Rally calls for end to Iraqi sanctions, no military attack

Students opposed to military intervention in Iraq held a rally Thursday to protest the recent build-up of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf and U.N. economic sanctions on the Middle Eastern country.

Approximately 25 people attended the rally at the flags on the corner of College and Main Street. It was organized by the International Socialist Organization and intended to include students and other members of the Oberlin community.

In a speech leading off the rally, first-year Ben Joffe-Walt claimed, "More than 1.5 million people have died in Iraq as a direct result of sanctions placed on Iraq, as U.N. agencies have reported."

He argued that the U.N. inspectors have served their purpose and no longer belong in Iraq. "U.N. inspection teams have claimed they have destroyed 90 percent of the remaining Iraqi missile capacity and designated military material in the past seven years," he said. "The notion that Iraq is a threat to the region is a false fantasy created by the U.S. to justify its vast military presence in the region, to dominate the oil resources and to contain Islam."

Protestors focused their efforts on sanctions banning the import of food and medicine to Iraq. In response to the possibility that the military would control the distribution of food and medicine if sanctions were removed, sophomore Ben Arenburg said, "Saddam's not stupid, he wants his nation to be behind him. Politically, it would not be very smart to deny food."

Protesters chimed in to support speakers, and attempted to gain the attention of various pedestrians. Repeating a slogan shouted last February town meeting with Madeline Albright at Ohio State University, they chanted "One, two, three, four, we don't want your racist war!" The crowd was also encouraged to chant "Hey, hey, Madeline A., how many kids did you kill today," and "No bombing, no sanctions, no blood for oil!"

A few students also displayed signs with slogans such as "No USA monopoly on terrorism," and "Sanctions are weapons of mass destruction."

Signs and chants aside, the students failed to gain much attention from passersby. Apparently mocking the protesters, the driver of one passing car shouted "hell no, we won't go!" Still, a few people showed interest. Bicyclists and runners stopped to listen for a few minutes. Sophia Dunlap of Lorain, who was drawn in by the commotion said, "I just saw the crowd, and the posters were interesting. I'm against the war and wanted to see what they had to say."

In fact, only one person outside of the College community took part in the protest. Joffe-Walt said, "I think the Oberlin community as a whole would support it, but we had a lot of organizational errors getting support. There is general support with people who know the issue." As far as the support of the entire nation for military action he said, "I think the county as a whole bought the sensationalism and violence of the press."

Reverend Steve Hammond of the Oberlin Baptist Church spoke of his objections to the use of force and appealed to listeners' emotions by highlighting the plight of children in Iraq. He believes that a large segment of the community would support the rally, but that there wasn't much publicity done in the community. However, he said, "I don't think this is a sign of indifference. I can say that last time this was happening there were about 20-25 people rallying on a weekly basis for seven to eight weeks."

Thursday's rally came in response to last weekend's tension with Iraq. After Iraq once again barred U.N. weapons inspectors from searching for evidence of chemical or biological weapons, the U.S. bolstered its presence in the gulf with an additional 4,000 troops and 192 aircraft.

In contrast to previous stand-offs, the U.S. had the support of a large segment of the international community, reflecting the world's continued weariness at Saddam Hussein's defiance of U.N. resolutions. Apparently, the U.S. was within hours of striking Iraq. A letter was received by the U.N. security council allowing the return of inspectors and the clarification that there were no conditions attached to the letter.

In the close of his speech, Joffe-Walt said, "We will no longer support the human rights violations made by our government and our president in the name of international security and world peace!"

Out of Iraq: Oberlin students protested economic sanctions and repeated airstrikes against Iraq with speeches, signs and information sheets. (photo by Noah Mewborn)

Raised voices: Junior Chuckie Kamm joined in the rally Thursday afternoon against U.S. involvement in Iraq. (photo by Noah Mewborn)