Tufts students participated in two rallies this weekend protesting the war in Iraq, both of which attracted relatively modest crowds.
The Peace and Justice Studies department sponsored an "Anti-War Teach Out" protest in front of Tisch Library on Friday to discuss the atrocities occurring in Iraq. Turnout for the event was limited to a handful of students, despite an announcements placed on the Tuftslife.com Web site.
The teach-in featured speakers from Veterans for Peace, Military Families Speak Out, and Tufts faculty and students. Mark Olston-Follansbee (pictured below) spoke on behalf of Veterans for Peace.
Protests continued in a larger venue on Saturday, when Tufts students joined a crowd of 300 in the Boston Common (pictured left). Tufts Coalition Opposed to War on Iraq gave support to the event.
"I noticed a few elderly people, which was interesting because usually I feel like it is all college students [that attend rallies]," said sophomore Miriam Leuin, who saw the protest while passing by.
While the rally was relatively small for a protest on the Common, Leuin said she was drawn by the eccentricity of the protesters. "Someone was wearing a missile costume that said 'drop Bush not bombs,'" she said.
Retired Boston University historian Howard Zinn spoke at the protest.
