USA: Washington protests biggest in USA since Seattle
Workers Power Global, London

Upwards of 75,000 people marched on Saturday 20 April in downtown Washington D.C. in three separate but linked protests that proved that the anti-capitalist movement has not gone away. Indeed, it is gaining momentum and political maturity as it embraces diverse aspects of the fight against Bushâs administration: its support for corporate globalisation, war and Israelâs oppression of Palestine.

Unlike the pro-Israel march in Washington earlier in the week the US press and TV did their best to ignore or downplay the size and militancy of the protests. But in fact, the biggest demo was that called in opposition to the Israeli invasion of Palestinian territories, organized by the Committee in Solidarity with the People of Palestine.

It was the biggest pro-Palestine demo in the United States since the founding of Israel. The chants heard over and over were: "Free, free, Palestine!". "One, two, three, four: We don't want no Mideast war!"

All three major protests - during the spring meeting of the IMF and World Bank - had their own respective "feeder marches" in the morning, which joined together later in the afternoon at the "Mall," the grassy park area between the Capital building, the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.

While police put the size of the march at around 75,000 people, organisers claimed that hundreds of thousands of protesters showed up in solidarity with the struggle against Israelâs war against the Palestinian National Authority.

One was organized by the Mobilization for Global Justice (MGJ), which stopped in front of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund headquarters. In the other feeder march, the National Youth and Student Coalition formed by Student Peace Action Network and the International ANSWER coalition organized the "A20 Mobilization to Stop the War at Home and Abroad." Protesters voiced opposition to the "Drug War" and the "War on Terror".

On Friday, more than three dozen bike-riding protesters were arrested downtown during a Friday evening protest at rush hour. All of the 41 people arrested were released.

On Saturday the only arrests came after most protesters had disbanded. Police arrested 24 adults and one youth. All were charged with unlawful entry into a building they intended to sleep the night in.

The weekendâs demonstrations, rallies and teach-ins had little trade union support, unlike Seattle. Indeed, John Sweeney, head of the AFL-CIO has been touring the country drumming up support for the Bush war in Afghanistan.

The workers and the students in Washington were however a growing and determined force; they must actively seek to make inroads into the trade unions and win the arguments that can break the rank and file away from the likes of Sweeney.

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