US Protests Shrink While Anti-War Sentiment Grows
by Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON - Crowds at antiwar rallies in Washington have dwindled even as U.S. opinion has turned against the war in Iraq, as organizers feud and participants question the effectiveness of the street protests.
Rival antiwar groups, which in years past jointly sponsored massive rallies on the National Mall, have promoted separate protests recently or decided to steer clear of the capital altogether.
The thinning crowds stand in contrast to the antiwar protests of the Vietnam era, which grew as the war progressed.
Activists and experts say divisions among peace groups, along with other factors like the lack of a draft, fatigue about the war and the rise of the Internet, have all contributed to the declining turnout.
Sparse turnout — fewer than 1,000 at a rally on Saturday, according to local media reports — could undermine the goal of forcing an end to U.S. involvement in Iraq, participants say.
“When you have demonstrations in which the turnout is not terribly impressive, that gives politicians the sense that people may oppose the war but nobody’s really going to pay a price,” said Peter Kuznik, an American University history professor and antiwar protester.
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http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/03/4295/
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