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CNN Live Saturday
Voices of Dissent
Aired February 15, 2003 - 16:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with impassioned pleas across the globe today, voices protesting a looming U.S.-led war against Iraq. Right now, demonstrators are gathering up and down the West Coast, and CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is with them in Los Angeles. How is it going, Thelma? Is it still peaceful?
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, I can tell you that it is quite loud right now. This protest is going to start any moment. They're going to march about a mile and a half down to one of the recruiting stations. I can tell you that this is one of three anti-war protests going on right now in the Los Angeles area. This is by far expected to be the largest. They're hoping for 10,000 people to show up. We're not going to hear from crowd estimators for another hour or so to actually determine the number of people who have turned out. But I can tell you, it's a huge crowd.
Now, I want you to pan over right here. You can see how diverse this crowd is. As I had mentioned, the march will begin on Hollywood Boulevard, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They will march a mile and a half. It will end in front of an armed forces recruiting station.
This march is being organized by a coalition of four groups, including the group ANSWER, which is an international group which helped organize protests that are going on across the world today. Also, it's made up of an (UNINTELLIGIBLE) coalition, made up of Christians, Muslims and Jews. There are students out there. It's a very diverse crowd. There are politicians. And of course, being in Hollywood, we have quite a group of actors out here.
Now, Anjelica Huston, the Academy Award winning actress, is joining us right now. Thank you so much for being here. Tell me, do you think that this is going to make a difference at all, by having this kind of a turnout? What kind of a message are you trying to send?
ANJELICA HUSTON, ACTRESS: I'm trying to send, in my way, and I think all of us here are trying to say that we're serious patriots and America is tremendously important to us, and we feel that right now, it's very important that this voice be heard. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for the time being. Hans Blix gave us the report last night. There's absolutely no reason to rush to war. War should only be used as a last resort.
GUTIERREZ: All right, Anjelica Huston, thank you very much. Actor/director Rob Reiner also joins us now. Some people have said that by showing up at these anti-war protests, that perhaps we're sending a message to our troops that we are not in support of them or that perhaps we're in support of Saddam Hussein's regime. How would you answer that?
ROB REINER, ACTOR/DIRECTOR: This is the greatest support we could ever give to our troops, because what we're trying to do is protect them from going into harm's way needlessly. There is no godawful reason to go to war at this moment. There's no reason to rush into this war. And what we're trying to do is protect our troops from sending them into harm's way.
GUTIERREZ: Martin Sheen also joins us out here. Can you tell me, Mr. Sheen, you've always been an activist. Tell me about your reaction to turnout today and what you have seen throughout the world today?
MARTIN SHEEN, ACTOR: Well, I'm just so moved and so pleased and so proud to be an American today. To stand up and be a patriot for peace, to say no to war and yes to life forever.
And I couldn't be in a better place at a better time with better people than I'm with here this day.
GUTIERREZ: Tell me, do you really think this is going to make a difference and what kind of difference will it make?
SHEEN: It's making a difference on us and on the people here. It's obviously made a difference on you and on your viewers. You're here. And so that's all I can count on.
GUTIERREZ: Thank you very much.
Carol, this march will start in a few minutes right now. They're going to go about a mile and a half down to one of the armed forces recruiting stations, and I can tell you, it's getting a little bit wild out here. A lot of shoving as the group starts marching down Hollywood Boulevard.
Carol, back to you.
LIN: Thank you very much, Thelma. And a lot of familiar faces there from Hollywood. Thelma Gutierrez, live in Los Angeles at the protests.
Well, New Yorkers are not shying away from protests. They filled the streets near the United Nations headquarters today, and that's where we find CNN's Maria Hinojosa. Maria, how's it going out there?
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, I can hear you, it's a miracle, but I can hear you, in fact. Carol, you know, it was going on four hours now that masses of people have been here on 1st Avenue near the United Nations. And just so you get a sense, this is how far back it goes. It goes back to about 72nd Street, filled with people.
Now, just about three minutes ago, these people took down these barricades here and overflowed into the area right up onto the stage area. You can get a sense that this used to be empty up until about two or three minutes ago.
The situation is that there are not only these people here on 1st Avenue, but the crowds have overflowed onto 2nd Avenue and onto 3rd Avenue. We are hearing reports of people who are trying to get to the demonstration area and cannot make it.
So we have heard some reports of some scuffling, some arrests that are occurring. Not along this area, which is where the protest route was allowed and got a permit, but further off to the side, which as it's overflowing now, this is -- organizers had a permit for 100,000 people, but this is, from what we're able to tell, well beyond that, because they've now moved onto these other areas and spread out.
