March 20, 2003 anti-war protest
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On March 20, 2003, the day after the invasion of Iraq had begun, thousands of protests and demonstrations were held around the world in opposition to the war in Iraq. In many cases, these protests were known as "Day X" protests, reflecting the fact that they had been organized to occur when war started, what ever day that might have been.
[edit] United States
In some U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, New York, and Portland, Oregon, demonstrators blocked traffic in the city centers with the goal of shutting the cities down, resulting in the arrests of over 3,000 people nationwide[citation needed]. In other cities, such as Boston, Atlanta, and Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, demonstrations were less confrontational. In still other cities, people engaged in counter-demonstrations in support of the war[citation needed].
In San Francisco, 5,000 protesters, having planned weeks in advance to shut down the city on "Day X" as part of Direct Action to Stop the War, blockaded the Financial District resulting in 2,000 arrests[citation needed]. Other protesters, marching as a black bloc, attacked and looted several military recruitment centers.[citation needed] A Critical Mass of cyclists also attempted to block traffic to the Bay Bridge. Approximately 300 protesters demonstrated outside of the federal building[citation needed]. Some of the protesters apparently began vomiting on the sidewalks and plaza areas in front of the building and behind the building[citation needed]. Spokespeople told reporters that it was the protesters' way of saying that war in Iraq "made them sick."[citation needed] Seven demonstrators were arrested after attempting to block about twenty federal employees and other visitors trying to enter the building.
Similarly, over 100 protesters were arrested in Philadelphia after blocking the entrances to various federal office buildings[citation needed].
In Chicago, a massive gathering was held at the Federal Plaza, followed by a march up Lake Shore Drive during rush hour. The march was originally in the southbound lanes, but when police blocked progress, the march took over the northbound lanes also[citation needed]. The march was eventually blocked at Chicago Water Tower from going down Michigan Avenue. The march moved further south, police arrested some protesters, and surrounded a large part of the march for hours, giving the marchers no option to leave[citation needed].
[edit] Worldwide
On the morning of March 20, 2003, school students all over Germany held spontaneous marches in Berlin (20,000 participants), Munich (15,000), Stuttgart (15,000), Freiburg (10,000) and Kassel (5,000)[citation needed]. Actions started also in Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Leipzig and Nuremberg. Some students reported that their teachers and principals had tried to prevent them from doing so. In Munich, students gathered in front of the university and then marched to the U.S. consulate, where they demanded that the American flag be lowered in honor of the killed Iraqi civilians. They walked to the central place of Munich afterwards, where the demonstration turned into a mixture of party and protest.
There were demonstrations across the United Kingdom. In London, England, demonstrators carried signs with photos of President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair with the caption "World's Biggest Terrorists"; Blair was also called a "Bliar."[citation needed] Two people scaled Big Ben, standing for hours below the clock's face with a sign reading "Time for Truth."
In York, school students joined council and union representatives in a daytime demonstration. A school student responded to a BBC journalist's question of whether it was just an excuse to bunk off school by saying, "We're not just here for a day off school. The more supporters the better. It makes a bigger statement." [1]
In Scotland demonstrations took place in disrupted traffic in Glasgow and Edinburgh and also took place in Dundee, Inverness and Aberdeen. The Edinburgh demo saw 500 people at midday march to the foot of The Mound, the rally was addressed by MSPs Tommy Sheridan and Lloyd Quinan. The protesters then blocked Princes Street and The Mound. Later 3,000 protesters marched up the Royal Mile to the Scottish Parliament. In Glasgow around 1,000 protesters (BBC estimate) blocked the streets in the city center for several hours.[2]
Protests in most other cities were similar. In Switzerland, tens of thousands demonstrated in all major cities.[citation needed] In Italy, the public services union announced a strike. In Cairo, Egypt, 4,000 people protested; protesters burned an American flag, and riot police outnumbered the protesters. In Luxembourg, Tageblatt newspaper reported about 15,000 students walking out of school, with those in the capital holding a spontaneous protest march to the American embassy[citation needed]. In the afternoon, the general population followed the students. In Berlin, 60,000 people protested; some 200,000 people joined protests in Germany that day. In Paris, 20,000 people met in front of the American embassy. In Greece, 150,000 people protested. In San José, Costa Rica, people marched against the US military intervention in Iraq [citation needed].
