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CNN Saturday Morning News
Anti-War Protests Taking to the Streets
Aired January 18, 2003 - 09:09 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And even as troops head out for possible military action in Iraq, demonstrators in the U.S. and overseas are taking to the streets to say no to war. A rally outside the Capitol today is just one of the many antiwar protests.
CNN's Kathleen Koch is live now in Washington with the very latest on that. Hi, Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
Well, organizers are expecting tens of thousands of people to turn out here for this rally at the west front of the Capitol. We've got, as you can see, hundreds of people here now. The buses started pulling in a couple of hours ago, letting off people from across the country, people who are going to be very shocked when they step out into these subfreezing temperatures here in Washington, D.C. But everyone is very bundled up.
And we've been talking to organizers throughout the week, and earlier this week, we chatted with one of the younger people helping pull this event together.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETA LINDSAY, STUDENT PROTEST ORGANIZER: Welcome to the meeting tonight. As most of you know, this is the last volunteers' meeting before the January 18 demonstration against the war on Iraq.
KOCH (voice-over): Peta Lindsay, at 18 a veteran organizer, helping plan the peace protest.
LINDSAY: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) demonstration, stop the war in Iraq?
KOCH: She's in charge of student participation.
LINDSAY: We've seen throughout history that the students are the most powerful force for social change.
KOCH: Helping rally students, word that some federal financial aid could be cut, they claim to help fund the troop buildup.
LINDSAY: That was one of the reasons that students started really organizing, because we're seeing that all the money that could be used to fund our public schools, that could be used for education in future, are getting funneled into this injust war abroad. She's (UNINTELLIGIBLE), she was -- I met her at the April 20 demonstrations.
KOCH: The freshman at Washington, D.C.'s Howard University joined the peace movement at 17. She's deeply troubled by U.S. policy on Iraq.
LINDSAY: Policies like sanctions aren't really affecting Saddam Hussein. What they're affecting are the children and the elderly of Iraq.
KOCH: Peta says that's just one reason students and other peace supporters are expected to turn out in huge numbers.
LINDSAY: There's also this growing political urgency. I mean, seriously, people feel like this is a last chance to stop the war before it starts, and that's why they are making all these sacrifices to come out here this weekend.
KOCH: And those who do come, she insists, leave changed.
LINDSAY: They come to these demonstrations, they get to stand beside 200,000 people who feel the same way that they do, and they think, Wow, since there are this many people all the way in D.C., think how many people there are back in my home town. So they go back and they organize. It's not just about this one demonstration, it's about a movement.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOCH: Well, we pulled Peta away from her work this morning to join us.
Peta, so how is student turnout looking? And how are people going to adjust to this -- these frigid temperatures?
LINDSAY: Well, as you can see, there are hundreds and hundreds of people already here. I mean, our buses have been showing up since about 6:30 this morning, that's before the sun even came out. And these people have come and they're ready to work. And they understand that stopping this war is serious business.
KOCH: Well, what about these buses? They're coming from Miami, people who may not even own a wool coat. Are they prepared for this?
LINDSAY: We've told them to wear layers and layers. But like they said, if the cold won't stop the war plans, the cold won't stop us.
KOCH: Thanks a lot, Peta.
I -- and obviously from here, we're going to be here all day reporting on the demonstration as it starts at 11:00, and then as it proceeds throughout the nation's capital and ends at the Washington Navy Yard. Back to you.
COLLINS: Kathleen Koch live in Washington. Get a hat. Thanks.
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 January 18, 2003 - 09:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And even as troops head out for possible military action in Iraq, demonstrators in the U.S. and overseas are taking to the streets to say no to war. A rally outside the Capitol today is just one of the many antiwar protests.
CNN's Kathleen Koch is live now in Washington with the very latest on that. Hi, Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
Well, organizers are expecting tens of thousands of people to turn out here for this rally at the west front of the Capitol. We've got, as you can see, hundreds of people here now. The buses started pulling in a couple of hours ago, letting off people from across the country, people who are going to be very shocked when they step out into these subfreezing temperatures here in Washington, D.C. But everyone is very bundled up.
And we've been talking to organizers throughout the week, and earlier this week, we chatted with one of the younger people helping pull this event together.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETA LINDSAY, STUDENT PROTEST ORGANIZER: Welcome to the meeting tonight. As most of you know, this is the last volunteers' meeting before the January 18 demonstration against the war on Iraq.
KOCH (voice-over): Peta Lindsay, at 18 a veteran organizer, helping plan the peace protest.
LINDSAY: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) demonstration, stop the war in Iraq?
KOCH: She's in charge of student participation.
LINDSAY: We've seen throughout history that the students are the most powerful force for social change.
KOCH: Helping rally students, word that some federal financial aid could be cut, they claim to help fund the troop buildup.
LINDSAY: That was one of the reasons that students started really organizing, because we're seeing that all the money that could be used to fund our public schools, that could be used for education in future, are getting funneled into this injust war abroad. She's (UNINTELLIGIBLE), she was -- I met her at the April 20 demonstrations.
KOCH: The freshman at Washington, D.C.'s Howard University joined the peace movement at 17. She's deeply troubled by U.S. policy on Iraq.
LINDSAY: Policies like sanctions aren't really affecting Saddam Hussein. What they're affecting are the children and the elderly of Iraq.
KOCH: Peta says that's just one reason students and other peace supporters are expected to turn out in huge numbers.
LINDSAY: There's also this growing political urgency. I mean, seriously, people feel like this is a last chance to stop the war before it starts, and that's why they are making all these sacrifices to come out here this weekend.
KOCH: And those who do come, she insists, leave changed.
LINDSAY: They come to these demonstrations, they get to stand beside 200,000 people who feel the same way that they do, and they think, Wow, since there are this many people all the way in D.C., think how many people there are back in my home town. So they go back and they organize. It's not just about this one demonstration, it's about a movement.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOCH: Well, we pulled Peta away from her work this morning to join us.
Peta, so how is student turnout looking? And how are people going to adjust to this -- these frigid temperatures?
LINDSAY: Well, as you can see, there are hundreds and hundreds of people already here. I mean, our buses have been showing up since about 6:30 this morning, that's before the sun even came out. And these people have come and they're ready to work. And they understand that stopping this war is serious business.
KOCH: Well, what about these buses? They're coming from Miami, people who may not even own a wool coat. Are they prepared for this?
LINDSAY: We've told them to wear layers and layers. But like they said, if the cold won't stop the war plans, the cold won't stop us.
KOCH: Thanks a lot, Peta.
I -- and obviously from here, we're going to be here all day reporting on the demonstration as it starts at 11:00, and then as it proceeds throughout the nation's capital and ends at the Washington Navy Yard. Back to you.
COLLINS: Kathleen Koch live in Washington. Get a hat. Thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
