The protest began with a rally on the quad of the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where UNCA students were joined by students from other nearby colleges and high schools, faculty members and people from the community. Rain, sleet and 40-degree temperatures did not stop a crowd of over 100 from gathering. Many students took up the call to walk out of classes at noon in order to stand in solidarity with the demonstrators. Students and faculty took turns speaking out, and then marched together from the university campus to the center of the city.

Kostas Harlan, one of the organizers of the protest, described the experience: “After a rally which heard from several students and two professors, we began to prepare for the two-mile march to downtown. Just as we began marching, the skies opened with heavy rain and sleet. I thought we would leave campus with a handful of people. But 75 students, many of whom were demonstrating against the war for the first time, kept up their spirits throughout the hour-long march to downtown. People driving by were amazed to see this group of enthusiastic, energized and militant students marching through the pouring rain.”

The protesters made their presence felt by shouting chants, blowing horns and carrying large colorful banners with slogans such as, “No blood for oil!” and, “Drop Bush, not bombs!” The group’s energetic mood drew more people as the march moved downtown, growing to over 100 people in all. Despite a large police presence, no attempts were made to stop or divert the marchers. After a brief stop at the Federal Building to denounce U.S. war crimes, the protesters surrounded Vance Monument in the heart of the city and held another hour-long rally. Demonstrators took turns on the megaphone to make spontaneous speeches, demanding justice for the people of Iraq as well as for the poor, working class and oppressed people of the United States.

Chapin Gray, a member of the UNCA Socialist Unity League, said, “This march really empowered people. There was a great sense of solidarity in the air and everyone who came out could feel it. Today a lot of students and young people experienced first-hand the power that the people have whenever they stand up against injustice together. And this is only the beginning. I think that most of our friends who stood with us downtown went home feeling a need to get organized. What happened today is going to happen again, and it will keep happening until this imperialist war is stopped and the criminals responsible for it are brought to justice.”

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To mark the third anniversary of the war, and now occupation, of Iraq, people around the globe marched, calling for U.S. troops to leave immediately. In Chicago, 10,000 protesters faced off against 1500 police in full riot gear during their evening march on Michigan Avenue on March 18. This was the first time in three years that organizers were able to get a permit to march on Michigan Avenue.

In Asheville, North Carolina, students marched two miles through rain and sleet to demand troops out of Iraq. For many, it was their first protest. “I think that everyone was able to put this minor hardship in the context of what the Iraqi people go through every day at the hands of U.S. and British occupiers,” said student organizer Kostas Harlan.

On March 18-20, people around the globe stood together in opposition to Bush’s war on terror and occupation of Iraq. Columbus, Ohio saw more than 800 people come out to protest in front of the statehouse and hear speeches about why U.S. troops need to leave.

And in Minneapolis, Minnesota 4,200 people came together to rally and march against the occupation. Much like in Chicago, Minneapolis organizers said the crowd was double the number as had come out the previous year. “It’s telling that more and more people are against the war. People who have always been against the war from the beginning are seeing that Bush isn’t going to leave until we stand together and demand, ‘Troops out now!’” said local organizer Sabry Wazwaz.

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Atlanta, GA - In one of the largest anti-war rallies in the South, upwards of 4000 protesters – students, Black civil rights activists, trade unionists and military veterans – marched in Atlanta, April 1, demanding, “Peace in Iraq, justice at home!”

Michael Graham, a student activist from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College said, “It was good to see everyone get together, from Palestine solidarity groups to church congregations and students from across the South – standing up for a worthwhile cause.” The march passed through some of Atlanta’s poorest African-American neighborhoods, where people shouted out their support to the demonstrators.

The protest brings together two dates: March 20, the third anniversary of the invasion of the Iraq war, and April 4, the 38th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Many people who were visiting Atlanta to honor the legacy of Dr. King joined the march.

Speakers denounced the racist, criminal and unjust war in Iraq. Many also emphasized the need to combat racism and national oppression in the U.S., especially in the South, where hundreds of thousands of African-Americans remain either displaced or impoverished as a result of the U.S. government’s neglect and incompetent response to Hurricane Katrina.

To the resounding cheers of thousands of people at the rally, many of the African-American speakers declared their support for Latino and other immigrant workers. Speakers also demanded social equality and stressed the need for unity between the oppressed classes and nationalities in the struggle to bring about lasting social and economic justice in the United States. Rachel Jensen a UNC-Asheville student said, “Such a diverse group of people united for a common cause. It was absolutely wonderful!”

![4000 march against war](https://i.snap.as/VfVXSroH.jpg “4000 march against war The march of over 4000 stretched for nearly a mile as the protesters moved through the city.

(Fight Back! News/Staff)”)

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