But overwhelmingly, a very calm crowd, a very diverse group here, just as Thelma was saying. Labor organizers, student activists, long time activists. But I just spoke to three people who are on the front row here who have never been to demonstrations, young and old. This is the first time ever that they've come.
Again, many of them feeling that this is the moment when they have to take to the streets and get their voices out and get their voices heard. Many of them saying that they're, you know, feeling very invigorated by the fact that the demonstrations worldwide have turned up in the millions of people. The wide shot, the aerial shot that we can show you, again, show that this is well beyond the 1st Avenue that the organizers had been given a permit for.
Now, they had asked for a permit to be in front of the United Nations. That was denied. They had asked for a permit to march as they're marching in Los Angeles. That has been denied here in New York as well.
But these people here are saying that this is sending a clear message from New Yorkers that they are against the possible war with Iraq. And when I've asked people what they think about the possibility of Saddam Hussein and him being a dictator or a threat to his own people, most of the people here say that they agree with that. What they don't agree with is the loss of life that would incur, civilian lives in Iraq and civilian lives, perhaps, here. Many New Yorkers feeling that a possible war with Iraq could make them more vulnerable here in New York City.
Back to you, Carol.
LIN: Maria, we heard that the police out there have upgraded the security level to level four. What does that mean, exactly?
HINOJOSA: That is the highest mobilization of police officers since the World Economic Forum, I believe, that was here, which was about a month after September 11. So it's massive amounts of police officers on the streets, because of the fact that this crowd is so big. And again, we have heard reports of people who are trying to get here and cannot come into this area. And that's where some of the tension is, because they'd like to be able to hear the speakers who have been going on for four hours. And these people here, it looks like they have no plan on leaving anytime soon, and certainly don't seem daunted by the frigid, frigid weather -- Carol.
LIN: All right. So the level four is in relation to just the sheer numbers of people coming out, not to any specific threat?
HINOJOSA: That's right, the numbers of people who have come out.
LIN: Thank you. Thank you very much, Maria Hinojosa, live in New York. A big crowd there.
Well,let's take a look at the situation worldwide. Marchers took to the streets in hundreds of cities. Anywhere from hundreds of people to up to a million in any given place. Whatever the language, the message was essentially the same.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIANCA JAGGER, ANTIWAR ACTIVIST: It is not in our name that this war will be fought. We're here to urge Prime Minister Blair to listen to our voices. We oppose the war.
MAYOR KEN LIVINGSTONE, LONDON: As mayor of London, I can officially welcome you here to this city in the biggest political demonstration in 2,000 years of British history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Let's see how the president of the United States is taking the international heat now. CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us. Suzanne, it can't be pleasant for the president to see his name on all these different placards in all these different languages.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, while hundreds of thousands of protesters are demonstrating against a possible war with Iraq, the White House insisting that President Bush still wants peace. A spokeswoman issuing a statement earlier today saying, and I'm quoting here, that "the president views force as a last resort. He still hopes for a peaceful resolution, and that it's up to Saddam Hussein. The president is a strong advocate for freedom and democracy, and one of the democratic values that we hold dear is the right of people to peacefully assemble and express their views."
But I can tell you, Carol, Americans' views, really, the latest CBS as well as "New York Times" poll showing that they do not want to take immediate action against Saddam Hussein; it shows that 37 percent of Americans want to take action soon, but 59 percent want to give inspectors more time. Another question, 38 percent want the U.S. to act now, but 56 percent want to wait for the support of allies.
And President Bush's staunchest ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, is facing even more opposition in his own country. Today, he was before the Labour Party conference, again making the case that the more time you give inspectors, the more time you give Saddam Hussein to build up his weapons arsenal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The menace, and not just from Saddam, will grow. The authority of the U.N. will be lost, and the conflict, when it comes, will be even more bloody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So, Carol, they continue to make this case, and what happens next, that is the question. We're told from administration sources that the United States as well as Britain will introduce this second resolution to the U.N. Security Council sometime mid-week that will call that saying that Iraq is in material breach of previous resolutions that require it to disarm, that they perhaps will even set a deadline for Saddam Hussein to comply -- Carol.
LIN: Suzanne, that's different, though, than asking for a U.N. resolution authorizing military action, though, right?
MALVEAUX: Well, yes. This is the way it goes is that they can have a resolution that says it's in material breach. And what the administration argues is that it doesn't need to specifically call for military action or even serious consequences. Why? Because they say previous resolutions already give the authority to the United States to move forward in that direction.
