On Thursday, the group World Can’t Wait organized antiwar protests in several dozen cities. One of the larger gatherings and marches was in New York. A lunchtime rally near the United Nations drew more than 1,000, including many high school and college students. The crowd then marched down Second Ave. and east to Union Square for a late-afternoon rally featuring more speeches and music. By the time the march reached Union Square there were about 500, including a contingent of the Grandmothers Against the War. Highlights of the speeches in Union Square included an address by Michael Rattner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the de facto master of ceremonies at Woodstock, Wavy Gravy. One woman in the crowd held a sign: “U.S. troops dead in Iraq 2,734 — 24 killed since Saturday.”
