By C.G. Lynch

On the corner of Park Street and Hadassah Way, bongos and drums sounded amidst chants, with signs supporting a U.S. withdrawal from Haiti.

People of various oppositions held their signs high – “Iraq is a Rich Man’s War!” “Bush Lies! Free Palestine!” “No Bio-Terror Lab in Boston!” “Troops Home Now!” – as they scattered down Arlington Street and side streets adjacent to the Park Plaza Hotel.

The Northeastern University Campus Against War and Racism (NUCAWR) group and the NU International Socialist Organization (NUISO) led a group of protesters down to the hotel last Thursday to oppose the visit of President George W. Bush, who met with other GOP members for a fundraiser at the hotel.

Students from NU began their walk down from Boston Common, before joining other opposition groups by the Plaza. Among others, Joe Knott, who helps spearhead both NUCAWR and NUISO, led the NU protesters.

“I think, in the long run, the only way we’ve gotten many of the rights, and stopped the injustices, stemmed from protest and social movements,” Knott said. “There is a sense that things need to be done in the areas of war, racism and homophobia.”

Knott and others marched down the Common and onto Boylston Street, where other protesters with varying grievances convened at the corner of the Park Plaza and beside the Arlington T stop.

They joined the chanting and started some of their own: “Money for jobs and education, not for bombs and occupation!” “Hey-hey, ho-ho, Bush and Cheney have got to go!”

Knott said his group’s ultimate goal – aside from their myriad of problems with the Bush administration – was to protest the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

Members of NUCAWR and NUISO said they have two different opinions: either endorsing the United Nations to take over the rebuilding effort in Iraq or for a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Conor Morey-Barrett, a Massachusetts College of Art freshman, belongs to NUCAWR and attended the protest.

“Whether it be marriage or the occupation of Iraq, there are so many different reasons to be against Bush,” Morey-Barrett said.

Other organizations on hand included the United for Justice with Peace and the Greater Boston Labor Council. Police officials approximated the size of the protest at 500.

Though some thought the rally seemed, at times, scattered, Knott said student awareness and the modern protest movement has gained momentum.

“This speaks to how offensive Bush is,” he said. “I anticipate people will be coming from all sorts of angles. I do think students are becoming politically aware.”