LIN: Thank you very much, Suzanne Malveaux, on a very snowy White House lawn. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 15, 2003 - 16:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with impassioned pleas across the globe today, voices protesting a looming U.S.-led war against Iraq. Right now, demonstrators are gathering up and down the West Coast, and CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is with them in Los Angeles. How is it going, Thelma? Is it still peaceful?
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, I can tell you that it is quite loud right now. This protest is going to start any moment. They're going to march about a mile and a half down to one of the recruiting stations. I can tell you that this is one of three anti-war protests going on right now in the Los Angeles area. This is by far expected to be the largest. They're hoping for 10,000 people to show up. We're not going to hear from crowd estimators for another hour or so to actually determine the number of people who have turned out. But I can tell you, it's a huge crowd.
Now, I want you to pan over right here. You can see how diverse this crowd is. As I had mentioned, the march will begin on Hollywood Boulevard, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They will march a mile and a half. It will end in front of an armed forces recruiting station.
This march is being organized by a coalition of four groups, including the group ANSWER, which is an international group which helped organize protests that are going on across the world today. Also, it's made up of an (UNINTELLIGIBLE) coalition, made up of Christians, Muslims and Jews. There are students out there. It's a very diverse crowd. There are politicians. And of course, being in Hollywood, we have quite a group of actors out here.
Now, Anjelica Huston, the Academy Award winning actress, is joining us right now. Thank you so much for being here. Tell me, do you think that this is going to make a difference at all, by having this kind of a turnout? What kind of a message are you trying to send?
ANJELICA HUSTON, ACTRESS: I'm trying to send, in my way, and I think all of us here are trying to say that we're serious patriots and America is tremendously important to us, and we feel that right now, it's very important that this voice be heard. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for the time being. Hans Blix gave us the report last night. There's absolutely no reason to rush to war. War should only be used as a last resort.
GUTIERREZ: All right, Anjelica Huston, thank you very much. Actor/director Rob Reiner also joins us now. Some people have said that by showing up at these anti-war protests, that perhaps we're sending a message to our troops that we are not in support of them or that perhaps we're in support of Saddam Hussein's regime. How would you answer that?
ROB REINER, ACTOR/DIRECTOR: This is the greatest support we could ever give to our troops, because what we're trying to do is protect them from going into harm's way needlessly. There is no godawful reason to go to war at this moment. There's no reason to rush into this war. And what we're trying to do is protect our troops from sending them into harm's way.
GUTIERREZ: Martin Sheen also joins us out here. Can you tell me, Mr. Sheen, you've always been an activist. Tell me about your reaction to turnout today and what you have seen throughout the world today?
MARTIN SHEEN, ACTOR: Well, I'm just so moved and so pleased and so proud to be an American today. To stand up and be a patriot for peace, to say no to war and yes to life forever.
And I couldn't be in a better place at a better time with better people than I'm with here this day.
GUTIERREZ: Tell me, do you really think this is going to make a difference and what kind of difference will it make?
SHEEN: It's making a difference on us and on the people here. It's obviously made a difference on you and on your viewers. You're here. And so that's all I can count on.
GUTIERREZ: Thank you very much.
Carol, this march will start in a few minutes right now. They're going to go about a mile and a half down to one of the armed forces recruiting stations, and I can tell you, it's getting a little bit wild out here. A lot of shoving as the group starts marching down Hollywood Boulevard.
Carol, back to you.
LIN: Thank you very much, Thelma. And a lot of familiar faces there from Hollywood. Thelma Gutierrez, live in Los Angeles at the protests.
Well, New Yorkers are not shying away from protests. They filled the streets near the United Nations headquarters today, and that's where we find CNN's Maria Hinojosa. Maria, how's it going out there?
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, I can hear you, it's a miracle, but I can hear you, in fact. Carol, you know, it was going on four hours now that masses of people have been here on 1st Avenue near the United Nations. And just so you get a sense, this is how far back it goes. It goes back to about 72nd Street, filled with people.
Now, just about three minutes ago, these people took down these barricades here and overflowed into the area right up onto the stage area. You can get a sense that this used to be empty up until about two or three minutes ago.
The situation is that there are not only these people here on 1st Avenue, but the crowds have overflowed onto 2nd Avenue and onto 3rd Avenue. We are hearing reports of people who are trying to get to the demonstration area and cannot make it.
So we have heard some reports of some scuffling, some arrests that are occurring. Not along this area, which is where the protest route was allowed and got a permit, but further off to the side, which as it's overflowing now, this is -- organizers had a permit for 100,000 people, but this is, from what we're able to tell, well beyond that, because they've now moved onto these other areas and spread out.
