Around 100 students from UW-Madison and Edgewood College will leave today and Friday for a peace rally Saturday in Washington, D.C.
Organizers are expecting between 60,000 and 85,000 people from around the country to protest the war on terrorism. They predict that it will be the largest display of opposition to the war on terrorism in the United States since Sept. 11.
\It's going to be thousands of people uniting and it's important that the voices of dissent unite at this crucial time,"" said Catherine Bush, an Edgewood College sophomore.
According to UW-Madison senior Ben Collins, the current war is not putting an end to terrorism as the Bush administration says it is.
""We feel violence begets more violence,"" he said. ""The U.S. taking action is going to be a part of a never-ending cycle of war.""
Protesters say they are demanding changes in U.S. foreign policy, more funding for nonmilitary financial aid, full disclosure of military contracts with universities, an end to racial profiling of Arabs in America and imprisonment of immigrants.
Collins said he sees acts of racial profiling all over the place. Rather than preventing the conflict, he says the war on terrorism has led to tension locally.
""In bathroom stalls on campus, there are things written like 'kill all Arabs,'"" he said. ""This war is just creating unnecessary prejudices.""
According to Bush, many people do oppose the war, but do not act on their opposition.
""The majority of people in general are against violence and against killing,"" Bush said. ""So they will declare that and take that stance but they really need to live that out in their lives and make a commitment to that statement.""
However, according to UW-Madison sophomore Matt Stoner, who is not traveling to Washington this week, some feel that traditional protests are not an effective means of communication.
""Some people are hesitant to go to the protest because it's heavily contained by police and doesn't get a whole lot done,"" Stoner said. ""Other people want to find different ways of expressing themselves ... other ... than a conventional march.""
This rally is part of a weekend of peaceful protest in Washington, D.C., that will also include discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A demonstration will take place Saturday at the World Bank while the Mobilization on Colombia and this peace rally occur. The three demonstrations will converge at the Capitol.
Collins says the combination of these events will show unity with other protesters around the world.
""We are not necessarily going there to change the administration's views on the spot, but to show our solidarity with the global community that we oppose this war,"" he said.
