War Protesters Get Wired

Peace activists girding for a possible U.S.-led war against Iraq are increasingly turning to the Web to voice their opposition and organize meetings and demonstrations against military action.

With a possible war just days away, activists are using e-mail to coordinate campaigns and creating Web sites to serve as relative peace portals. The online resources enable visitors to contact Congress members, organize local meetings and rallies, report on the results of events, and recruit more supporters.

Sites Launched

Care2, an online network of activists, has launched a Peace Action Center. There, activists can locate congressional representatives and send letters and faxes. The group hopes to flood the U.S. Congress with antiwar messages with actions taken through the site.

The site has only been up for a couple of weeks and has processed more than 120,000 letters so far, a Care2 spokesperson said.

Care2 isn't the only antiwar site shifting into high gear. United for Peace and Justice is a national campaign bringing together a range of organizations opposed to the war. Its site gives information on nationwide and local events, offers antiwar alerts, and provides ways to donate to the cause.

Marcia Hnatowich is a peace activist with the Brookline (Massachusetts) Peace Coalition, which uses Unitedforpeace.org to organize upcoming events. She said her group's use of the Web to coordinate campaigns is "critical."

"Almost all of the information I get is through the Web," she said. Hnatowich trusts information she receives from contacts online more than she trusts information from traditional news sources, she said.

Mixed Results

But the ease and low cost of organizing on the Web also has its pitfalls. Misinformation can be quickly spread, and the number of participants can dilute a campaign's coherence, experts note.

Still, as the prospect of war draws nearer, peace groups are finding the Web an indispensable tool in organizing their campaigns.

Many conceded, however, that the chances are slim of influencing a decision that avoids war. Although Congress members themselves use the Web to communicate with constituents, many have indicated they pay little attention to mass e-mailings and online petitions.

Still, Hnatowich for one hopes that her group's efforts, on and offline, will be able to stop a war. "I remain hopeful," she said.