Student protesters march through downtown Seattle

By Seattle Times staff

THOMAS JAMES HURST / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Matthew Rousseau, center, chants anti-war slogans with a couple hundred protesters who marched through downtown Seattle.

ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Hundreds of students who walked out of class Friday to protest the war in Iraq, including Max Supler from The Center School at The Seattle Center, chant at Westlake Park before marching to Judkins Park. Supler left his science class and said four to five dozen of his classmates walked out as well.

ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Seneca Harper rallies a group at Seattle Central Community College Friday afternoon before Iraq war protesters marched to Westlake Park, where a larger crowd gathered.

A crowd of roughly 400 anti-war demonstrators — most of them high school and college students — marched through downtown Seattle today, carrying signs and chanting slogans such as "This is what democracy looks like!"

From Westlake Center, they made their way to Jackson Street and 23rd Avenue, where they staged a brief sit-in in a parking lot outside of military-recruiting offices. The offices were closed today, apparently because of the protest.

Dozens of Seattle police officers escorted the demonstrators while others, armed with long sticks and pepper spray, stood behind fences and police tape outside the recruiting offices for the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps.

No one was arrested and the young people continued their march to Judkins Park, their numbers shrinking to about 200 by the time the demonstration wrapped up about 3:30 p.m.

More Local News headlines...

E-mail article Print view