Red Square turned into an impromptu campground Wednesday night as members of Georgetown’s Peace Action set up tents and sleeping bags and began a “sleep-in” for peace.
The sleep-in began at 8:20 p.m., exactly 48-hours after Bush’s ultimatum to Saddam Hussein and less than an hour before the first reports of attacks on Baghdad.
According to a press release from Peace Action, the sleep-in will last for at least three days, and the camp in Red Square will be maintained 24 hours a day. The duration of the sleep-in will depend on the development of international events in the coming days.
Mike Wilson (CAS ‘05) said that Peace Action had an emergency meeting Tuesday night at which the idea for the sleep-in was conceived.
“About 40 people showed up at the meeting and we brainstormed ideas making our opposition to the war visible,” Wilson said.
Diana Lee (CAS ‘04) said that the response on campus to the efforts of Peace Action has been positive. She noted that she has received calls from both students at other universities and people not affiliated with universities expressing interest in attending Peace Action events.
Vice President of the College Republicans Rachel Cerqueira (CAS ‘05) said that although she respects the rights of Peace Action to demonstrate peacefully, she does not condone their opposition to the war.
“I respect their desire to bring peace but Saddam Hussein doesn’t. He killed two million of his own people and he plans to bring that here,” she said.
Lee said that Peace Action plans to stay active for the duration of the conflict in Iraq.
“We don’t want people to forget,” she said. “People must remember that they will be affected by this.”
