|
|
The anti-war movement has taken to the streets of Cincinnati once again. But is anyone listening?
According to protesters, the media isn’t. The President definitely isn’t.
One of the greatest concerns among the anti-war movement is the downplaying of its actions by corporate media sources, which offered little coverage of the protest during George Bush’s Oct. 7 visit to Cincinnati. Instead of covering the rally of nearly 3,000 protesters, television stations fed baseball and sit-coms for the nation’s viewing pleasure.
The Ad Hoc Anti-War Coalition gathered Oct. 26 on Fountain Square to coincide with the national march on Washington, D.C. (see ANSWER in the Streets). Those who couldn’t afford the time or cost of joining the national protest heard anti-war messages from Amanda Mayes, co-chair of the Coalition for a Just Cincinnati; Julie Hilvers, a member of the Ad Hoc Anti-War Coalition; and Kevin Danaher of San Francisco’s Global Exchange, an international network striving for human rights and social justice around the world (see www.globalexchange.org).
As speeches were delivered, various groups staked their claims among the crowd of 120 to share information about upcoming discussions and events concerning the possibility of war with Iraq.
The media are paying little attention, according to Julie Murry.
“The media is not programmed to voice the anti-war movement, so my biggest concern is I feel we need to do something radical to get attention,” she said.
Corporations that have weapons contracts with the U.S. military own some major media sources, Murry said. For example, General Electric, which owns NBC, also owns an aircraft engine plant in Evendale, which receives an influx of military orders during wartime. Corporate-owned news networks offer little coverage of war opposition in order to protect other financial interests, Murry said.
Other activists argued the major media pay little to heed to the movement because they would profit from a war by gaining more viewers and higher ratings.
“You know what that means — more advertisements,” said David, a protester at the rally.
Some speakers criticized Bush’s refusal to hear the voices of dissent, closing his Cincinnati speech to the public.
“President Bush said America speaks with one voice,” Hilvers said. “Well, he’s obviously not listening to us.”
Hilvers listed countries where large protests have expressed opposition to a U.S. attack on Iraq, including Australia, Italy, Germany and Egypt.
“If Bush disregards us, he’s disregarding our democracy,” Hilvers said.
One protester on Fountain Square, who asked not to be identified, said she spoke to friends living in the West Bank. They believe the removal of Saddam Hussein will only lead to another dictator set up by the United States.
“These people are conservatives who think Bush is nuts,” the woman said.
Danaher, the co-founder of Global Exchange, visited Iraq to assess views about the United States. Some Iraqis told Danaher, “If we have a leader you don’t like, you don’t have the right to drop bombs on us,” he said.
Protesters also expressed concern for U.S. military volunteers who will be sent to war. Cody Cook, a student at the University of Cincinnati, expressed his trepidation for fellow students who joined the ROTC to pay for their education. Cook said that after speaking with many students in ROTC programs, including his brother, he discovered many don’t want to kill for tuition.
Cook showed a petition signed by ROTC students, saying, “I refuse to kill for my money, I refuse to kill for oil.”
If Bush won’t listen and the media continues to snub protests, what will the anti-war movement do?
Amanda Mayes challenged protesters to develop other means to halt the war, rather than being limited to sloganeering and rallies.
“My challenge to all of you is what we can do as direct action to affect this war, whether it be writing letters, attending sit-ins or standing up to the President however we can,” she said. ©
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2002.