in South Africa, Denmark, Malaysia, Brazil, Scotland, Poland, Norway, Sweden, Mexico, Italy, Cyprus, Spain, and India.

Actions took place in hundreds of cities and smaller towns in every state of the U.S. About 10,000 marched in San Francisco. The contingent of hundreds of students included a group from S.F. State where students recently shut down military recruiters at a campus job fair. A large number of longshore workers marched behind their union's banner, and there were contingents of hospital workers, teachers, and janitors. Several hundred protesters left the main march to protest through the downtown and were attacked by police.

In New York City there was a march of thousands from Harlem to Central Park.

Over 6,000 people gathered in L.A. for a defiant march against the war. A young former Marine addressed the crowd saying: "We were supposed to come there, find the threat to our nation, and leave, but we're occupying. This is a crusade. I want this to stop." Marches of over 1,000 people were reported in Pittsburgh, Portland, Miami, and New Paltz, New York.

There were several actions outside U.S. military installations—including Fort Bragg, NC; a National Guard base in Cottage Grove, OR and the New Mexico National Guard's armory in Albuquerque.