Georgetown Peace Action’s tent village came alive Wednesday as students voiced their opposition to the war in a “speak-out” in Red Square.
Students formed a circle and cheered speakers from the group, who have been sleeping in tents since last Wednesday night.
Patricia Stumpf (CAS ‘03) said that she had slept in the tents every night since the beginning of the war, and intended to continue as long as necessary.
“It’s been inspirational to talk to people who walk by, to start dialogues with people,” Stumpf said. “We’ve even had war veterans come by to show their support … it’s such a small sacrifice to do this when you think about what is going on in Iraq.”
One participant, Diane Foglizzo (SFS ‘05) said that she joined the group after attending a peace rally Saturday.
“I just felt so useless and helpless, and this is basically the only way that I can protest the war 24-seven,” Foglizzo said. “Seeing all of these people who care helps a lot.”
Another protester, Sahil Warsi (SFS ‘05) emphasized that “we don’t want people blindly following anyone, including us. Our ultimate goal here is to raise awareness and get people thinking about what’s going on in the world.”
“There has been no real pursuit of alternatives,” said one speaker, whose comments were met with applause and cheering. “War should not be a default response … it’s just exaggerating the existing problems.”
Peace Action has no plans to leave Red Square.
“We’re out here indefinitely,” Warsi said.
Not everyone on campus is opposed to the war, however. College Republicans held a rally Tuesday night in Red Square to show support for the war. The members hoisted an American flag, posted fliers and wrote messages on the ground in chalk.
Murphy Gallagher (CAS ‘06), Director of Communications for the College Republicans, expressed his organization’s opinions on the controversial issue.
“We feel that this war is a necessary step,” Gallagher said. “It’s the final solution to get rid of this tyranny and terror that could spread.”
“Most importantly, with our troops on the ground, we have an obligation as Americans to get behind our troops at all costs,” he added. “They are ready to make the ultimate sacrifice.”
General campus reaction to the war is more mixed. Tom VanLangen (MSB ‘05) said that initially, he did not support the war.
“Now that U.S. troops are actually in Iraq, I feel that it’s important to show support for them and have some faith in our government,” he said.
