Anti-war protest targets militaristic VP candidate Sarah Palin

On Oct. 4, members of the ANSWER Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation participated in an anti-war rally targeting Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin in Costa Mesa, Calif.

Demonstrators protest the pro-war position of the McCain/Palin ticket, Costa Mesa, Calif., Oct. 4. Photo: Marylou Cabral

The rowdy protest of about 300 people was held right across the street from a Palin fundraiser that netted the McCain/Palin ticket over $2 million in donations. PSL members set the tone of the demonstration with an anti-war banner at the front and militant chants.

Chants like “Obama, McCain stop the war” and “Palin must go” were echoed enthusiastically by the largely pro-Barack Obama crowd that attended. The need to end the war in Iraq highly resonated.

Many of the attendees also signed the ANSWER Coalition’s “Stop the War” petitions and took home palm cards for the upcoming “Stand up and fight back” National Conference on Socialism to be held on Dec. 6-7 in Los Angeles.

PSL members attracted the local media’s attention. The Orange County Register and local college newspapers interviewed PSL members.

Despite the crowd’s largely pro-Obama sentiment, the strong calls to end the war and stop the giveaways to bankers were well received. The PSL intervention made clear that neither capitalist candidate would bring the genuine change that working-class people deserve. The positive interactions with protesters showed that there is indeed a party out there that truly fights in people’s interests.