Demonstration in Support of Lt. Watada at Ft. Lewis
On Tuesday, June 27 three members of Oregonians Against the War joined about 300 other activists from the Northwest outside the gate of Ft. Lewis in support of Lt. Ehren Watada. Lt. Watada is the first officer to refuse to serve in Iraq. His unit has just left for Iraq and he will face a military trial. He is refusing to go on the grounds that the war in Iraq is illegal and it is both immoral and illegal for him to participate in an illegal war. He hopes that the military court will allow him to use this defense in his trial but fears they will not. If he could argue on the basis of the illegality of the war, it would provide a national spotlight on the war.
About 20 “Support the Troops” pro war people were there with flags and signs. Some angry words and gestures were directed at supporters of Lt. Watada but on the whole the demonstration was peaceful. Most members of the military just drove by, some were angry, and a few indicated support.
You can read about the demonstration in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.