By our latest count, more than 600 protests against war and occupation took place around the world on Saturday, March 20, on the one-year anniversary of the Iraq War. Taken together, these events brought well over 2 million people out into the streets for peace, in one of the largest ever coordinated displays of grassroots activism.

For a comprehensive list of where protests took place on March 20, visit:

http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=2336

For news articles and links to photographs and reportbacks, visit:

http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=2353

Under the banner, "The World STILL Says No to War," people in more than 60 countries throughout the world - from Japan to South Korea to Spain to Australia to South Africa - called for an end to the occupation of Iraq and condemned the Bush Administration's empire-building agenda. The March 20 global day of protest surpassed our most optimistic expectations, both in terms of the number of cities and countries that organized events and the number of people who took to the streets. At least 300 U.S. cities and towns held anti-war events on Saturday, as did more than 300 other cities throughout the world.

In the United States, notable protests included a 100,000-person march and rally in New York City, and a similar event in San Francisco attended by more than 50,000. In Crawford, Texas, where President George Bush owns a ranch and often vacations, 1,000 protesters converged to repudiate his militaristic policies and call for a diversion of the billions of dollars that are being spent on war to domestic programs like schools, health clinics, and unemployment benefits. Military families and veterans led a protest that drew 1,500 to Fayetteville, North Carolina, outside the Fort Bragg military base. Please share news clippings and reportbacks from your local March 20 event by mailing them to UFPJ, P.O. Box 607, Times Square Station, NY NY 10108.

In Rome, at least one million people took to the streets, in the largest single protest of the day. In Spain, demonstrations took place in more than 40 cities around the country, bringing hundreds of thousands out into the streets for the second time since the terrorist attacks that killed more than 200 Spaniards and injured 1500. London and Tokyo held protests drawing tens of thousands of participants.

Overall, March 20 showed the ongoing vibrancy and strength of the global peace movement. The depth of this movement was articulated as the demand for an end to the occupation of Iraq was linked to other critical issues: the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the role of the U.S. military in ousting the president of Haiti, domestic repression and dramatic cuts in social programs. Congratulations to everyone who helped make the March 20 Global Day of Action such a success.

We still urgently need funds to help cover the many costs associated with the March 20 mobilization. Please call our office at 212-868-5545 to make a credit-card donation, or make an online donation by visiting http://www.unitedforpeace.org/donate. You can also mail a check or money order to UFPJ, P.O. Box 607, Times Square Station, NY NY 10108.

2. MARCH 24: CONGRESSIONAL CALL-IN DAY ON IRAQ

This Wednesday, March 24, United for Peace and Justice encourages you to deliver the message and power of the "World Still Says No to War" global actions to your members of Congress with a National Iraq Call-In Day to Washington, DC. After months of deceptions and evasions from the Bush Administration regarding its invasion and occupation of Iraq, the American people want the whole truth and it's time for Congress to get to the heart of the matter.

Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and tell your members of Congress to support thorough, timely and in-depth investigations into the use of pre-war intelligence and the awarding of reconstruction contracts: Tell your Representative to support HR 494 and HR 2625; tell your Senator to support S1946.

For background and details on these bills, visit

http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=2294

3. NEXT STEPS & UPCOMING EVENTS

Help sustain the momentum from Saturday's Global Day of Action! In the weeks and months to come, there will be many more opportunities to promote a vision of peace and justice and take action to change the course of U.S. policy. In this election year, it's critical to keep independent voices and views in the public eye, to help shape the national debate over the country's future direction.

One key upcoming date is TAX DAY, APRIL 15, an excellent occasion for making the links between the massive expense of militarism abroad and the devastating cuts to social and educational programs here at home. We encourage you to organize creative Tax Day actions in your community to highlight the real costs of our government's skewed pending priorities. You might choose to hand out informational flyers at the post office to people who are mailing their tax forms, or you could also organize rallies at health clinics, schools or other community institutions whose budgets are being slashed at the same time that spending on war is skyrocketing.

Check our website at http://www.unitedforpeace.org over the next two weeks for educational resources you can use in your community on April 15.

Some other important upcoming events supported by United for Peace and Justice include:

* March 30: Mobilization and Lobby Day to Close the School of the Americas (Washington, DC)

* April 21-25: Mobilization to Stop World Bank and IMF Destruction (Washington, DC)

* April 25: March for Women's Lives (Washington, DC)

* May 1: Major protest for nuclear disarmament, coinciding with the UN Non-Proliferation Treaty conference in New York City

Visit our website at http://www.unitedforpeace.org for more details on these events.

You can also download an updated 2004 UFPJ Action Calendar at

http://www.unitedforpeace.org/downloads/2004_action_calendar.pdf

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ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE

http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545

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