Rally supports war resister Lt. Ehren Watada

U.S. Army Lt. Ehren Watada is the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to Iraq. For refusing to

participate in and “illegal and immoral war,” Watada is facing six years in prison and a military court martial on Feb. 5, 2007.

Demonstrations supporting Watada and opposing the war in Iraq took place across the country on Jan. 4, the day of his pre-trial hearing.

In San Francisco, protesters gathered at Peace Plaza in Japantown and at the Unitarian Universalist church before marching to the federal building. The main rally was held at 12:30 in front of the federal building with more than 100 people in attendance.

At 1:00 pm, a “die in” blocked the federal building’s entrance. The 20 or so people who blocked the entrance were arrested, ticketed by police and then released.

The event was sponsored by the Watada Support Committee, the Asian Pacific Islanders Resists!, the Declaration of Peace, the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco, the American Friends Service Committee, the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, the Episcopal Peace Fellowship and San Francisco Friends Meeting, and Vietnam Veterans Against the War.