TCOWI

toc**Tufts Coalition to Oppose War on Iraq** or **TCOWI** (//tuh-COW-ee//) was the primary organization on campus organizing in opposition to the war in Iraq during the lead-up to and first year of the war. The organization started as a project of The Coalition, but as the prospect of the impending war, and the group itself, grew during the fall of 2002, they began to meet independently. The group was composed of a number of active students and faculty from many departments.

During the lead-up to the war, the group organized a number of events on campus in opposition to the war. TCOWI sponsored many events featuring anti-war speakers on campus during the 2002-2003 class year, including New York Times Columnist Frank Smyth and author Howard Zinn, who spoke to a standing room only crowd in the Crane Room. A teach-in (picture) was held at Pearson Hall that featured students Rana Abdul-Aziz, Erin Dwyer, Sadaf Gulamali,and Eva Skillicorn and Profesors Frank Ackerman, Gary Goldstein, and Gary Leupp. Speakers addressing the approaching conflict from various perspectives, including that of the Iraqi people, the feasibility of Iraq acquiring Weapons of Mass Destruction, and a historical overview of past conflicts. TCOWI held anti-war rallies at the campus center, and sponsored trips to larger rallies in Boston, Washington DC, and the world-wide day of protest February 15 in New York City. (pictures)

Statement
At the end of the fall semester in 2002, TCOWI began to distribute a statement in opposition to the war that served as a petition for Tufts community members to sign. Once petition signatures began to accumulate, a website that allowed people to sign online was created. By the time war was declared in March of 2003, over 600 members of the Tufts community had signed the petition, both by hand and online. 

Fares Lecture
Early in the Spring 2003 semester, it was announced that the annual Fares Lecturer would be former President George H.W. Bush. Together with The Coalition and other organizations in the greater-Boston anti-war movement, TCOWI members organized a series of protests that would take place inside and outside the elder Bush's speech at the Gantcher Center. (pictures)

The protests started with a small rally in Davis Square, where protesters from Tufts met up with others from the anti-war movement in the area. The rally proceeded up College Ave, towards campus, but when it was reported that police had blocked off the intersection of Boston Ave and College Ave, the group turned down a side-street in order to approach Gantcher from the northeast side. After being followed by police on motorcycles, protesters finally came together with a line of armed officers in riot gear at the intersection of Stanley Ave and College Ave. In the clash that followed, 13 protesters were arrested for disorderly conduct, though the charges were later dropped. After the protesters ran into the police line at the Stanley Ave intersection, they returned to the Boston Ave and College Ave intersection. While the march was running up against police opposition outside the Gantcher Center, a series of activities were also taking place inside the lecture. A group of students (Liz Monnin, Lou Esparza, Erin Dwyer, and Ariana Flores) who were seated in the VIP section, which was closest to the stage, began chanting and held up a sign stating "Gyms are for soccer, not for warmongers" at the former President's first mention of Iraq. As the group was removed from the audience, Bush made an off-color comment regarding a pro-choice protester he once encountered, which basically amounted to "I don't sleep with ugly women." In response to this comment, one of the protesters (for the record it was //not// Liz Monnin, take a peek at p.31 of Radix Vol. 3 No. 4 to see who it was!) extended their middle finger to the esteemed former President as they left the lecture. Other protesters were planted inside the Gantcher Center to cause a distraction if the outside protesters were able to approach the building. John Keough was dressed as a cowboy with a George W. Bush mask on hand and Aaron Donovan was dressed as "Ba-Cow" in reference to Tufts President Larry Bacow. Sadly, the protesters outside were stopped by police, but had they gotten to the side of the Gantcher Center, Aaron and John were to run around the lecture, moo-ing and shouting, in order to draw security away from side doors, and allow less overtly dressed protesters to open the doors. Instead, Aaron and John were left sit in cow and cowboy costumes, leaving those sitting near the pair to wonder what was wrong with them.

