‘Die-ins’ target war and news media:
Aaron Unger, one of the coordinators of the protest for a group calling itself the M-27 Coalition, said demonstrators broke the law to drive home a point.
“We believe the war against Iraq is a violation of international law,” Unger said. “And the media is not telling people the whole story. I know people see what we’re doing as a nuisance. But what’s happening to the people of Iraq is much more than a nuisance.”
Fox News had its own response to the demonstrators. The news ticker rimming Fox’s headquarters on Sixth Avenue wasn’t carrying war updates as the protest began. Instead, it poked fun at the demonstrators, chiding them.
“War protester auditions here today … thanks for coming!” read one message. “Who won your right to show up here today?” another questioned. “Protesters or soldiers?”
Said a third: “How do you keep a war protester in suspense? Ignore them.”
Still another read: “Attention protesters: the Michael Moore Fan Club meets Thursday at a phone booth at Sixth Avenue and 50th Street” – a reference to the film maker who denounced the war while accepting an Oscar on Sunday night for his documentary “Bowling for Columbine.”
The protesters said Fox’s sentiments only proved their point: that media coverage, in particular among the television networks, is so biased as to be unbelievable.
This and the ClearChannel sponsorship of pro-war rallies underscores the fact that corporate America is behind the war in Iraq and will do what it can to disinform and manipulate American sentiments.