General

Peace Rally Saturday March 19th 12-2pm Centennial Park (Nashville)

Saturday, 19 March 2005
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Event: Peace Rally to Bring the Troops Home

Date: Saturday March 19th, 2005 12pm-2pm.

Where: Centennial Park, 25th & West End Nashville

Contact: Chris Lugo 593-0304



Nashville, TN:

On Saturday, March 19, upwards of 2 million people will take to the streets around the world to protest the two anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. People in more than 60 countries throughout the world - from Japan to South Korea to Spain to Australia to South Africa - will for an end to the occupation, which they believe is only increasing violence and insecurity in Iraq.

Locally, Nashville Peace Coalition will host the Think Peace! Bring the Troops Home Now! Rally to raise consciousness about the occupation of Iraq and demand that President Bush begin to take responsibility for ending what is a grave humanitarian crisis.

“The unprovoked war against Iraq was a terrible tragedy for the Iraqi people, thousands of whom were killed during the last year, and for the close to 1500 U.S. soldiers who also lost their lives and thousands of others who've been injured,” said Anna Thompson of the Nashville Peace Coalition. “It’s time to hold our government accountable for the chaos it's created in Iraq - and for the fact that the Bush administration lied about the Iraqi threat to convince the American public of the need for war.”

For more than two years, the United States has occupied Iraq resulting in the deaths of more than 1,500 American Soldiers and over 100,000 Iraqis and has cost the taxpayers over $300 billion dollars. Popular sentiment is growing for a demand to Bring the Troops Home Now! and Bring Them Home Alive!

Despite the horrific nature of this war and the admission by the Bush Administration that the pretext for this war was a lie, the United States continues to occupy Iraq with over 140,000 troops. Impunity and corruption has permeated the governance of this occupation, and to continue committing these acts is immoral.

The rally is organized by the Nashville Peace Coalition and will include a street demonstration, peace march, and music and speakers including Tim Wise, Nashville native and motivational speaker. Wise speaks about the connection between war abroad and the war at home, highlighting the connections between imperialism and agression against the poor and disenfranchised abroad and the poor and disenfranchised at home. Wise also offers a message of hope and opportunity for peace.

“The great initiative in this war is ours; the initiative to stop it must be ours.” Dr. Martin Luther King

For more information Please Contact: Chris Lugo, Nashville Peace Coalition 593-0304

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