 "Photo: Jennifer Dorval")
A variety of car horns could be heard by the main entrance of UCF Saturday afternoon, as drivers honked in support for individuals protesting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Almost 50 members of individual peace and anti-war groups around Florida gathered at the corner of Alafaya Trail and University Boulevard, to participate in a nationwide day of protest organized by the National Assembly Against the Occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.
For close to three hours, members from organizations such as Central Florida Veterans for Peace, World Can’t Wait, Food not Bombs and Humanists for Peace were among some of the protesters throwing up peace signs, holding signs reading “Honk for Peace” and chanting “Troops out now, Iraq for Iraqis” to oncoming drivers.
Clay Colson, a member of Florida Peace Action Network, held an upside down American flag by UCF’s main entrance to symbolize the United States’ problems.
“Most people don’t even know the rules to the flag. One of the things they say is, to turn the flag upside down is universally accepted, international sign of distress,” Colson said.
“This country’s in distress. If you don’t think this country’s in distress, you’re not paying attention.”
Organizers of the rally chose UCF’s area to protest because of its affiliation with military contractors Raytheon Co., Boeing Co., Northrop Grumman Corp., and General Dynamics Corp., all located within the Central Florida Research Park.
“We are actually just a mile away from UCF’s Research Park and it houses some of the top military contractors, which are the recipients of $97 billion each year of taxpayers’ money,” said Jeff Nall, a member of Humanists for Peace. “We want to draw people’s attention to the fact that, in addition to the politicians who decide ‘let’s go to war,’ there are also these corporations that profit from war and they have a vested interest in wars continuing.”
Debra Sweet, the national director of World Can’t Wait, believes supporting private corporations is going to be an increasing factor in major research universities like UCF.
“I think it is the responsibility of college students right now to know, given the huge loans that many of you are taking out just to go here, what all that money is involved and supported in,” Sweet said. “And that is using some of the best brains in the country in the support of private corporations that go out and do things that we just have no idea about.”
An hour into the rally, protesters gathered to hear leaders in the anti-war protest movement speak about their purposes for participating in the event.
Phil Restino, co-chair of the Central Florida Veterans for Peace, was among the individuals to voice his opinion, and he said the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are Vietnam all over again and it’s up to the public to stop them.
“Politicians are gonna go which way they’re being influenced most and right now they’re influenced by the money interest,” Restino said. “Until the people get off their rear ends and start joining together like we’re joining together out here today, and start making just as much noise and just as much influence, these wars are going to keep going. It’s up to us, no one’s going to do it for us.”
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