A Thousand Antiwar Protesters Confront President Bush in New London, Connecticut, May 23, 2007

An estimated thousand people from all over Connecticut, New England and New York assembled Wednesday, starting at 9:00 am at the main gate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut to protest the visit of George W. Bush and to demand an immediate end to the war in Iraq.

New London, CT (PRWEB) May 27, 2007 -- People from all over Connecticut, New England and New York assembled Wednesday, starting at 9:00 am at the main gate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut today to protest the visit of George W. Bush and to demand an immediate end to the war in Iraq.

People came by van and car caravan from Hartford, New Haven, New York City, Willimantic, Mystic, Boston, Cape Cod, New Paltz, NY, Portland, ME, and many other cities and towns.

"The event was noteworthy for the involvement of many veterans, families of soldiers and marines, and active duty military personnel who came to speak out. Speakers include Carlos and Melida Arredondo, whose son Alex was killed in Iraq in 2004; Elliot Adams, President of Veterans for Peace; Ted Goodnight, an Afghanistan War Veteran who served from 2003 to 2004; and Priscilla Lounds, Army veteran and New London activist with the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition," said Bill Hackwell, an organizer with the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition and a Vietnam Veteran.

Students and faculty attended from Connecticut College, University of Connecticut, Central Connecticut State University, Eastern CSU, Western CSU, Southern CSU, Wesleyan University, Northern Virginia Community College, Columbia University, Howard University and elsewhere.

The large turnout of the demonstration was particularly noteworthy given the fact that the demonstration happened at 9:00 am on a weekday. March organizers estimated the number of people who participated in the demonstration to be approximately 1,000. Police and local media gave a similar estimate.

Tahnee Stair, the Coordinator of A.N.S.W.E.R. in Connecticut, said "The Protest Bush Rally at the USCGA was part of a nationwide campaign initiated by the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition called 'Turn up the Heat in 2007.' Anti-war activists and organizers around the country are joining together to guarantee that wherever and whenever Bush, Cheney, other government officials and pro-war members of Congress step out in public they will be met by anti-war protestors."
                                                        
"As happened during the Vietnam war, the people at the grassroots are making it crystal clear that no government official can dare go anywhere in this country without the certain knowledge of being confronted by anti-war protesters," said Stair.

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition is a national anti-war coalition that has sponsored the major national anti-war marches in Washington DC, as well as West Coast regional marches in Los Angeles and San Francisco and locally-coordinated actions nationwide over the last six years. A.N.S.W.E.R. has hundreds of organizing centers across the country. To learn more visit www.AnswerCoalition.org.

Source:
A.N.S.W.E.R Coalition

Media contacts:
Chris Garaffa: 203-404-9965
Ed Felton: 917-806-5867

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