Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, 503 Rock Creek Church Road, NW, Washington,
D.C. 20010  PH: 202-882-9649

PRESS RELEASE—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  February 4, 1998

Attention Assignment Editor
Press Contacts: Art Laffin 202-882-9649
                            International Action Center   212-633-6646

WHITE HOUSE DEMONSTRATION TO PROTEST WAR AGAINST IRAQI PEOPLE 

Demonstrations Set in 30 Cities
Washington, D.C. Protest  on Thursday, February 5 at White House at 12 noon

Clinton Could Violate Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
Plans to Use Nuclear Weapons Against Iraq in Place Since November 1997

The Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in Washington, D.C. has long recognized the
need to live with and serve the poor. But also to protest policies that
cause poverty. 

This faith-based, pacifist  community strives to make the connection between
militarism and poverty. For example, community members have protested at the
Pentagon, the White House, embassies involved in gross human rights
violations and other institutions to condemn policies that harm the poor.
Catholic Workers have endured jail sentences as a result of acts of civil
disobedience. For example, several Catholic Workers are currently in the
D.C. Jail as a result of an August 1997 protest at NASA headquarters in
Washington, D.C. that condemned the use of plutonium on the Cassini space
probe. 

The Dorothy Day Catholic Worker will be joined by other peace and justice
organizations and individuals at the noon protest at the White House on
February 5. The demonstrators will demand a nonviolent diplomatic solution
to the crisis with Iraq, a cessation of military threats against the country
and an end to sanctions, which are believed to have caused the death of some
1,000,000 million Iraqis, including some 700,000 children, 

Another concern is that the US may be preparing to use nuclear weapons
against Iraq. Extensive changes were secretly made in U.S. nuclear weapons
policy to allow the use of tactical nuclear weapons against Iraq. The policy
changes went into effect in November of 1997. The "First Strike" option is
in direct violation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty which both Iraq
and the U.S. have signed. The plans to use nuclear weapons against Iraq were
reported in the February 1 issue of the NY-based Newsday. 

Demonstrations are being organized in thirty cities across the U.S. Protests
will occur in New York, San Francisco, Detroit, Portland, ME, Boston,
Cleveland, Minneapolis, Houston, Raleigh, NC; Los Angeles; Chicago,
Philadelphia, St. Louis and several other cities.  Other demonstrations are
being organized in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area as the events unfold.

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Call President Clinton 202-456-1111; Fax him 202-456-2461; e.mail him
president@whitehouse.gov; call your representatives & senators/Capitol
switchboard 202-224-3121