Peace signs and anti-war slogans, both symbols of a bygone era, were back on campus last Thursday, October 5, as a group of approximately 75 protestors marched from the Scripps campus, through Claremont McKenna and Pomona, to the intersection of Indian Hill Boulevard and Arrow Highway in a demonstration against sustained US military action in Afghanistan.

Claremont Colleges’ students and faculty, as well as community members gathered outside Mallott Commons, the Scripps dining hall, between 5:15 and 5:45 pm, where Jennifer Goldstein ’02, a leader of Art in Action, displayed a large banner with peace messages and other political slogans scrawled across it. Around 5:45, the protestors began marching toward their final destination, the busy intersection of Indian Hill and Arrow, in an attempt to reach as many commuters as possible during rush hour traffic.

The march, which was organized by the Student Peace Coalition, was well advertised. On Wednesday, posters were blanketed across the Claremont Colleges, and e-mails were sent out to the Student Peace Coalition’s lists early Thursday morning.

Others, like Mary Farnsworth ’03, simply joined the rally as it passed by their rooms. "They just came by my door, and I heard them chanting," Farnsworth said. When asked why she joined up and began to march, she responded: "I’m for peace."

Since October 6, the United States has relentlessly pounded Afghanistan from the air in an attempt to persuade the ruling Taliban to hand over Osama bin Laden, who is wanted in connection with numerous acts of terrorism against the United States. A Gallup Organization poll taken between October 11 and 14 found that 88 percent of Americans support direct military action in Afghanistan.

Support, however, was not the prevailing sentiment among Thursday’s demonstrators.

"This is...a war [that] is furthering US agenda, which is likely to lead to more blowback and which is killing innocent civilians all over Afghanistan right at this moment. I also think that the terrorist attacks have to be at least in part understood as a result of [US] policies," said David Lloyd, a humanities professor at Scripps who was part of the demonstration. Lloyd was holding a sign above his head that he said appealed to the government to respect civil liberties.

Holly Height SC ’04 carried a placard that read "No More Innocent Victims" as she marched with the group. "I think it’s important that students join in solidarity together for peace because it’s not good that we’re at war," she said

"I don’t believe in war," said Paul Eberling ’05, who joined up with the rally as it passed Wig.

"My demands are: US out of Afghanistan and free Old Dirty Bastard," said Kavin Paulraj ’03 as he ran up and down the line of protestors, at times photographing them and at other times joining in with the chanting.

"I think that this demonstration is very appropriate. We need some caution. We need some thinking," said CGU Professor of Politics Dean McHenry.

Community response to the demonstration was generally positive.

Many cars, including at least one Foothill Transit bus, honked in solidarity as they drove past the group. Several drivers and passengers leaned out of their windows, smiling, waving and holding up the traditional two-fingered sign for peace as they drove by the demonstration. Additionally, a number of Claremont residents expressed verbal support from their homes as the march passed by.

Indeed, there was general agreement among protestors that the community response had exceeded expectations and was overwhelmingly positive.

"In the Vietnam War it took us until 1971 to get enough people to get past their fear and into the streets saying ‘No’ to the war in Vietnam. Well, we’re going to cut that down by a few years here," said Mike Noonan, a Claremont resident who found out about the protest through contacts with the Student Peace Coalition. Noonan has been active in the anti-war and civil rights movement since the Vietnam era.

"I think there’s a lot of people out there who would like to be protesting the war but feel afraid to do so, and I think the importance of this kind of action is actually to get people out to reduce the fear that people feel about speaking out," said Lloyd.

Not all response was positive, however. Many bystanders simply gawked at the spectacle without responding at all. Others shook their heads or looked away.

As one truck passed by, a young man leaned out of the passenger side window and yelled at the group. "What about the 6,000 guys who died? Fuck you!" he shouted.

Curiously, however, most of the negative response appeared to come from the Pomona campus itself.

As the protest made its way from Walker Wall, past Frary fountain, through the intersection of Sixth Street and College Way, past Big Bridges and finally turned west onto Bonita Avenue and off campus, the sound of chanting and drumming attracted several student bystanders. Most simply watched, but several pointed and laughed. Other than the students that joined the rally, virtually no one offered any encouragement to the war protest.

"I think everyone’s bitter that they didn’t get to live in the sixties," said David Lydon ’05, who was part of a group of several students gathered outside Smiley, all of whom appeared to mock the protest as it passed.

The slogans employed by the protestors were reminiscent of Gulf War protests of the early 1990s. Marchers alternated between five or six slogans that they repeated throughout the event. These included "What do we want? Peace? When do we want it? Now;" "1-2-3-4. We don’t want your racist war," and "George Bush just face it, your war is racist."

A campus safety officer on a bicycle sighted the demonstration as it passed by Frary and followed the group closely all the way to the corner of Arrow and Indian Hill, drawing some concern from protestors. However, the officer claimed to be there merely to protect members of the college community as they participated in an unpopular activity. "I’m just here for you guys," said the officer, who declined to be named, but who was identified by his shirt as Officer #207.

A Claremont Police Department squad car arrived at the protest shortly after it reached the intersection of Arrow and Indian Hill. The vehicle parked in the Shell Oil station parking lot for five to ten minutes and then left.

The Student Peace Coalition plans to hold similar rallies each Thursday until the conclusion of US military action in Afghanistan.