New Haven Independent

The antiwar demonstration took place Wednesday at afternoon rush hour, as people gathered to protest President Bush’s veto of an Iraq war spending bill that included a timetable for troop withdrawal.

It had a sizeable contingent from Southern Connecticut State University at a time when the media and many in the movement are bemoaning the lack of passion and involvement of young people in the effort to end the war. The students are members of the school’s chapter of Amnesty International, which opposes torture whenever and wherever it occurs.

Second, an Amnesty member from Southern, Amanda DeGioia, volunteered to undergo a form of waterboarding — a torture technique in which a person is made to feel he or she is drowning. A fellow student bound her hands, shoved a sponge in her mouth and blindfolded her as she lay face-up across a barrel. Then the student poured water over DeGioia’s face (pictured at top of story) until she stomped her feet on the ground to stop the treatment.

Henry Lowendorf, chair of the Greater New Haven Peace Council, called for a round of applause for DeGioia, but also commented that the real prisoners in Guantánamo and elsewhere who have undergone this treatment “can’t stop it by hitting their feet on the ground.”

DeGioia couldn’t agree more. She said she got “only a taste of what they’re getting.” Click here to listen to her comments.

The action was held at the corner of Temple and Chapel, across the street from Sen. Joe Lieberman’s residence. Connecticut residents are strongly against the war and want to bring the troops home, but Lieberman is one of President Bush’s strongest supporters of the war in Iraq. Protesters were delivering the message that he needs to start listening to his constituents.

Lowendorf also pointed out that Lieberman voted for the Military Commissions Act last October, which legalized harsh treatment of detainees, including waterboarding. He wasn’t home when his constituents came calling, but he has in the past defended his support for the war in Iraq and the treatment of detainees as a necessary part of the war against terrorism.

As usual, almost all the passersby willing to give their opinion were strongly against the war. Emilie Mayo (pictured on the right) was waiting for a bus and shared her thoughts. Click here to listen.