East Enders March to Bring Troops Home Now

Close to 100 east enders walked through the busy East Hampton business district last Saturday to oppose the war in Iraq, to call for the return of US troops and to assert their right to protest.

The protesters were led by the the five activists who were arrested when they protested the Iraq war in April 2006.

Among those speaking out as shoppers went about their usual business was visitng actor Danny Glover. Glover said:
"This is an effort of this community right here to say that We won't stand for any more, that we want our troops home, we want the kind of peace for the Iraqi people and peace for the region that we want in our own homes and in our own country
as well."
One of the five arrestees, who are scheduled to stand trial on September 10 is Dan Steiger of Sag Harbor. Steiger told the crowd gathered at Windmill Green:
" We're here to say once again that we have the right to speak out against this unjust war"
Attorney Joseph Gianinni, leader of the East End Veterans fought in Viet Nam in 1967 and '68. Gianinni spoke about Doug Webb, a Marine Corp Sargeant. Webb fought in Iraq and was thinking of going back. He called Giannini for advice. Gianinni said:
"He's going to go into counter insurgency and he wants to know if it's worth going back over there to fight for them. I said 'Doug, you can teach them to fight. You can't make them fight. It's their fight. It's not our fight. Don't go back'. He will go back cause he's a Marine.... and he's one of those marines who already put a tour over there and watched his buddies get blown away. He's going back unless we can stop it."
"I heard that when I was in Viet Nam you people marched on the Pentagon and I heard Nixon was pissing in his boots, and Kissinger. They were afraid you were going to come into the White House and actually grab them and take over the Pentagon."

"They're ruling ...with fear but they don't fear us. We have to do more. This is only the beginning or were going to be here five years from now. "

"So I'm asking you again when we stand up, stand with us and just keep fighting.
We're going to stop this somehow. I don't know how. If we have to go to the f-ing White House...we'll go there. If I go there will you come with me?"

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This report was prepared by WPKN's East End News Team for WPKN news heard Monday-Friday at 6:30pm on WPKM 88.7 Montauk, WPKN 89.5 Bridgeport.