American flags were burned and people on opposing sides of America's involvement in Iraq screamed at each other Thursday night when Tempe joined the world in heated war demonstrations.
The demonstrations took place on all four corners of Mill Avenue and University Drive. The majority of the more than 400 participants opposed the war and was based on the northwest corner while pro-war demonstrators kept to the southeast corner.
When protesters ventured to the opposite side of the busy intersection, screaming matches broke out.
"You don't know that George Bush is raping your fucking world," ASU computer science senior Daniel Billotte yelled to two war supporters. "He steals from you every day."
Billotte, who got into heated arguments throughout the seven-hour demonstration, said:
"I am in support of American troops. I stand behind them 100 percent, but I don't stand behind the war...We are not in Iraq for weapons of mass destruction, but for oil."
Nineteen-year-old Dan Davis, who quit ASU to enlist in the Marine Corps, is scheduled to ship out for the war in a month. He was one of many demonstrators who disagreed with Billotte.
"I support Bush's actions for the war," he said. "I believe in free speech. That's one reason I am willing to die for my country - to enjoy the freedoms we have."
Throughout the evening, many protesters marched from corner to corner, shouting at war supporters and cars passing by. At one point, the opponents positioned themselves on the southeast corner of the intersection and chanted the following on the lawn of Chili's Grill and Bar.
"My bush is better. It's fluffy like a sweater. My blood ain't blue - it's redder. The thought of freedom makes me wetter... Fuck that stupid war recruiter."
Although the demonstrations began at 5 p.m., things really heated up at about 8 p.m. when a couple of war protesters set an American flag on fire. After the Tempe Police Department forced them to stop, they began to tear the flag in pieces and pass them out to the crowd.
Ivan Alvarado, an exercise physiology junior at the University of Utah, was in Tempe for a track meet against ASU and witnessed the flag burning.
"He's burning the flag, man," he said. "You can't do that. That's fucking bullshit...You can be anti-war, but to burn the flag? That's just a slap in the face of the troops that are over there."
While the people who burned the flag refused to comment, Pat Mortenson, a Scottsdale Community College student, participated in ripping the American flag and said that is his right as an American.
"The flag represents not the constitution, not our forefathers," he added. "It represents this country we're living in now," he said. "We have freedom of speech and freedom of expression. I should be able to do whatever I want."
Mortenson added that Bush's goal in the war is not to spread democracy and peace, but to spread corporate America to the Middle East so he can make money.
Jon McCurley, president of ASU's College Republicans, was one of the loudest pro-war demonstrators Thursday. The history sophomore was wearing a T-shirt with "Remove Saddam, Protect Freedom" written on it.
"I believe in the past 12 years, Saddam has proven to be an uncontrollable threat," he said. "Saddam said he would bring this war to the world. He has no regard for human life."
Risha Zertuche, NAU graduate and director of education at Arizona Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, agreed with McNeilly.
"I'm here to show support for the troops and president in fighting a war no one wants to fight, but has become necessary," she said. "I believe protesting the war has much more to do with anti-Bush than anti-war."
Several organizations participated in the coalition of war protesters, including Local to Global Justice, Veterans for Peace and the Arizona Alliance for Peaceful Justice.
One person out of more than 400 people was arrested at the demonstrations. Protests that broke out in Tucson and Flagstaff led to the arrests of several people, including one man in Flagstaff who locked his neck to a sewer grate.
By far the biggest war protest in America since the Vietnam War was the one that took place in San Francisco, where more than 1,000 people were arrested for busting open fire hydrants, knocking over garbage cans and newspaper stands, and locking themselves together with steel pipes.
More demonstrations are on the horizon. A 48-hour protest is planned to take place at 10 a.m. Saturday at 24th Street and Camelback Road in Phoenix.
Amanda Lee Myers is the Editor in Chief of the Web Devil. Reach her at amanda.l.myers@asu.edu.
