Modest anti-war protests

Anti-war protesters took to Seattle streets in modest numbers throughout the day Wednesday, recognizing the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war.

Protests around the city drew dozens to hundreds of activists. But the droves of protesters common earlier in the war didn't turn out on Wednesday.

Early in the day, a group of about 15 forced the closure of the Army and Navy recruiting stations at 23rd Avenue and South Jackson Street. The group had doubled in size by early afternoon for a rally against the "mainstream media" at KOMO/4 near the Space Needle.

At KOMO, protesters set up a "truth booth" to disseminate news they said has been kept from the public. A sign read, "Media lies, thousands die." Speakers urged a "shutdown of the complicit media."

At least two counterprotesters shadowed the group throughout the day, waving American and military flags and holding placards showing troop support.

Those participating were encouraged to wear orange, their chosen symbol of resistance to "the Bush regime," and many did, wearing orange armbands if not clothes. Several carried orange placards with the message:

"Iraq. Get out; Iran. Stay out; Bush/Cheney. Drive out."

Protest spokeswoman Maggie Lawless said activists were targeting recruitment offices. People who oppose the war, she said, need to oppose the recruitment of young men and women -- who are the war's "cannon fodder" -- and understand "what it means to walk through that door."

By 6 p.m., about 250 protesters had gathered near Westlake Park in downtown Seattle. The war -- or occupation, in the parlance of several activists -- was the central focus there, but the protest drew activists for an array of causes.

As rain poured down, protesters held signs supporting causes as diverse as workers' rights, freedom for Palestine and assisted suicide. A cohort of anarchists stood by throughout the sedate protest carrying clear plastic shields, apparently prepared for a fight with police that never came.

		Scott Eklund / P-I
	Protesters gather at Fisher Plaza to protest the war in Iraq on the fifth anniversary of its start. About 40-50 people showed up for Wednesday's demonstration.

The speakers' stage featured music and poetry, and speeches from several Seattle-area activists. In their number was Shanay Salas, a junior at Nova High School in Seattle, who spoke against recruiting in high schools.

Salas told the crowd that Seattle students succeeded in pushing the School Board to limit recruiting in the district. But she said recruiters still have easy access to students in many Washington schools, particularly in poorer areas.

"Without a steady stream of new soldiers, the military is getting desperate, and they're turning to us," said Salas, a member of the group Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, better known as ANSWER.

Another peace protest is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation. About 1,000 marchers are expected to walk from Rainier Beach High School, at 8815 Seward Park Ave. S., to Aki Kurose Middle School.