Talk of war increasing numbers for Columbus protest

COLUMBUS - An annual protest of a Fort Benning institute for military officers from Latin America could be the biggest yet because of opposition to a war with Iraq, according to police and protest leaders. <br> <br> Columbus officials are readying for 5,000 or more protesters to come to town Nov. 15-17, the weekend chosen to demonstrate against the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, the successor to the U.S. Army&#39;s School of the Americas. <br> <br> Protesters say the American military has trained soldiers in violence to be used in their home countries. The Army insists the school does not teach terrorist tactics. <br> <br> Columbus police Maj. Julius Graham said anti-war sentiment is strong this year, boosting the protest&#39;s attendance. <br> <br> ``You&#39;ve got anti-war sentiment with the United States&#39; situation involving potential war with Iraq. You&#39;ve got those individuals regardless of whether they&#39;re one or 100 and the demonstration provides a platform for them as well so they can advance their agenda,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> Dozens were arrested at the protest last year. <br> <br> ``We&#39;re going to treat them with dignity and treat them fairly, but at the same time we&#39;re going to enforce the law like we did last year,&#39;&#39; said Columbus Mayor Bobby Peters. ``They will be arrested again if they want to sit in the middle of the road and block the entrance.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The Rev. Roy Bourgeois, protest leader and founder of School of the Americas Watch, said anti-war sentiment is filling the ranks of the movement and said this year&#39;s demonstration could be the organization&#39;s largest. <br> <br> ``Iraq is dominating the news and it&#39;s bringing more people into our movement,&#39;&#39; Bourgeois said. <br> <br> He added that protesters oppose not just the Army school, but also the nation&#39;s hawkish approach to Iraq. <br> <br> ``We want to shut down this school, and we will,&#39;&#39; Bourgeois said. ``But it&#39;s bigger than this school. We are also out to change this country&#39;s foreign policy. This school is an expression of that.&#39;&#39;