Ashraf Attia, a member of the Islamic Society of Central New York, knows where he stands on the Iraq issue.

After receiving word from a friend at his mosque that a protest would be held in Clinton Square Friday night against the U.S. military’s recent operations in Fallujah, Attia arrived to the demonstration with his wife and four children.

Attia said he wanted to show the world that not all Americans support what is going on in Iraq.

‘I hope to get this (message) all over the world,’ Attia said. ‘We are creating a better image for the U.S.’

The protest was arranged by the Syracuse Peace Council in response to the U.S.-led attack on the Iraqi insurgent stronghold of Fallujah. Members of the Peace Council were joined by other activist groups in Clinton Square and took stand along Water Street displaying anti-war signs to the rush hour traffic.

Nick Paulos, a member of the steering community for the Syracuse Peace Council, helped organize the protest.

‘Once we saw the outcome of the (presidential) election, we knew the war in Iraq would continue,’ Paulos said.

Paulos said he believed that if John Kerry had been elected president, he would have put together a coalition of foreign countries to come to a peaceable solution in Iraq. But now innocent people will continue to be killed.

‘We continue to use primitive means to solve our disputes,’ Paulos said.

Frank Woolever, a member of Peace of Christ and the Syracuse Peace Council said the demonstration Friday night was meant to protest the fact that the United States needs to withdraw its troops from Iraq instead of continuing to perform offensive operations.

‘By attacking insurgents we are not going to solve the problem,’ Woolever said. ‘We need to make friends with other countries.’

Cynthia Banas, a 34-year member of the Syracuse Peace Council, came to protest against the war crimes she alleged were being committed in Iraq. She said the Geneva Conventions stated that occupying nations are responsible for the safety and security of that country.

‘This country is committing war crimes. We have betrayed the Geneva Conventions,’ Banas said.

As people driving by the protest honked their horns at the demonstrators, Banas said people wrongly believe that if others are not for the war in Iraq, they are advocates of terrorism.

‘It is our responsibility to speak up,’ Banas said. ‘That is what our country is based on.’

Published on November 14, 2004 at 12:00 pm