To this day, the anti-war protests that took place on February 15th 2003, remain the largest political mobilization in history.
Yasmin sits down with Nick Dearden, director of the radical campaigning NGO Global Justice Now, and Asad Rehman, director of the human rights and global justice charity War on Want, to discuss the 20-year anniversary of February 15th 2003 – when 14 million people marched in 600 cities around the world to try and stop Bush and Blair invading Iraq.
At the time, the New York Times said of the demonstrations: “There may still be two superpowers on the planet: the United States and world public opinion.” But just over a month later, on March 19 2003, the Bush Administration sent U.S. military forces into Iraq – the beginning of a violent occupation that would last nearly a decade.
Yasmin, Nick and Asad discuss how this unique day and unprecedented mobilization was organized, how it felt on the streets of London that cold February day and the legacy of the movement which might not have stopped the war, but certainly changed history.
They also talk about how they each navigated their own feelings of despair after the war began and what lessons to take from that moment on how we cultivate resilience after huge political defeats.
Were you at the demonstrations that day? What do you remember? Leave your comments about the episode and your experiences below. We’d love to hear from you!
The series is produced by the team at Scenery Studios.
What the Iraq war protests can teach us about resilience