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20th Anniversary of U.S.”Shock and Awe” War and Invasion of Iraq. “Remembrance of Resistance to U.S. War and Solemn Vigil for Peace & Abolition of Nuclear Weapons.
March 18, 2023 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
20th Anniversary of U.S.”Shock and Awe”
War and Invasion of Iraq.
Saturday, March 18, Noon, “Remembrance of Resistance to U.S. War and Solemn Vigil for Peace & Abolition of Nuclear Weapons”.
The remembrance and vigil will take place in front of the Phila. Federal Building, 6th & Market Streets.
On March 20, 2003 as thousands of people protested around the world, more than a hundred people were arrested blocking the doorways around the Phila. Federal Building as hundreds more demonstrated in the streets around the block long and wide building in the “Iraq Pledge of Allegiance” campaign coordinated by the Brandywine Peace Community.
In the following months, as the war of occupation in Iraq raged on, many of those arrested were tried in Federal Court and sentenced to a week in jail. One of those jailed was Lillian Willoughby (January 29, 1915 – January 15, 2009), life-long Quaker peace activist and member of Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, near 90 and wheelchair bound, was pushed into court for sentencing by her husband, George.
In a statement to the court prior to sentencing, Lillian Willoughby summed up her philosophy:
“I am approaching my 90th year… I had high hopes of leaving this earth confident that the people on it knew more about nonviolence and conflict resolution.… Even after 9/11 we had a window of opportunity to do just that. By working with the United Nations and the World Court we could have helped build a stronger world community, a community of fairness and justice for all, where compassion, understanding, forgiveness, imagination, sharing and courage are valued and practiced.” Lillian Willoughby – Wikipedia
For more information, call bob at 215-843-4827 (9a.m. – 3p.m. or 8p.m. – 10p.m.
