Opposition to the Vietnam War - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
anti-vietnam war movements, see how many were arrested:
1971 and after
Avoiding service in the Vietnam War later became an issue in American politics. Politicians criticized for avoiding service included
Vice-President Dan Quayle,
President Bill Clinton, and Vice-President
Dick Cheney, President
George W. Bush.
Opposition to the Vietnam War in Australia followed along similar lines to the United States, particularly with opposition to conscription. While Australian disengagement began in August 1971 under Prime Minister
John Gorton, it was not until the election of
Gough Whitlam in 1972 that conscription ended.
On April 23, 1971, Vietnam veterans threw away over 700 medals on the West Steps of the Capitol building
[6]. The next day, antiwar organizers claimed that 500,000 marched, making this the largest demonstration since the November, 1969 march
[7].
Two weeks later, on May 5, 1971, 1,146 people were arrested on the Capitol grounds trying to shut down Congress. The total of those arrested during the protest exceeded 12,000.
Abbie Hoffman was arrested on charges of interstate travel to incite a riot and assaulting a police officer.
[8]
In August, 1971,
The Camden 28 conducted a raid on the
Camden, New Jersey, draft board offices. The 28 included five or more members of the
clergy, as well as a number of local
blue-collar workers.
On March 29, 1972, 166 people, many of them seminarians, were arrested in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for encircling the Federal Courthouse with a chain, to protest the trial of the
Harrisburg Seven[9].
On April 19, 1972, in response to renewed escalation of bombing, students at many colleges and universities around the country broke into campus buildings and threatened strikes
[10]. The following weekend, protests were held in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and elsewhere
[11].
On May 13, 1972, protests again spread across the country in response to President Nixon's decision to mine harbors in North Vietnam
[12] and renewed bombing of North Vietnam (
Operation Linebacker).
The bombing of Hanoi on
December 24,
1972 resulted in harsh reactions from the prime-minister of
Sweden,
Olof Palme. During his famous speech that same day to the media (nowadays referred to as "The Christmas Speech"), Palme expressed harsh criticism for the war, comparing it with several of
Nazi Germany's worst deeds. This froze the diplomatic climate between the United States and Sweden, a freeze that lasted until March 1974.