On the morning of March 14th 2009 at 10AM, activists from all over Connecticut joined members of the Iraq Veterans Against the War in conducting Operation First Casualty in Hartford. Designed to bring everyday experiences of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the American People, Operation First Casuality (OFC) has been conducted in several locations all over the country. The March 14th OFC street theater demonstration was conducted during the hours prior to the starting of Hartford’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Several thousand people were lined up to view the parade in downtown Hartford and were the audience for IVAW-CT’s first major public event.
IVAW-CT chapter followed the parade route conducting several street theater performances including taking on fire, prisoner snatches, and street patrols. Operation First Casualty - Hartford was successful in bringing the war to the American People as many were struck by the scenes acted out by IVAW members. Along the way, IVAW members and activists were talking to the crowd to inform them what was going on, recieving many positive responses. . The demonstration was also met with by racism and nationalism by some and the threat of arrest by the police on several occasions. Faced with responses such as, “Kill all the Iraqis!”, “Waterboard Em!”, and several other insults, IVAW members courageously marched on to bring the war home. The event included a performance on the busiest corner of the parade route where IVAW members got the crowd’s attention by crossing the street yelling at a crowd of activist playing Iraqi civilians who were then arrested and then disguised by the infamous black hoods in a loud and realistic scene. IVAW-CT expects participation to grow from the event.
To contact IVAW’s Connecticut chapter, you can call: Jeff Bartos 860-866-8197
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