U.S. Citizens for Peace & Justice - Rome Italy anti-war demonstration in Rome

Past Events


Solidarity with Bradley Manning
December 17, 2011

No to "war as usual"
March 19, 2010

Winter Soldier Europe
March 14, 2009

Palestinian Flags Flutter
Alongside Peace Banners

January 17, 2009

Close Guantanamo Now!
January 17, 1009

10-Day Vigil for Gaza
January 8-18, 2009

Supporting La'Onf
October 29, 2008

Free the Cuban 5
Sept 13, 2008

Cheney in Chains
Sept 8, 2008

No Bush, No War
June 11, 2008

May Day ILWU Solidarity Action
May 1, 2008

War Tax Day
April 15, 2008

World Social Forum Global Day of Action
Jan 26, 2008

Shut Down Guantánamo Now!
Jan 11, 2008

No U.S. Military Base in Vicenza
Dec 15, 2007

Meeting Iranian Artists
Dec 05, 2007

End the War in Iraq, No War on Iran
Oct 27, 2007

Report on Final Days of No Dal Molin Festival in Vicenza, Italy
Sept 16, 2007

Camping for Peace in Vicenza, Italy
Sept 12, 2007

Impeach Them Both +
Judiciary Fax Blast

July 23, 2007

I-M-P-E-A-C-H !
April 28, 2007

4th Anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq
March 20, 2007

No Dal Molin, Vicenza, Italy
Feb 17, 2007

Congress: Act Now to End the War
Jan 27, 2007

No Military Bases, Vicenza, Italy
Dec 2, 2006

No War, No Cluster Bombs
Sept 23, 2006

Protest Calling for Cease-fire in Lebanon
July 26, 2006

Military Spending
Bean Poll

July 18, 2006

Stop the Escalation
in the Middle East

July 17, 2006

Refusing to Kill
July 06, 2006

Shailja Patel:
Poetry in Times
of War

July 05, 2006

Troops Home Fast
July 04, 2006

Italian Vote on
Military Missions

June 27, 2006

Peace Parade
June 02, 2006

Michael Uhl of
Veterans for Peace

April 29, 2006

Eyes Wide Open
Film Series
Hidden in Plain Sight

April 26, 2006

War Tax Day
April 15, 2006

Eyes Wide Open
Film Series
Hotel Palestine: Killing the Witness

April 12, 2006

National Anti-war Protest in Rome
March 18, 2006

Soldiers Against War
March 18, 2006

Eyes Wide Open
Film Series
Aristide and the Endless Revolution

March 15, 2006

Women (and men!) Say No To War
March 8, 2006

An Eyewitness Account of Post Katrina New Orleans
March 2, 2006

Eyes Wide Open
Film Series
Life and Debt

February 09, 2006

Vote to Renew Italian Mission in Iraq
February 09, 2006

Cindy Sheehan
February 06, 2006

NBC Today
Show Blitz

February 06, 2006

Eyes Wide Open
Film Series
The Revolution Will
Not Be Televised

January 26, 2006

Cindy Sheehan
In Rome

January 18, 2006

Crimes & Lies:
with Dave Lindorff
and Maurizio Torrealta

January 13, 2006

Eyes Wide Open
Film Series
Peace Propaganda and
the Promised Land

January 12, 2006

Eyes Wide Open
Film Series
The Oil Factor

December 15, 2005

Eyes Wide Open
Film Series
Plan Colombia

December 01, 2005

Fallujah: The Hidden Massacre
November 30, 2005

Eyes Wide Open
Film Series
Wal-Mart

November 17, 2005

Protest at U.S. Embassy: White Phosphorus in Fallujah
November 14, 2005

Control Arms Petition
at Piazza Chiesa Nuova

November 12, 2005

Eyes Wide Open
Film Series
Invisible Ballots

November 10, 2005

Eyes Wide Open
Film Series
The Corporation

October 27, 2005

Movie Night:
Viva Zapatero

October 25, 2005

Eyes Wide Open
Film Series
Hidden Wars of
Desert Storm

October 13, 2005

Anti-war rally
at U.S. Embassy

Sept 24, 2005

USC4P&J Social
at the Beehive

June 22, 2005

Die-In with
Articolo 11
at Palazzo Chigi

June 21, 2005

Collecting Photos
with Control Arms

June 18, 2005

Eyes Wide Open
Film Series
Unconstitutional

June 16, 2005

Eyes Wide Open
Film Series
Outfoxed

June 09, 2005

Eyes Wide Open
Film Series
Weapons of
Mass Deception

May 19, 2005

Vigil at Palazzo Chigi with Articolo 11
May 05, 2005

Vigil at Palazzo Chigi with Articolo 11
April 28, 2005

Vigil at Palazzo Chigi with Articolo 11
April 21, 2005

International Day of Protest
March 19, 2005

White Phosphorus in Fallujah
Protest at the U.S Embassy

November 14, 2005

USC4P&J endorsed and participated in the demonstration at the U.S. Embassy in Rome denouncing the use of white phosphorus in Fallujah and calling for withdrawal of the troops from Iraq. Below is Stephanie's account.


