Anti-War Group Fined for Promoting 9/15 Event

The ANSWER Coalition, the progressive organizing group behind the scheduled Sept. 15 anti-war march in Washington, DC, says the city fined the organization in excess of $10,000 for putting up antiwar posters in the nation's capital.

From the group's press release:

In an unprecedented action, the ANSWER Coalition today received citations fining the organization $10,000 for the placement of posters announcing the September 15 March on Washington DC. The fines come after a campaign led by FOX news calling for the DC government to take action against those putting up posters for the September 15 demonstration.

They have told us that we have 72 hours to remove every poster, or the fines will go into effect. Tens of thousands of dollars in additional fines are expected in the coming days. Bush’s Interior Department is threatening similar actions against ANSWER. The September 15 posters are legal and conform to city regulations. We will not allow the government's intimidation tactics to slow our outreach or silence the antiwar movement.

In a just-published activism alert, the coalition asks likeminded anti-war progressives to send letters today to DC Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and to William Howland Jr., director of the DC Department of Public Works "demanding an end to the fines, harassment and repression of the anti-war movement. We have a right to publicize the September 15 March. Fining the anti-war movement tens of thousands of dollars for putting up Free Speech-protected literature makes a mockery out of the First Amendment."

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