Anti-war rally rocks Tisch patio

The new Tufts Coalition Against War in Iraq made its presence known yesterday afternoon with a rally at Tisch Library. The rally, held on the National Day of Action, brought together over 100 students, faculty, and administrators.

The rally began when five student volunteers energized the crowd by cheering anti-war protests. Four speakers, including two professors, a graduate student, and an undergraduate, spoke to the gathering. The speakers attacked most of President Bush's reasons for war in Iraq and expressed their support for a nonviolent response.

"There is no compelling evidence supporting this war effort," project leader and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student Joseph Ramsey said. "The United States seems to want to derail any non-military solution to force war. I want to educate people and raise consciousness here at Tufts on this issue," he said.

English Professor Elizabeth Ammons emphasized the American people's responsibility to voice its anti-war sentiments. "Silence means acquiescence," she said. "It means that we agree that our tax money and names should be used to support killing people in another part of the world, as well as US soldiers, in an act of unprovoked military aggression against another nation. I think it's our duty to make our opposition known."

After the speeches were delivered, the audience began to cheer and follow the rally's leaders in a commanding march around the academic quad.

The Tufts Coalition Against War in Iraq is run by a dozen student volunteers and faculty supporters, including professors Gary Leupp, Gerald Gill, Paul Joseph, Gary Goldstein, and Ammons. Ramsey worked with these faculty members, as well as graduate and undergraduate students and the Somerville Medford United for Justice with Peace, to design flyers and banners for the event.

Despite growing domestic opposition, the Bush administration continues to move toward taking preemptive action against Iraq. Members of the Tufts coalition, among other anti-war organizations, believe that there is not sufficient justification for the violent solution that the White House is advocating.

Opponents of the war point to the lack of evidence of Iraq's involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks when emphasizing the minimal threat that Iraq poses to the US.

Event organizers thought that the rally succeeded in its initial efforts to educate and guide students, according to Leupp, a history professor.

"My impression ... is that there's a 'gung-ho let's kick ass' crowd, and a 'no war no way' crowd, and most people are not really sure," he said. "They think Saddam is a bad guy. They're not clear what connection, if any, he has to Sept. 11. In this way the Tufts students' opinions mirror those in the community at large, although I think there's a larger critical component here, which is a good thing."

The rally at Tufts came on the heels of last weekend's large demonstrations on the West Coast and in New York City. A larger rally will be held in Washington, DC on Oct. 26. Yesterday's event also coincided with First Monday, an initiative run by the Alliance for Justice which educated students on civil liberties at over 200 colleges.

"It was a very open atmosphere _ easy for people to express their views. I was happy to see that a lot of different people could share the same view," sophomore Brian Roiter said.

The importance of political participation was emphasized in the final words of Chemical Engineering Professor Jerry Meldon's speech to end the rally. America is "still a democracy and you can do something about it," he told the crowd.