Lansing - Gray skies and the threat of rain did not deter the crowd that showed up for a global day of protest Saturday, when hundreds from across Michigan spoke out on the first anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war.
More than 200 protesters met at Louis Adado Riverfront Park in Lansing as part of the Global Day of Action against War and Occupation - a march to the Capitol followed by a rally - carrying signs and banners, with some wearing costumes, including chains and masks of President Bush.
The group chanted, "1, 2, 3, 4, hey, dude, where's our country?", while some demonstrators beat drums or buckets to keep pace while marching.
Members of Direct Action, a Lansing-area activist group, carried black, life-size cardboard coffins with the number of Iraqis and U.S. soldiers who have died in the past year painted on them in white.
French senior Jim Marcus has been active in anti-war protests since the Iraq war started.
"I want to make a statement that the majority of Americans didn't want this war," he said. "We still oppose it. Even if it's officially over, people are still dying."
But not everyone involved in the march was there to express anti-war sentiments.
Lansing resident Ben Holzhausen was joined by a handful of people who were there to protest the march.
"What I am here for is to say they can protest the war, protest America, and I can protest them," he said. "They hate Bush more than they do the terrorists."
But no-preference freshman Katie Lowder said she wasn't marching to protest the United States.
"Some people say protesters are unpatriotic, but expressing yourself is part of being American," she said.
During the rally at the Capitol, Arney Stieber of Veterans for Peace taught the crowd a chant he wrote about the errors of the Bush administration, as hundreds responded loudly.
A group of about 10 pro-war demonstrators, including Holzhausen, also joined in the chant, but instead of repeating the lines, they yelled phrases such as, "You are free, you live here" and "Support our president."
Holt resident Carolyn Eckstein-Soule said she is proud of how President Bush has worked with Iraq.
"Iraq is about freeing people, about us saving people from a horrible regime," she said. "Having a free Iraq will help to stabilize the cause of freedom in the Middle East."
Police blocked off streets surrounding the Capitol for the protest. Officers on motorcycles led the group as they finished the demonstration by arriving at Lansing Community College, where several workshops were being held about global issues.
Ben Burgis, a Western Michigan University graduate student, said public demonstrations such as Saturday's are an effective way to make a lasting impression on people.
"I think people will take away the fact that the anti-war movement is still kicking," he said. "People are still dying on both sides. It's important to realize people are still angry about the war."
Alessa Thomas can be reached at thoma470@msu.edu.
