Seattle marchers join nationwide protest day

Swelled by peace groups from across Washington and Oregon, thousands of protesters Saturday marched peacefully but boisterously against the Iraq war. It was Seattle's part in the "National Day of Action," with demonstrations in 11 U.S. cities.

A half-dozen Iraq war veterans took a lead role in the Seattle march.

Chanan Suarezdiaz, 25, a Navy medic wounded while supporting the Marine Corps in Iraq, spoke from a platform in Occidental Park downtown.

"This is a racist war of oppression," said Suarezdiaz, president of the Seattle chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War. "This is a war for profit."

At his prompting, the crowd raised fists in the air "in solidarity with the Iraqi people."

The coordinated demonstrations nationwide, sponsored by the United for Peace and Justice coalition, attracted throngs of protesters in cities including Boston, New Orleans, New York and Los Angeles on the fifth anniversary of the U.S. Senate's vote authorizing the invasion of Iraq.

Crowds in Chicago and San Francisco exceeded 10,000, according to Reuters news service.

At the front of the Seattle demonstration, protesters stood 30 abreast as they marched down Jackson Street toward Pioneer Square from the staging point at Judkins Park.

The swath of protesters stretched more than four blocks from Maynard Street past King Street Station. Police estimated the size of the crowd at "upwards from 2,000."

As the marchers assembled at Judkins Park in the noon sunshine, the mood was buoyant.

Young and old protesters mixed to demonstrate in opposition to the Bush administration, the Iraq war, calls to attack Iran and the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.

A couple of young rock bands played heavy guitar riffs. A hip-hop singer declaimed an anti-war rap. Marchers sang, "We ain't going to study war no more."

As the march rolled, a group at the rear bobbed an impressively large canvas ball imprinted with a digital image of planet Earth, while ahead of them, tall puppets presented caricatures of President Bush or representations of Iraq war victims. A model of a giant spine sent the message that "the Democrats need to get a backbone."

Signs identified peace groups from Bellevue, Bremerton, Everett, Poulsbo, Kent, Leavenworth, Monroe, Sequim, Tacoma, Wenatchee, Vancouver and Vashon Island in Washington, as well as groups from Oregon, Idaho and a smattering of other states.

Kathy Griffiths, 61, had come from Albany, Ore., 70 miles south of Portland.

"I feel compelled," she said. "I don't want anyone thinking I support what this administration is doing."

Peter Lippman, 55, a self-employed carpenter and peace activist, said that as a Jew and an American he feels a double duty to speak out against Israeli occupation of the West Bank, which he said is "the root of the problems" in the Mideast.

"I have to say: 'Not in my name,' " said Lippman.

Amin Odeh, 39, a Palestinian who grew up in the Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem, in the West Bank, and is now a U.S. citizen and an engineer in Seattle, also marched to oppose Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

"The people who supported and fueled the Iraq war are now pushing a war with Iran," he said. "We're going in that direction. I hope to God it doesn't happen."

Evan Knappenberger, 22, who said he is a former intelligence analyst with the Army's 4th Infantry Division and who spent a year in Iraq, carried a banner near the front.

Knappenberger, who said he left the Army seven months ago, said he's not criticizing his former comrades.

"Most of them would agree," he said, "More than half in my unit are being forced to stay."

Interviewed after his speech in Occidental Park, veteran Suarezdiaz said there are some 700 anti-war veterans in his organization nationally, though only about 10 in Seattle.

Along the eastern side of Occidental Park, the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization, set up an exhibit of combat boots, one pair for each U.S. soldier killed in Iraq. Washington was represented by more than 80 pairs, Oregon by more than 90.

Dominic Gates: 206-464-2963 or dgates@seattletimes.com

In the original version of this story, the first name of Chanan Suarezdiaz was misspelled.