United for Justice with Peace Organizes Boston Protest

March 30, 2003

Source: Boston Globe

On March 30, 2003 Boston Globe reported that "tens of thousands of people from across New England and beyond converged on a damp, windswept Boston Common for a massive antiwar rally yesterday, then marched through the city, saying they hoped to show the world that not all Americans support President Bush and the war in Iraq..." The protest was "organized by the Greater Boston group United for Justice with Peace..." During the protest, the pro-government group and the protesters "found some common ground: When the pro-government group started singing the National Anthem, several hundred antiwar demonstrators joined in." Buddhist monks and Wiccan Priestesses were among the marchers. "After the march, as the crowd began to disperse, about 70 Muslims dressed in white turbans and robes attracted onlookers as they removed their shoes, turned east in unison, and began to pray. The Muslim men held court on a patch of grass for nearly an hour as many people observed silently. The Muslims appeared at the Common by coincidence, after many of them had completed a two-month walk for guidance' from Mount Vernon, N.Y."