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Candlelight Convergence for Peace and Justice During George W. Bush’s Acceptance Speech
by Open-Publishing - Thursday 2 September 2004
Our Grief Is Not a Cry for War!
8:00PM Thursday, Sept. 2
Union Square
(14th Street & Broadway)
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This past Sunday, half a million people sent a message around the world that
we reject the Bush administration’s policies of war, greed, hate and lies. On
Thursday evening, as George Bush is making his acceptance speech at the Republican
National Convention, exploiting the 9/11 tragedy for political gain in the most
crass and cynical possible way, we must continue to raise our voices to say NO
to war, and YES to peace and justice.
United for Peace and Justice invites New Yorkers and others who have come from around the country to protest the Bush administration’s policies to create a closing RNC protest event that embodies our desire for peace.
We encourage people to come to Union Square after 8:00 PM on Thursday, Sept. 2, with candles or flashlights, flowers, photos and other offerings to create a living memorial to those who have died or will die as a result of the Bush Administration’s policies.
After the September 11 attacks, Union Square was the place where so many New Yorkers gathered spontaneously, to express our grief at the terrible attack on our city and our conviction that this attack not be used to justify more killing and war. Three years later, more than 1000 U.S. servicepeople and tens of thousands of Iraqi and Afghani civilians are dead, our country is more vulnerable to future attacks, and billions are being wasted on war and occupation while millions are unemployed and key public services go underfunded.
For all these reasons, we will gather peacefully in Union Square on Thursday evening, to call for an end to the killing, an end to the lies, an end to the draining of our economy for military aggression, an end to all the destructive policies of the Bush Administration.
Earlier in the day, from 7 AM to 7 PM, Veterans for Peace will be holding a Vigil for the Fallen , with families of people currently serving in the military and families of those killed in the Sept. 11 attacks. They have a permit for their event until dusk, and they welcome people to join them. Our event will have no permit, but will be a peaceful gathering in a public space, with no rally or amplified sound.