But overwhelmingly, a very calm crowd, a very diverse group here, just as Thelma was saying. Labor organizers, student activists, long time activists. But I just spoke to three people who are on the front row here who have never been to demonstrations, young and old. This is the first time ever that they've come.
Again, many of them feeling that this is the moment when they have to take to the streets and get their voices out and get their voices heard. Many of them saying that they're, you know, feeling very invigorated by the fact that the demonstrations worldwide have turned up in the millions of people. The wide shot, the aerial shot that we can show you, again, show that this is well beyond the 1st Avenue that the organizers had been given a permit for.
Now, they had asked for a permit to be in front of the United Nations. That was denied. They had asked for a permit to march as they're marching in Los Angeles. That has been denied here in New York as well.
But these people here are saying that this is sending a clear message from New Yorkers that they are against the possible war with Iraq. And when I've asked people what they think about the possibility of Saddam Hussein and him being a dictator or a threat to his own people, most of the people here say that they agree with that. What they don't agree with is the loss of life that would incur, civilian lives in Iraq and civilian lives, perhaps, here. Many New Yorkers feeling that a possible war with Iraq could make them more vulnerable here in New York City.
Back to you, Carol.
LIN: Maria, we heard that the police out there have upgraded the security level to level four. What does that mean, exactly?
HINOJOSA: That is the highest mobilization of police officers since the World Economic Forum, I believe, that was here, which was about a month after September 11. So it's massive amounts of police officers on the streets, because of the fact that this crowd is so big. And again, we have heard reports of people who are trying to get here and cannot come into this area. And that's where some of the tension is, because they'd like to be able to hear the speakers who have been going on for four hours. And these people here, it looks like they have no plan on leaving anytime soon, and certainly don't seem daunted by the frigid, frigid weather -- Carol.
LIN: All right. So the level four is in relation to just the sheer numbers of people coming out, not to any specific threat?
HINOJOSA: That's right, the numbers of people who have come out.
LIN: Thank you. Thank you very much, Maria Hinojosa, live in New York. A big crowd there.
Well,let's take a look at the situation worldwide. Marchers took to the streets in hundreds of cities. Anywhere from hundreds of people to up to a million in any given place. Whatever the language, the message was essentially the same.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIANCA JAGGER, ANTIWAR ACTIVIST: It is not in our name that this war will be fought. We're here to urge Prime Minister Blair to listen to our voices. We oppose the war.
MAYOR KEN LIVINGSTONE, LONDON: As mayor of London, I can officially welcome you here to this city in the biggest political demonstration in 2,000 years of British history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Let's see how the president of the United States is taking the international heat now. CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us. Suzanne, it can't be pleasant for the president to see his name on all these different placards in all these different languages.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, while hundreds of thousands of protesters are demonstrating against a possible war with Iraq, the White House insisting that President Bush still wants peace. A spokeswoman issuing a statement earlier today saying, and I'm quoting here, that "the president views force as a last resort. He still hopes for a peaceful resolution, and that it's up to Saddam Hussein. The president is a strong advocate for freedom and democracy, and one of the democratic values that we hold dear is the right of people to peacefully assemble and express their views."
But I can tell you, Carol, Americans' views, really, the latest CBS as well as "New York Times" poll showing that they do not want to take immediate action against Saddam Hussein; it shows that 37 percent of Americans want to take action soon, but 59 percent want to give inspectors more time. Another question, 38 percent want the U.S. to act now, but 56 percent want to wait for the support of allies.
And President Bush's staunchest ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, is facing even more opposition in his own country. Today, he was before the Labour Party conference, again making the case that the more time you give inspectors, the more time you give Saddam Hussein to build up his weapons arsenal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The menace, and not just from Saddam, will grow. The authority of the U.N. will be lost, and the conflict, when it comes, will be even more bloody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So, Carol, they continue to make this case, and what happens next, that is the question. We're told from administration sources that the United States as well as Britain will introduce this second resolution to the U.N. Security Council sometime mid-week that will call that saying that Iraq is in material breach of previous resolutions that require it to disarm, that they perhaps will even set a deadline for Saddam Hussein to comply -- Carol.
LIN: Suzanne, that's different, though, than asking for a U.N. resolution authorizing military action, though, right?
MALVEAUX: Well, yes. This is the way it goes is that they can have a resolution that says it's in material breach. And what the administration argues is that it doesn't need to specifically call for military action or even serious consequences. Why? Because they say previous resolutions already give the authority to the United States to move forward in that direction.
LIN: Thank you very much, Suzanne Malveaux, on a very snowy White House lawn. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
