A group of about 270 anti-war protestors marched Saturday morning from Coolidge Park to a rally at Miller Park.
Dr. Larry Ingle, a UTC professor who is a veteran protestor, said it was the largest protest crowd he had seen in Chattanooga.
He said the local protestors were joining with "millions of others around the world" opposing the U.S. attacking Iraq.
Another speaker said that "four generations of peace marchers" took part in the event. There were a number of children carrying signs alongside protest veterans.
Among the speakers was a Vietnam combat veteran who said, "I know how terrible war is. Bush has not made a case for war." A number of the signs carried messages such as "Support Our Troops. Dump Bush" and "Stop Mad Cowboy Disease."
One speaker said, "The point is we don't want war. We are not going to let government run over us and force us to go to war."
Another urged "all of us to come together and say this is wrong." He said the war backlash was bringing together "pagans and Christians, liberals and conservatives."
Bill Lockhart of Talk Radio told the group that those protesting the war
"are the true patriots and the true Americans."
Mark Bradshaw Miller told the group at the start that they had no city permit and they should be careful not to disrupt traffic.
The march then started behind a large banner carried by two men identified only as Foxfire and Zipper. The banner proclaimed "Chattanoogans For Peace."
The parade route went across the Walnut Street Bridge, then down to Broad Street, and over to Miller Park.
War protestors at Miller Park
- Photo2 by John Wilson