Over 100 UC Berkeley students
rallied on Sproul Plaza yesterday to oppose war with Iraq.
"It's a great way of interjecting democracy and a free exchange
of ideas on campus in a period right now where there's not a lot of
anti-war sentiment coming from the dominant media," said Snehal
Shingavi, a member of the International Socialist Organization.
"These demonstrations are important because it shows people on
campus that there are other students opposed to the war."
Police estimated 125 people attended the rally, although a
statement from Berkeley Stop the War Coalition said "thousands"
would be present.
Some students expressed their anti-war sentiment through signs
reading "UC Berkeley students say no to war," and "No War for Big
Oil." Shingavi also led students in chanting "Stop the war on Iraq."
Speakers at the rally included Rula Khalafawi, who worked in Iraq
with the United Nations, and Laura Wells, currently a candidate of
the Green Party for California state controller.
"The campus plays a very important role in the anti-war
movement," Khalafawi said. "They're a crucial body that should be
mobilized. UC Berkeley is known to be one of the most liberal
campuses in the U.S. that brings all kinds of diverse people from
all around the country. This is going to encourage a lot of campuses
around the country to speak out and mobilize against the war."
Hatem Bazian, a UC Berkeley lecturer and director of the Al-Qalam
Institute for Middle Eastern Studies, said the United States poses a
greater threat to the world than Iraq because it is the only country
in the world that has used nuclear arms in war.
"In this university and institutions of higher learning, we have
been responsible for more weapons of mass destruction than Iraq has
ever dreamed about," he said.
Many of the students in attendance said they supported a peaceful
resolution to the Iraq conflict.
"There is a strong and legitimate voice speaking out against the
war, saying that we need to explore peaceful measures," said junior
Adil Khan, a member of the Berkeley Free Iraq Foundation. "Not only
peaceful measures but just measures."
Though the majority of the students on Sproul supported the
rally, others said they supported pursuing military action in Iraq.
"If you look at the rally, there's hardly anyone there," said UC
Berkeley junior Steve Sexton, a member of the Berkeley College
Republicans and former news editor of The Daily Californian. "That
speaks to the fact that the majority of people recognize that the
U.S. has no options left. This war is extremely justified because
there's been a decade of defiance on the part of (Iraqi President)
Saddam Hussein, and the only way to get him to disarm is going to be
force because that's all he responds to."
Many people in attendance said the rally continued the Berkeley
legacy of anti-war activism.
"UC Berkeley has historically been the center of the anti-war
movement," said Marc de Giere, a member of the coalition. "We hold a
special role in initiating (activism on) campuses across the nation.
I think we're an inspiration for a lot of people."
The rally was organized by the Berkeley Stop the War Coalition
and sponsored by the Berkeley Free Iraq Foundation. UC Berkeley
Muslim Students Association also endorsed the rally.
