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Defending the Barricades: March 19 in Chicago

By Barry Romo

Last year, fifty right-wingers took the stage at the peace demo on the anniversary of the Iraq War. This year, VVAW was asked to protect the stage. Speakers were to include Reverend Jesse Jackson, Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (Ga.), and the families of servicepeople killed in combat. The right-wingers posted on their website that they should show up an hour before the rally. VVAW showed up three hours early. When twenty-five of them showed up, three of us confronted them. We told them who we were and said that they had better not come close to the stage. We then asked how many of the young people in the right-wing group had served in the military. Only one had. We offered to march them all to the Marine recruiting station. These brave patriots declined.

Jesse Jackson was the first speaker. A Left nut-group tried to storm the stage, demanding to speak because we let the "fascist" Jackson speak. We invaded their space and directed them out of the stage area. As the rally continued, some right-wingers tried to heckle the stage and hold up anti-antiwar posters. An Air Force Iraq War vet was won over when members of VVAW talked to him on the side and explained our security concerns.

Three different Mexican families spoke in Spanish about the service and deaths of their children in Iraq and Afghanistan. While their moving testimony was going on, more nuts tried to invade the stage, demanding no speakers, only chanting. We asked them why. They answered, "Because it is boring." We stopped them. They said that we had ruined the whole demonstration.

The rally was a resounding success. No one bothered the stage, and VVAW was heartily thanked.