Asheville protests in solidarity with
international day of opposition to war

In Asheville, NC, around 100 people participated in a parade and critical mass bike ride against war on Sat., Oct. 26, 2002. The event was in solidarity with a massive demonstration
in Washington, DC, on the same day.

By Shane Perlowin

Asheville, North Carolina, Oct. 26 (AGR)— As hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in cities around the world to oppose the Bush administration’s push towards a war with Iraq, dozens of Asheville citizens also raised their voices.

Approximately 40 people took part in a Critical Mass bicycle ride that snaked its way through the streets of downtown for over two hours. Cyclists chanted, “Ride your bikes more and more, no one wants this oil war!” They waved flags that read “no oil war” and “war is also terrorism.” Numerous bystanders and motorists cheered and honked their car horns in support of this spectacle of dissent.

Critical mass participants circle the Vance Monument in downtown Asheville.

A moment of irony occurred as the protest passed by the Asheville Civic Center, where a gun show was taking place, and people were walking down the street with newly purchased rifles and machine guns in plain view.

The ride ended at the Vance Monument, joining up with an anti-war rally that was already in progress. Traffic through Pack Square was briefly shut down as the riders circled through the intersection of Broadway-Biltmore Avenue and Patton Avenue.

Asheville resident Karen Lore, who brought her 9-year-old son, Troy, and her 13-year-old son, Ronny, to the rally said, “We want to encourage people to stand up and resist this war, and the illegitimate government we have in place. We want people to take to the streets.” When asked what they thought about participating in the protest, both youths replied, “It’s awesome!”

Explaining what brought him out on the streets, Tom Wells, carrying a placard that read “No Blood For Oil”, said, “I think this war is a really, really bad idea. It’s about oil. Rather than going and taking a precious resource, we should work on conserving it at our end.”

Photographer Gary Hemsoth, 50, pointed out that, in addition to the conquest of oil, George W. Bush “wants to avenge his daddy. Because Saddam embarrassed daddy, now we’ve got to go and make things right.” His comments were in reference to President Bush’s statement in early October, when, as a justification for invading of Iraq, he said of Saddam Hussein, “This guy tried to kill my dad.”

After about an hour of sign waving and chanting at Pack Square, a march formed that slowly made its way through downtown. The Black Lung Brass Band, consisting of tuba, trombone, two trumpets, French horn, clarinet, bass drum, snare drum, and kazoo, played New Orleans-style funeral dirges and marching tunes.

An impromptu rally was held at Pritchard Park before the throng of marchers, cyclists, and musicians continued their trek, bystanders swelling their ranks as they moved through the city streets. Demonstrators symbolically smashed a pink plastic toy machine gun at the intersection of Haywood and Battery Park before heading back to Pack Square. The police were conspicuously absent during the day’s events, although undercover officers were seen taking photographs.

The Bush administration continues to push for war in spite of significant domestic and international opposition to a “preemptive” invasion of Iraq.