A group of students gathered on the Gorham campus to protest the possible war with Iraq. The group behind the protest was the University Student Activists (U.S.A.). The group advertised all over the campus via fliers, urging students to meet in the courtyard of Upton-Hastings Hall at noon on Jan. 26. The request was met by a small but passionate group of people who brought drums, pots, and bottles to use as noisemakers.
The overcast and near-freezing weather did little to dampen the spirits of the protestors as they chanted and marched all over Gorham. “Bush, pull out, just like your father should’ve,” could be heard from yards away. The demonstrators followed the verbal volley with the clanking of just about any item they could find. The musical accompaniment was a little less than comforting to the ears.
“We are here today to make some positive noise for peace,” said Fred Greenhalgh, co-founder of U.S.A. The demonstration was dubbed “Make a Noise for Peace” as event-goers were encouraged to bring any implements they could find for making noise. The group used the racket to make the campus aware of the anti-war movement. Many students who participated in the march had just returned from the anti-war protest in Washington, D.C.
“We are just trying to bring that amazing feeling back here,” Greenhalgh said.
Sophomore Asher Platts, another founding member of the group, said it was their duty to help raise questions about war with Iraq. “We are just trying to open up a dialogue,” Platts said. He agreed there are many perspectives to the war, and U.S.A.’s perspective was just one of them.
“It has been an economic agenda all along,” Platts said in reference to the United States’ possible decision to attack Iraq.
Many protesters voiced similar feelings by chanting, “We don’t want your oil war,” in the background. The protest began in the afternoon, and at 1:10 p.m. the group of approximately 20 students began to march around the campus.
The group met some mild resistance on the Gorham campus from Bush supporters and students irritated by the noise. Some residents shouted obscenities and made rude gestures to the crowd out of resident hall windows. A few tried to meet the protestors with some logic, trying to voice their opinions.
“There is a confusion or apathy toward recent events,” said Greenhalgh when questioned about the resistance. “The mainstream [news sources] are not telling everybody what there is to know,” Greenhalgh said. Undaunted by the heckling, the march continued around the campus and then passed through downtown Gorham.
“We weren’t planning to go downtown, but someone suggested it and it seemed like a good idea,” Greenhalgh said. The protestors were met with honking horns and peace signs or even the occasional middle finger. As a whole the residents of Gorham reacted well to the protest.
Around 2 p.m. the marchers adjourned to Bailey Hall for a small dialogue on the war. The talks continued until 4 p.m. when the group returned to their usual daily activities.
“I feel the event was an overall success,” Greenhalgh concluded. Greenhalgh said he and the other founders of the group were presently planning a larger event that hopefully would draw more students. For more information about the University Student Activists, send an e-mail to [email protected].
Andrew Dolby can be contacted at [email protected]