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WASHINGTON — All the lights and cameras were aimed at him. The audience, consisting of journalists and guests, was silent and attentive to what he had to say at the very moment President George W. Bush was seeking an international coalition to build a new Iraq. It was the eve of the second anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Suddenly, from the balcony, came two unexpected women’s voices, breaking the continuity of the scene. They were shouting so that everybody in the room could hear and understand what they were saying.

“Hey, Mr Rumsfeld, you are fired! The war in Iraq is unjust and illegal! When will our troops be back from Iraq? You are fired! ”

At the same time the women waved a red banner on which these words were boldly written in black: “BLOODY HANDS.”

This unexpected disruption astonished the audience. Nevertheless, someone counterattacked.

“Go home!” said a voice coming from somewhere in the main room.

But the two professional activists would neither go home nor stop. Instead, they shouted: “Hey, Rumsfeld, what do you say? How many soldiers have you killed today?”

For a few moments the two women had control of the scene, until security guards burst onto the balcony and grabbed them.

“Well, now,”said Rumsfeld, who then continued his speech without further comment. And the audience laughed.

Banished for life

As a result of their verbal assault on the secretary of defense, Victoria Cunningham and Kristen Arant were banned for life from the National Press Club. But for these two women in their 30s, staff members of Code Pink: Women for Peace, a Washington-based group campaigning for peace and democracy, it did not matter. They willingly suffered the consequences of their behavior.

“We don’t care about this punishment, we won’t take any action against it. We simply won’t come back; that’s all,” said Cunningham, who was still furious and hotheaded when I met her and Arant outside the National Press Club an hour or so later. They knew they were taking a high risk and they knew they would pay for it.

Despite their anger they did not lose their sense of humour. Arant said, “What will they do if one of us were to become the president of the United States?” That is a question for the future.

At the time, the war in Iraq seemed to be a great concern for the American public and the demonstration against Secretary Rumsfeld by Cunningham and Arant was but one symptom of the schism between the antiwar movement and the Bush administration.

From the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, to Washington, D.C., through San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Detroit and New York City, it was clear that there was opposition to the Iraq war.

On car bumper stickers, on lawn signs in front of houses and on banners one could read this:  “Occupation is Not Liberation” and “Support Our Troops, Bring Them Back from Iraq.”

For Cunningham and Arant, the movement against war was to show the international community that all Americans were not in agreement with Bush and his hawks.