Socialist Viewpoint

On Oct. 25th, San Francisco hosted the largest antiwar, anti-occupation demonstration since the U.S. unleashed its murder machine against the people of Iraq. A coalition of local chapters of International A.N.S.W.E.R., United for Peace and Justice, and Not In Our Name Project, as well as S.F. based Bay Area United Against War, and the Vanguard Foundation called the S.F. demonstration to coincide with the Washington D.C. demonstration initiated by A.N.S.W.E.R. and cosponsored by the national United for Peace and Justice organization. Organizers estimated that ten thousand people participated in the S.F. march and rallies and 30 thousand turned out in Washington, D.C.

Ron Kovic, the Vietnam veteran who wrote “Born on the 4th of July” which was made into a powerful movie against the Vietnam war, was a keynote speaker at the rally, which was also addressed by the actor, Danny Glover, Cynthia McKinney, and many others.

A highpoint of the San Francisco rally at Jefferson Square Park was the speech by Amer Jubran, Palestinian antiwar

leader facing deportation just 12 days after the Oct. 25th events. Jubran was enthusiastically received by the crowd for his impassioned defense of the Iraqi and Palestinian peoples and all those oppressed by U.S. imperialism.

Jubran was hosted in San Francisco by Bay Area United Against War (BAUAW), the local antiwar coalition that opposes U.S. support to Israel and favors withdrawal of U.S. forces from the whole Middle East region. In his short Bay Area visit Jubran spoke in solidarity with Latino immigrants at the Immigrant Pride Festival on Oct. 26, where he spoke of the Mexican origins of California in his statement of solidarity with undocumented immigrants and support for their right to live and work in the United States. He also had several media interviews as well as a public meeting in which he reviewed in great detail the facts of his own case and the extensive government surveillance that his support committee has uncovered.