Moratorium
Once it became clear that the Bush administration had made the war a certainty rather than a possibility, TCOWI began to prepare for a reaction to the commencement of hostilities against Iraq. It was decided that the organization would encourage a moratorium of classes in which students were asked to forgo classes and professors were asked to suspend them, in order to attend a day of panels, discussions, and a cross-campus march in opposition to the war. It was decided that the events would be held on the next class day following the declaration of war. As war was declared during the university's spring break on March 18, 2003, the moratorium was held the following Monday, March 24. The day's events began with a morning panel at the Hillel Center, which was followed by a march around campus with stops in front of Eaton Hall, the Campus Center, President Bacow's residence, and the Fletcher School before returning to Hillel. The day continued with another series of speakers at Hillel, before finishing with a final panel at Goddard Chapel. (pictures)

Make Art Not War
After war was declared, TCOWI members continued attending rallies on and off campus. In April, the organization put together an event titled Make Art Not War in Aidekman Arts Center. The event was sponsored by a number of campus organizations and featured art, poetry, music, and dancing with an anti-war theme. Performers included: Sarina Khan-Reddy, Doug Bell, Madeline Caviness, Rachael Hereford, Pete Shungu, Reggie Stovell, Gary Leupp, Zach Braiker, a Palestinian dance group, Semsemaya, and Future Suicide Heroes. Make Art Not War began with a presentation of the art installments and a slide show about the effects the war was having on art in Iraq, the event moved to the sculpture court where poetry, music, and dance performances were held. The event ended with the Palestinian dance group instructing the audience, to the music of Future Suicide Heroes. (pictures)



TCOWI Event Pictures

 * Teach-in at Pearson Hall**


 * Rallies and Protests**







  
 * New York - International Day of Protest 2/15/2003**
 * George Bush Sr. Fares Lecture Protests**
 * Day-After Moratorium**
 * Make Art Not War**



Public Statement of the Tufts Coalition to Oppose War on Iraq

 * > Though opposition to war increases daily, both here and abroad, the U.S. government continues to move toward war with Iraq. We, as members of the Tufts Community, as scholars, as teachers, as students, as workers, as citizens, and as human beings, oppose this very costly, extremely risky, and unjustified imperialist course of action.

> The American people have been told repeatedly that Iraq has some connection to the September 11 attacks, that it's sheltering al-Qaeda, and that it's threatening the U.S. and its friends with "weapons of mass destruction." But in fact, no credible evidence has been presented that Iraq had anything to do with the Sept. 11 attacks. Furthermore, the CIA says that there have been no Iraqi attacks on U.S. citizens anywhere in the world since 1993, and that any al-Qaeda activity inside of Iraq is limited to the areas controlled by the anti-government (anti-Hussein) rebels.

> No credible evidence has been presented that Iraq, devastated by the 1991 Gulf War (which killed 100,000 Iraqis) and suffering under a decade of crippling sanctions (which according to UNICEF have killed a million more), constitutes a significant threat to the U.S. In fact, while Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Russia could all (theoretically) be hit by Iraqi Scud missiles (unlike the U.S.), they do not feel threatened by Iraq, and oppose a U.S. attack.

> As the Bush administration prepares for war, we know that the human costs of war would be huge-casualties in the tens of thousands are predicted routinely. In addition, with our healthcare systems, schools, retirement plans and economy in trouble, the economic costs of this Iraq war threaten to drain billions of dollars our country desperately needs.

> This unprovoked and unilateral war threatens the whole structure of international law that has evolved since the end of World War II. Such an attack will likely produce more outrage throughout the world, leading to greater instability and more hostility to the U.S. There is virtually no international support for a U.S. attack on Iraq. Furthermore, even if the war ends quickly, the U.S. military will occupy Iraq for years, at tremendous cost, and will further antagonize the people of the region. And the war may not end; it may spread. The war planners also envision "regime change" in Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. Who's to say where the war will end?

> We, as members of the Tufts Community condemn the move to war against Iraq. We pledge to oppose this war and those who advance it. They do not act in our interests. They must not act in our name. ||