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US University Students Issue Call for Peace
As the US gears up for a military retaliation for last week's terror attacks, students from several leading US universities on Thursday issued a call for peace to avoid further loss of life.
While polls showed most Americans support the use of force to avenge the September 11 hijacking attacks in New York and Washington that killed thousands, there is also an increasingly louder call for peace. The war against Afghanistan, which is accused of harboring terrorists, is imminent as US troops, warships and fighter planes are being deployed in the Middle East and Central Asia.
Student activists from California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced a petition drive Thursday at noon opposing military action in favor of "peaceful justice."
The petition is the result of a new cooperation between the students of the two campuses.The students are calling for "a reasoned and rational response that respects the rule of law and aims to prevent further loss of life."
"In addition to dealing with the present threat of terrorism, we need to overcome the cycle of violence and address its root causes," Jennifer Caron of Caltech's Peaceful Justice Coalition told reporters.
Students at the University of California are also coordinating with fellow students in 30 states to "reaffirm the sanctity of life by seeking peace and justice" in the wake of the terrorist attacks.
A group of peace activists Wednesday night gathered at a church on Wilshire Boulevard, hoping to promote peace and avoid more violence.
Late Tuesday, over 30 organizations from south California held a peace rally before the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles, calling on the government to refrain from using the military response to a criminal situation. The activists held placards reading "Stop All Violence" and "Military Is Not Solution".
The organizations, including the National Lawyers Guild, Arts in Action, the Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates and LA Catholic Worker, signed on to a statement condemning the Sept. 11 attack, while urging the government not to allow last week's terrorist attacks to drag the country into an all-out war.
The statement calls on "President Bush and Congress to stop beating the drum of war and not respond to a criminal situation with a military response."
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