OUR GRIEF IS NOT A CRY FOR WAR!
CANDLELIGHT CONVERGENCE AT UNION SQUARE DURING BUSH ACCEPTANCE SPEECH
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 administrations policies of war, greed, hate and lies. On Thursday evening, as George W. 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.
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 Administrations policies.
IF YOU ARENT IN NEW YORK, you can show your support by holding a candlelight event in your community, or by making a much-needed donation to help cover the costs of our historic August 29 protest march.
- make a credit card donation online: http://www.unitedforpeace.org/donate
- make a credit card donation by phone: 212-868-5545
- mail a check or money order to UFPJ, P.O. Box 607, Times Square Station, NY NY 10108
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, as a result of the Bush Administrations policies, 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. It will be the final major protest event of the Republican Convention.