Protests against the Iraq War

A worldwide movement of demonstrations and other acts opposing the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the ensuing war, grounded in antiwar, legal, and political objections.

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February 15, 2003 anti-war protests: A coordinated global day of demonstrations against the impending invasion of Iraq, held in hundreds of cities. This unprecedented synchronized protest was the movement’s largest mobilization before the invasion.
Global justice movement: A transnational movement challenging the political and economic effects of corporate globalization. Its networks and mobilization tactics helped organize the February 2003 demonstrations.
Cindy Sheehan: An American antiwar activist whose son Casey was killed in Iraq in 2004. Her 2005 vigil at Camp Casey made the human cost of the war a national focus.
Pro-war movement: Political campaigns and public advocacy supporting a particular war or military intervention. Its arguments for invasion directly opposed the antiwar movement’s demands.
2003 invasion of Iraq: The United States-led military operation that began the Iraq War on March 20, 2003. The invasion was the immediate focus of the movement’s largest prewar demonstrations.
Anti-nuclear movement: Political activism opposing nuclear weapons, nuclear energy, or both. Its established peace groups and protest traditions fed into Iraq War opposition.
Code Pink: A U.S. women-led grassroots organization founded in 2002 to oppose the Iraq War and promote peace. Its direct-action protests made it one of the movement’s most visible organizations.
Humanitarian intervention: The use or threat of force by external actors to prevent or stop severe human-rights abuses. Supporters sometimes framed intervention in humanitarian terms, unlike protesters rejecting the invasion.
Camp Casey: A 2005 protest camp near President George W. Bush’s Texas ranch, established by antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan. Its vigil turned opposition to the ongoing war into a sustained, highly visible protest.
Iraq disarmament crisis: The dispute over Iraq’s compliance with United Nations disarmament requirements before the 2003 invasion. Claims about Iraqi weapons and inspections were central to prewar protest arguments.