A few thousand anti-war demonstrators marched through the nation's capital Saturday, some dressed as doves of peace and others waving signs with anti-war sentiments such as ''War will not bring our loved ones back.''
Much larger protests had been planned for this weekend to oppose policies of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. But the financial meetings were canceled after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the protesters' anti-globalization cause was transformed into a call for peace.
The protests were mainly peaceful, but police in riot gear used pepper spray on demonstrators at least once during a morning march led by an anarchist group. Police arrested some protesters at the skirmish, said a police spokeswoman, but she couldn't provide more details.
In another incident, District of Columbia Assistant Police Chief Terrance Gainer was sprayed in the face with something that brought him to his knees. Two officers helped him behind police barricades and he later returned to work.
Many protesters had canceled their trip to Washington after the attacks, but some groups just shifted to an anti-war theme.
The protesters also condemned the backlash against Arabs and Muslims and say the Bush administration has used the attacks as an excuse to curtail civil liberties.
Marching protesters chanted "no war" and occasionally ran through the streets, forcing scores of police in heavy body armor to keep up.
The turnout on Saturday was smaller than organizers said they expected at the two separate demonstrations. The Washington Peace Center and other groups planned another march for Sunday.
Some protesters were motivated by personal experiences with the attacks.
(People's Daily 09/30/2001)
