Students invited to walk out of classes for peace

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Denise Farwell

Professors and teachers may find their classes empty as students stage an anti-war walk out. The walk out is proposed for Wednesday.

On Wednesday at noon, UMaine students can walk out of class to attend a peace rally on the Mall in solidarity with students at more than 200 universities and high schools across with the nation and the world in a “Books Not Bombs” one-day student strike.

“I’ll be there to protest a potential war on Iraq,” Esben Munksgaard, a sophomore history major from Bangor and member of the Maine Peace Action Committee, said. MPAC is sponsoring the rally.

“I don’t think that we should risk the lives of American soldiers and the Iraqi people until all diplomatic options have been explored,” Munksgaard said.

The rally will incorporate speakers, songs and poetry. There is also an anticipated counter-rally.

A press release from the MPAC cautioned attendees not to get pulled into arguments with opposing groups, like the Students Against Maine Peace Action Committee, which is against the protest. It also warned that if a conflict occurred, the media could make it the focus of reporting.

Munksgaard said he expects the turnout to be great.

“Some people will be walking out of classes, but that’s optional,” he said.

Jane Forrester, a graduate student at UMaine and a local activist, is also spreading the word about the protest and the “Books Not Bombs” movement.

“This is what I consider to be the sanest, most practical solution,” Forrester said. “Many incredible colleges, universities and even high schools are participating on Wednesday. It’s their future, after all.”

Forrester’s daughter, Amethyst, plans to risk detention by walking out of her high school in Montana.

“These kids aren’t arrogant, but they believe in peace, and what they want to do for peace is to open a dialogue,” Forrester said.

Students are urged to strike on Wednesday to demand that the U.S. government “end the drive for military actions and sanctions that target the people of Iraq; fund education to ensure that everyone in the U.S. has access to higher education, and to re-allocate military funds to eliminate poverty and build peace at home and abroad,” according to a “Books Not Bombs” press release, located at www.nyspc.net.

“Education is key,” Forrester said. “We need to have new leaders, we need to have education, and our priorities need to be rearranged.”

This entry was posted on Monday, March 3rd, 2003, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.