In a matter of just a few days, a protest was organized in front of the U.S. Embassy in Rome after RAI News 24 aired a 30-minute documentary on the use of white phosphorus by the U.S. military in Fallujah last November, confirming what independent journalists and human rights groups had been reporting for a year. [see the video]

USC4P&J endorsed the demonstration and a number of our members participated. It was very important for us to make our voices heard and to speak out against the atrocities documented in the film. White Phosphorus is a chemical agent the burns the skin on contact. The video included graphic images of the horribly disfigured bodies of men, women, and children; their clothes still intact.

The protest was called to condemn the use of this chemical weapon and to demand the immediate withdrawal of all troops from Iraq. Participating in the demonstration was a wide slice of the Italian anti-war movement, from Cobas to Beati Costruttori di Pace. There were a few politicians present as well as Giuliana Sgrena, the Italian journalist kidnapped in Iraq and then shot by U.S. soldiers on her way to the Baghdad Airport. Our group held signs with Stop the War on one side and slogans on the other such as "Fallujah = My Lai with Phosphorus" and "Impeach Bush for War Crimes".

There were hundreds of protesters present and we were initially packed on the sidewalk across the street from the embassy. Then a group led by Cobas invaded the street and blocked traffic. They attempted to throw white flour over the gates of the embassy in a symbolic gesture, but were stopped short by the police. The flour was then used to write messages on the street.

A small delegation from our group together with Lisa Clark of Beati Costruttori di Pace walked over to the gates of the embassy and as U.S. citizens requested a meeting with the ambassador. We were asked to wait and were then told it was not possible. Another symbolic gesture.

Our signs in English attracted the attention of a couple of tourists from Denver, Kathy and George, a Vietnam vet. George immediately proclaimed himself anti-Bush. We invited them to join us and gave them a couple of signs. They stayed with us for over an hour. George was also interviewed by the newspaper Liberazione, with one of our friends from Traduttori per la pace functioning as interpreter.

Additional demonstrations were also held the following day in Milan at the U.S. Consulate where over one thousand protesters gathered and a video sit-in was staged in Florence, showing the Fallujah video on laptops to passersby in a pedestrian zone in the center.

Special thanks to those who made it out to the protest. At 4pm on a Monday, it wasn't easy for most. But we had enough of a presence to make it on the Italian news (TG3 and Rai News 24) as well as several Italian newspapers and even Navy Times, Air Force Times, Army Times and Marine Times. Our voices were heard.

Now is the time to keep pushing for this video to get more news coverage both in Italy and the U.S. Contact the news media in the U.S. and demand this story be covered. Or write a letter to the editor of your favorite newspaper. Media contact information can be found on FAIR's web site.

And sign a petition demanding the video of Fallujah be shown in prime time on RAI.

Stephanie Westbrook

Original Appeal

Appeal in English for our members

Appello in italiano

Additional Resources

The Face of War: Photo gallery from Darh Jamail's Electronic Iraq. This album contains photos taken by the military of dead men in Fallujah. The photos were taken on November 19th, 2004, to identify the dead. The IRC estimates that at least 60% of those killed in the assault of Fallujah are women, children and elderly. Warning: These are extremely graphic images posted simply to show the true face of war.

Field Artillery Magazine: March/April 2005 issue of this Army magazine contains battlefield report on Fallujah, with the following on white phosphorus:
"WP (White Phosphorous) proved to be an effective and versatile munition. We used it for screening missions at two breeches and, later in the fight, as a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes when we could not get effects on them with HE. We fired 'shake and bake' missions at the insurgents, using WP to flush them out and HE to take them out"
...
"We used improved WP for screening missions when HC (Hexachloroethane Zinc) smoke would have been more effective and saved our WP for lethal missions."

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Copyright © 2005 Stephanie Westbrook  All rights reserved
U.S. Citizens for Peace & Justice - Rome, Italy