About 50 students from St. Olaf College joined together at the protest, along with students and faculty from Carleton College and citizens of Northfield.

The march began on the steps of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, and then continued on to the capitol building of Minnesota. This wasn’t simply a gathering for one certain age group, but rather was an event for people of all ages to attend with the common thread of world peace.

The tone of the day was saddened by the recent death of Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife, daughter and three campaign workers.

The first speech brought a silence to the thousands of people there, as they bowed their heads in silence to honor the memory of Wellstone.

A woman then proceeded to play her guitar and lead the entire crowd in various peace-oriented songs.

“It was amazing to see the vast range of ages coming together in the struggle for peace, and it gave me hope to see that people are not as apathetic toward foreign affairs as I thought,” Whitney Hall ‘06 said.

As the crowd progressed down the street, various chants, cheers, and songs rang out as people voiced their opinions on the proposed war on Iraq.

Multiple cities across the United States, as well as those in different countries, formed their own protests against the possible war. Cities like Chicago, St. Louis, San Francisco, Madison, and London all proclaimed their anti-war feelings through peaceful gatherings, but one of the largest protests was held in Washington, D.C.— with an estimated 200,000 protesters.

“The protest was a great inspiration for all those who hope and dream for change and revolution,” Dan Marx ‘06 said.

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