For the people who gathered on the corner of 15th Ave. and High Street last Saturday, it was a chance for them to rally and voice their opposition to the war.

The crowd did not discount the horrors of Sept. 11th at the World Trade Center but instead used the tragedy as a way to talk about justice and peace for all people.

About 45 people gathered in front of the Wexner Center at 1 p.m. Signs were passed out citing messages such as, “End the sanctions in Iraq,” “Protect civil liberties” and “War is terrorism.”

People grabbed signs and waved them at passing cars in order to spread their message. Cars on High Street drove by; some people honked their horns, seemingly in support of the protesters, while others cursed at them.

Several speakers helped educate as well as motivate the crowd. Asma Mobin Uddin, member of the Islamic Women’s Association, Council on Arab Islamic Relations spoke of her time working as a doctor in Sudan. She mentioned the ramifications of the sanctions on the people in that country. “Bombing innocents to make ourselves feel better just isn’t right,” she said.

The crowd rallied behind the thought of ending all terrorism and not to fight violence with more violence.

“God is now weeping with the victims and asking us not to make more of them,” said Linda Mercadante, professor at the Methodist Theological School of Ohio.

“Never again shall we take the path of terrorism,” said Ora Wise, member of the OSU Committee for Justice in Palestine.

Keith Kilty, professor of social work, addressed freedom and the risk of taking away civil liberties in the name of war. He spoke of personal safety of all Americans and asked the crowd, “to not let ours be taken away.”

Once the speakers finished, the crowd began to march to Goodale Park. Police escorts followed as the protesters marched on waving banners and ignoring the many cars that showed their displeasure with the crowd.

People stopped on the street and came out of their businesses with the sounds of, “Hey Hey, Ho Ho, this racist action has got to go.”

On one corner across the street from the group, one man held up a sign which read: “Kill them all” and “Nuke them.” The protesters ignored this message as they continued their march.

Upon arrival at Goodale Park, the group had grown to about 200 people. The crowd exploded in cheers and continued to preach a message of non-violence.

The rally and march was started by an ad-hoc coalition of many different sponsors. Groups such as the OSU Committee for Justice in Palestine, the Columbus Campaign for Arms Control, the Columbus Anti-Racist Action, the Student International Forum and the Students for Sensible Drug Policy all came together to speak about non-violence on all fronts.

According to Noor Alam, a member of the OSU Committee for Justice in Palestine, the group’s long-term goal is threefold. They want to stop any retaliation by the United States, stop the compromise of civil liberties and end racial discrimination. The committee was formed a few weeks ago and has about 40 members, and a large Internet list service.

Their message does not apply only to the larger federal and state governments but also to the smaller OSU community.

“We would like President Kirwan to make a stronger statement against the war. He has said things against discrimination against minorities but I don’t think we should make a differentiation between people in this country and people in other countries. An innocent civilian is an innocent civilian. And I think they should make a statement about that at the University,” said Alam.

People arrived from all over Ohio to join this rally. Students from Dayton came after learning about it on the Internet. In response to protests indicating the rally was unpatriotic, one student summarized the feeling of the group:

“Peace is patriotic. We’re for our country we’re just not for war,” said Katie Leisner, a sophomore in international studies.