By Tim Wheeler

People's Weekly World

WASHINGTON - Thousands of anti-war demonstrators rallied in Malcolm X Park and marched through the streets of the capital Sept. 30, chanting "1-2-3-4, our grief is not a cry for war."

Sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee and the Washington Peace Center (WPC), the crowd was swelled by thousands who had come for a week of protests during the World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual meeting here.

That meeting, as well as many street protests were cancelled after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. But the peace movement decided that a protest against the Bush administration war buildup was imperative.

WPC Coordinator Maria Ramos said the peace movement reacted with horror to the terrorists' death and destruction.

"Will we find a way to respond with respect for life, or will we be drawn into a war of retaliation and revenge?" she asked. "We have been told that we stand either with our government or against it. We would proclaim loudly that we stand with our country for peace."

Lauren Stebbins and Taryn Antigone, seniors at Washington's Woodrow Wilson High, told the World they have mixed feelings on how to respond. "But I definitely don't think bombing or a war against Afghanistan is the answer," Antigone said. "There are reasons so many people hate the U.S. We are constantly bombing them."

Arturo Griffiths, a veteran peace and justice activist, told the World, "Instead of bombing Afghanistan, we should bring the entire world together in a plan for peace and against terrorism. We need to address issues like the rights of the Palestinian people."

Bob Kinsey of Arvada, Colo. said the terrorist attack was "all the more reason to come to Washington to protest corporate globalization. It is a major cause of the hatred. Globalization causes the poverty, unemployment and disrespect of indigenous cultures, including Muslim culture."

He assailed the Bush administration for launching an attack on civil liberties. "A group that opposes sweatshops in Honduras was just branded a 'terrorist' organization. They are using this crisis to undermine efforts to achieve justice and an end to poverty."

Mario Lopez, a Florida farmworker, was marching to bring attention to the boycott of Taco Bell called by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. "We are paid 40 cents for each 32-pound bushel basket of tomatoes we pick," he said.

"We start at four in the morning and work until eight at night with no overtime pay. They see us as immigrants, not as humans. Taco Bell raked in $5 billion in profits in 1999.

Kevin Danaher, co-founder of Global Exchange, told the World that an International Criminal Court is the proper place to try the terrorists. "Over 100 governments recognize the International Criminal Court but the U.S. refuses. They are afraid it might put people like Henry Kissinger on trial."