The Human Face of Political Dissent:
What we know about the anti-war marchers of February 2003
Dr. John Sloboda and Dr. Brian Doherty, July 2004
Dissent from the planned invasion and occupation of Iraq was a global
phenomenon on an unprecedented scale. The anti-war marches and demonstrations
of 15 February 2003 had no obvious precedent in history. Never had so
many ordinary citizens united across all divides of nationality, religion,
political and cultural systems, in passionate but non-violent democratic
opposition to a war. So impressive were these demonstrations that the
New York Times was moved to comment on its front page that "there
may still be two superpowers on the planet: the United States and world
public opinion".
Given the uniqueness and the political significance of the anti-war
movement, it is of considerable importance to understand as much as
we can about who actually joined these marches, and what motivated them.
This briefing explores these issues.
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