Hundreds Gather to Protest War

Author: Edward Pickering

As White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer '82 spoke in Mead Chapel Sunday evening, almost 900 protesters rallied against a unilateral war on Iraq.
Carrying signs, holding candles, and singing songs, the protestors voiced strong opposition to a possible invasion of Iraq. Footage of the protest was aired on CNN.
Middlebury College alumna and town resident Virginia Snodgrass spoke for the protesters in a Oct. 13 press release. "We want to make clear that we in no way support the repressive regime of Saddam Hussein. However, it is totally without precedent and without justification to preemptively invade another country on the basis of circumstantial evidence."
Calling itself United for Peace, the ad hoc coalition included students, faculty and staff from Middlebury College and activists from the town and around the state. As stated in its press release, the coalition's goal was "to promote a multilateral, peaceful solution to the problem of Saddam Hussein's repressive regime through United Nations weapons inspections and other diplomatic measures."
Protesters considered Fleischer's visit a prime occasion to voice their dissent publicly. Professor of Political Science David Rosenberg explained that Fleischer's presence "provides the perfect opportunity to send a message to the national press." Middlebury town resident John Ceballos expressed the prevailing sentiment even more succinctly: "This is a good forum." Said Morgan Bryne '05 of Fleischer's speech and the related protest, "It's all about profile."
The protesters gathered on the Middlebury town green at 6 p.m. Sunday evening, where they distributed placards, banners, pamphlets, candles and songs. A half hour later, following a short vigil and speech by event organizers, the protesters began their march toward Mead Chapel, snaking along the sidewalks in an impressive show of solidarity, their spirits undampened by the rain. At one point, the line of protesters stretched from Warner Hemicycle all the way to the Otter Creek Bridge.
Banners and signs dotted the crowd, expressing as wide a range of sentiment as the marchers who held them. Many were skeptical of the Bush administration's motives for a possible war with Iraq. "The real threat is the people in the White House, who equipped Saddam Hussein in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war," said University of Vermont philosophy professor and member of Green Mountain Veterans for Peace Will Miller. "It's entirely an oil war," continued Miller, who characterized Fleischer as "a glib jerk, and the willing mouthpiece of a corrupt administration." Mike Palmer, an organizer from the town of Middlebury, said, "the timing of [a possible invasion], at the crux of an important election cycle is very suspect."
Numerous protesters expressed doubts regarding the legality of an invasion. In the press release, event organizer Ben Brouwer '04 said, "The Bush administration is ignoring international opinion. None of our allies want this. This sort of unilateralism sets a dangerous precedent."
Still others questioned the wisdom of an attack. "The quickest way to lose the war on terrorism," said Rosenberg, "is to attack Iraq. An invasion of Iraq will generate another generation of mujahadeen. Invading Iraq is like tossing a match into a pool of gasoline." All were of the opinion that the question of Iraq could be resolved peacefully. "I'm here to show my support for diplomacy," Ceballos said.
By 7 p.m. the protesters had gathered on the hill below Mead Chapel. They clustered around street lamps, with the rear of the crowd waiting outside the chapel doors. When the doors opened the protesters' chants rose to a fortissimo. Several knots of protesters made it inside the chapel. As the seated crowd awaited Fleischer's appearance on stage, protesters intermittently broke into song and chanted slogans. The most vocal protesters were strung along the back pews. Fleischer walked on stage to a mixed reception of strident boos and resolute applause.
Fleischer was interrupted several times by the sporadic outbursts of a few, visible protesters, many of whom were later removed by police. A particularly striking moment occurred when, on cue, protesters in the upper balcony unfurled banners denouncing an invasion of Iraq. Fleischer handled the boos and jeers with aplomb. Noticing a backward-facing banner, Fleischer quipped, "Shouldn't that go the other way?"
The protesters maintained a continual presence within and without Mead Chapel as the evening wore on. They were there en masse, holding candles, as the audience left for the night. Event organizer Brouwer was extremely pleased with the evening's protest, particularly the media coverage it received. Brouwer was ecstatic to learn that footage of the Middlebury protest had appeared on "Wolf Blitzer Reports" on Oct. 14. Blitzer said in his report, "Hundreds of people turned out to protest an appearance by White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer at his alma mater Middlebury College. He was there to receive an award and to give a lecture. A peace march through downtown drew almost 900 people."
Brouwer commented on the noticeable presence of a few "agitators" among the otherwise respectful protestors. McCardell agreed that "the most vocal protesters tended not to be Middlebury students."
When asked if he was disturbed by the vehemence of these protesters, Fleischer replied, "Yes, a little bit. But Middlebury kids are great. The way I see it there were two types of people who came to protest, those who held different opinions and expressed them politely, and those who disagreed and did not express themselves politely. If I had been a freshman and come and heard that speech, I too would have protested. I was liberal then. But my views have changed. You gotta follow your heart."