An anti-war coalition of church groups, Green Party members, American Indians and student organizations brought nearly 1,200 people to the Statehouse yesterday to oppose making war against Iraq.
But their objective was broader than just halting plans to bomb Baghdad. Speaker after speaker, placard after placard and chant after chant slammed President Bush, multinational corporations, Israel and racism. "The president has his axis of evil," said Stephanie Kruger, 28, a nurse from Dublin. "He is at the heart of our axis of evil."
The protest was peaceful.
Scores of demonstrators stood along High Street waving signs such as "Drop Bush, Not Bombs" and "Bush Lies." They cheered when motorists and bus drivers honked their horns in a show of support.
However, Columbus police paid close attention to two groups of people.
Several squad cars escorted 50 anarchists waving black-and-red flags and wearing T-shirts stenciled with the logo of their Federation of Revolutionary Collectives organization. They arrived shouting, "We take the streets! We want war!"
The second group -- a half-dozen students from Capital University -- urged the president to invade Iraq. They gathered on a street corner, waved signs and argued with anti-war activists and some passers-by.
"Kids your age should have more sense," said John Fiedler, 45, of Newark, who said he is a veteran of the first Gulf War. "Bombs kill kids like you."
The demonstration began at 11 a.m. at Goodale Park, where participants listened to musicians singing protest songs. That crowd marched down High Street toward the Statehouse, while other groups marched into Downtown from different locations.
Many people said they had driven from other cities -- Akron, Athens, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Louisville, Ky., Nashville, Tenn., Pittsburgh and Toledo.
Among them was Robert Hannon, a 44-year-old letter carrier from Toledo. He said he organized a group with 500 contributors one month ago called Not in Our Name to oppose attacking Iraq. "I don't want my name used to support any war for imperialism," he said.
Josiah Carter, 48, a Newark lawyer, said he attended because, "I am sick and tired of a foreign policy tied to violence. . . . This whole thing is all about blood for oil, and I don't want that."
Phil Cogley, a student at Ohio State University, wore the black, green and red flag of Palestine on a button pinned to his jacket as a member of the campus Committee for Justice on Palestine.
"U.S. acts of violence are catching up with us," he said of the events of Sept. 11. "Violence is catching up with Israel," he said of the suicide attacks by Palestinians on Israelis.
At the Statehouse, the crowd listened to an American Indian drumming group performing a peace song in the Lakota language.
Members of the Green Party, including Evan Davis of the central Ohio chapter and Jonathan Farley of Vanderbilt University, told those gathered that they were not alone. They said larger protests had occurred in New York and San Francisco and that tens of thousands of people in Europe had marched for peace.
"It is so great to see people from Columbus speaking up," said Betty Arthur, 32, a Columbus teacher who carried a placard reading, "Aggression Is Immoral."
"We all lead such comfortable lives here," she said, "that we have forgotten that as Americans it is OK to take a stand."
GRAPHIC: Photo, (1) Bottom: A demonstrator waves an anarchy flag outside the, Statehouse. About 50 anarchists shouted, "We take the streets! We want war!",, (2) DIPTI VAIDYA DISPATCH PHOTOS,, Top: Karen Cogley of Columbus flashes a peace sign to motorists on High, Street. About 1,200 people attended a rally yesterday.
LOAD-DATE: November 10, 2002 -- Yoshie
* Calendar of Events in Columbus: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html> * Anti-War Activist Resources: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/activist.html> * Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osu.edu/students/CJP/>