Antiwar Movement Launches National Surge of Opposition to War Escalation

NEW YORK - January 9 - Under the banner of "America Says NO to More Troops! End the War!" the antiwar movement will launch a national surge of protest within 24 hours of Bush's announcement of plans to send more troops to Iraq. United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), the nation's largest grassroots antiwar coalition, is working with Win Without War to organize a wave of local protests in response to the President's announcement. Bush is expected to announce his plans to send more troops to Iraq during a televised speech on Wednesday, January 10.

"It's unbelievable that after the voters, the soldiers, and the Iraqis said they want an end to this war, President Bush is going to escalate it," said Leslie Cagan, UFPJ National Coordinator. "Bush was wrong to begin the war in March 2003 and he's wrong to prolong it even one more day. The way out of the mess is to bring the troops back home now, not send more of them to die and kill needlessly in this outrageous war."

On Saturday, January 27th, the peace surge will escalate with a major national march on Washington to push Congress to listen to the voters, not Bush, and bring the war to a close. Organized by United for Peace and Justice, the weekend's activities will include an interfaith peace service and a Congressional Education Day on Monday, January 29th.

Anne Roesler, a UFPJ spokesperson and member of Military Families Speak Out, said, "With each of his three deployments, my son said that he witnessed increasing chaos and a country on the brink of civil war. Escalating the war won't solve these issues. The Bush Administration tried increasing troop levels in October 2005 to 'clear, hold, and build' in Iraq. It didn't work then, and it won't work now. With more than 3,000 U.S. troops dead, over 20,000 injured, countless others suffering from serious mental health disorders, and tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis dead, it's time to bring all the troops home -- not to deploy more."

For a full list of activities planned for the day after Bush's announcement, visit http://www.americasaysno.org.