BY MARCE CAMERON

BRISBANE — Around 100,000 protesters turned up to oppose war on Iraq on February 15, making it probably the biggest protest in the city’s history.

“How is the US so sure Iraq has had weapons of mass destruction?”, rally chair Alison Stewart asked the crowd. “Perhaps they kept the receipts!” Stewart went on to outline the US government’s previous support for Saddam Hussein.

Others to speak included Greens Senator Kerry Nettle and Queensland Council of Unions general Secretary Grace Grace.

After a huge, colourful and peaceful march through the city streets, the immense number of protesters tried, mostly unsucessfully, to cram into the city’s Botanic Gardens. Brisbane mayor Jim Soorley took over the chair and announced a surprise speaker: Labor leader Simon Crean.

Crean took the opportunity to reiterate his probable opposition to war without United Nations sanction and to argue that protesters should “get behind the UN”. A ripple of boos went through the crowd as he spoke, followed by a few people chanting “No war”. In response, Crean explained that he knew many people opposed war with or without UN sanction, but he disagreed: “Disarmament has to be achieved for there to be peace, and this must be done through the UN.”.

At this, the heckles and boos got louder and the chant of “No war” was taken up by much of the crowd. Crean cut his speech short and retreated to sit on the stage, to muted applause.

The next speaker, Democrats Senator Andrew Bartlett, told the crowd that he was pleased Crean had come to the rally. But, he added, he had a simple message to send to him. “What do you think it is?”, Bartlett asked the crowd. “No war”, the protesters yelled back, repeating it three times.

From Green Left Weekly, February 19, 2003.
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