Advocating peace and protesting U.S. military conflict in Iraq, nearly 200 people gathered in Government Center on Friday to celebrate the end of the five week-long ‘Interfaith Spring Walk for Peace.’
The peace march began from the Leverett Peace Pagoda in Leverett, Mass. on Feb. 16 with only a few participants. The group marched through Massachusetts towns and concluded on the first day of spring at Boston City Hall Plaza, where nearly 200 people sat in a circle praying, singing and distributing pamphlets and flowers.
Boston City Councilors Chuck Turner and Felix Arroyo were named ‘Peace Councilors’ for the event because of their open opposition to the war with Iraq. Both Turner and Arroyo spoke as honored guests at the gathering at City Hall Plaza.
‘We need an army of people to stand up against our politicians and our president and say ‘we demand peace,” Turner said. ‘Our resources need to be devoted to peace and not the use of the military.’
Arroyo voiced opposition to the pre-emptive war being staged, saying President Bush was establishing a dangerous precedent and abusing and misleading American military forces.
‘That’s not defending our nation,’ Arroyo said. ‘You are defending our nation!’
Arroyo, who has been fasting for peace during daylight hours of the week, encouraged the group to ‘support peace in any way or fashion that you can.’
He thanked the police forces present at the demonstration for their restrained behavior. Although police escorted the group through most of the Boston area, their presence at the peaceful demonstration was unobtrusive.
The group faced dissent only from one young boy who penetrated the circle of protesters carrying an American flag and a sign reading ‘In support of the United States and the war.’
Many of the speakers who addressed the group emphasized that the desires for peace and supporting American military troops are not mutually exclusive.
‘The most supportive thing we can do for our troops is to stop this war right now,’ said Charlie Lessin. Lessin and his wife Nancy Lessin, whose son is a U.S. marine, are members of Military Families Speak Out, an organization that opposes unjust military involvement.
‘This is an immoral, illegal, unjust war,’ said Nancy Lessin. ‘Those who said we have to go to war aren’t going anywhere and neither are their kids it’s our kids.’
Although the war with Iraq began during the group’s march, most of the demonstrators still expressed hope for peace.
‘Strangely, I don’t feel frustrated. I feel this only the beginning,’ said Sylvia Appleton who joined the march in Copley Square.
Appleton said she became involved in the march through Peaceworks in Brookline, an organization supporting peaceful demonstrations.
‘Peace is certainly preferable to war,’ she said. ‘Shedding blood for the gain of other people it doesn’t make any sense to me.’
Dana Cadwell, a high school junior from Warwick, Mass., joined the march on Friday and expressed her disappointment at the apathetic reaction to the war at her school.
‘Life is short,’ she said. ‘Peace is important. We have the world and we can either use it well or get more hurt.’
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