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Protests Rain On Bush Parade!

By Mick Kelly

Washington D.C. - Tens of thousands joined demonstrations here Jan. 20, turning the inauguration of George Bush into a massive protest against his administration and policies. Despite the cold and rain, protesters came from hundreds of cities and towns, including busloads from the Midwest who traveled up to 24 hours to attend.

Smaller demonstrations took place across the United States and Europe - including protests that drew thousands in San Francisco and Los Angeles. More than 5000 people, some carrying the names of executed Texas prisoners, marched in Paris, France.

Bush's theft of the election, facilitated by a systematic attack on the voting rights of African Americans, has led to widespread anger across the country. "Hail to the thief!" was a common chant at the Jan. 20 protests, along with other slogans that challenged the racist and reactionary Bush administration.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus walked out of the House of Representatives on Jan. 6, when the Bush victory was certified. The NAACP and others rallied Jan. 20 in Tallahassee, Florida, the epicenter the electoral fraud. The inauguration day protests were the largest since 1973.

At the inauguration, eggs and tomatoes pelted the motorcade carrying President Bush and other top officials. Members of the Secret Service were forced to run, as the presidential limousine sped up to pass concentrations of demonstrators.

Protesters outnumbered Bush backers at many points along Pennsylvania Avenue. Supporters of the President were dismayed and angry, some choosing to leave as the protesters drowned out whatever cheers they could muster. Other reactionaries - some men with shaved heads wearing "FUK GORE" t-shirts, others wearing furs and cowboy hats - feebly attempted to organize pro-Bush rallies along the parade route.

Protests at inauguration were organized by the International Action Center, the National Organization of Women, the National Action Network led by the Reverend Al Sharpton, and a host of other organizations. A large contingent of African Americans came from Florida, many with signs saying, "Free Florida's Black Voters."

"The road of President Bush is paved with poverty, racist discrimination, attacks on the rights of women and more wars," said Carolyn Connelly of the Colombia Action Network.

She continued "We're here today because the Bush Administration is planning a war on the people at home and abroad. Clinton organized a huge escalation of the U.S. war in Colombia. Bush's appointees have made it clear that they will continue and widen the war. We need to do everything possible to get the U.S. out. What we are seeing here are the beginnings of a powerful movement that will confront the plans and policies of Bush and company."

Many demonstrators demanded the release of the jailed revolutionary journalist, Mumia-Abu Jamal, a former Black Panther who is on death row in Pennsylvania. Others targeted police brutality and racial profiling, which have reached epidemic proportions.

A large contingent was organized by the National Organization of Women in defense of reproductive rights.

More than 7000 police from D.C. and the surrounding area were mobilized for the inauguration - including members of the National Guard. Snipers were placed on the rooftops of Washington's buildings. A system of checkpoints was set up, where police searched demonstrators, while ushering Bush supporters directly into the parade area. This meant waits of an hour or more to get to protest sites along Pennsylvania Avenue.

There is no doubt that authorities had intended to prevent protests at the site of the inauguration - as indicated by the massive police mobilization, the system of passes and checkpoints, and a refusal to say what would be allowed where. Court battles in defense of the right to protest took place right up until Jan. 20.

The strength of the Jan. 20 mobilization, the relatively weak position of the incoming Bush Administration, and the international spotlight that was on D.C. created the conditions so the protests could proceed.