National Youth and Student Peace Coalition

1413 K St. NW, 9th Floor; Washington DC, 20005

501-244-2439, clearinghouse@tao.ca; www.nyspc.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 5th 2003; 8:00 a.m. EST

National Student Strike TODAY!

Size exceeding organizers’ expectations

See the updated list of campuses at: www.nyspc.net/strikelist.html

Students across the US will strike or walkout of class today to protest the Bush Administration’s threatened war in Iraq and call for increased funding for education.

Students are striking against a war that will undermine U.S. security, endanger Iraqi civilians, erode U.S. international legitimacy, and divert spending from important domestic priorities such as education. The event is coordinated by the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition (NYSPC).

Students from more than 300 high school and college have pledged to participate in this day of national student resistance, with new school registrations and confrirmations continuing to pour in each minute. The size and breadth of the strike are certain to greatly exceed organizer expectations.

Students will walk out of classes all over New York City during the morning, and a final convergence point will be a massive rally at Hunter College at 2:30 pm. Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Bay Area, Seattle, and other urban areas will also hold city-wide student events.

At many convergence points, youth and students will hold a referendum on the war and increased funding for education. The ballots will be counted and sent to congressional representatives to underscore the message.

The call for a student strike has been taken up by students in Canada, Spain, Australia, the UK, France, Bulgaria, Switzerland, and elsewhere abroad.

For more info see the NYSPC’s website at: www.nyspc.net. Resources for press, including an updated list of participating campuses; local organizers’ contact info; and CNN, BBC, and New York Times coverage is available at: www.nyspc.net/presspg.html.

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