Multiple Chinatown Groups Voiced Opposition to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq

Multiple Chinatown Groups Voiced Opposition to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq

The article documents Manhattan Chinatown community members’ anti-war response after the U.S. military launched bombing campaigns on Baghdad. About 20 CAAAV members gathered in front of the Confucius statue in the pouring rain, calling on the Bush administration to withdraw troops while distributing educational anti-war pamphlets to passersby. The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) criticized what it saw as the Bush administration’s hypocrisy in legitimizing war under the guise of humanitarianism and democracy. AALDEF also expressed concern that the Iraq War could further exacerbate racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination and violence, citing the government’s inhumane, undemocratic, and unconstitutional treatment of Arab, South Asian, and Muslim communities after 9/11. Another anti-war argument centered on the allocation of resources, arguing that money spent on the war could instead have been used to support working-class and immigrant families through education, healthcare, and affordable housing. A local church also held a prayer gathering for peace.

The China Press/QiaoBao (侨报)

March 21, 2003

Source: Jing Lin, The China Press/QiaoBao (侨报)
Digitized by: Shutong Wu
Catalogued by: Laine Yu-Jing

Newspaper

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