The weather was cold and emotions were hot Wednesday on the Kansas University campus at a protest of the Bush administration’s policy on Iraq.

About 75 KU students braved a chilly drizzle at the protest, a precursor to a national rally planned Saturday in Washington, D.C. About 35 people from Lawrence plan to participate in the Saturday rally.

Protesters held signs from noon to 1 p.m. at KU’s Wescoe Beach. They chanted “Drop Bush, not bombs” and “No blood for oil” to passers-by.

“I think it’s dangerous to set a precedent for unprovoked, unilateral military action against a nation we don’t know is a threat,” said Tyler Longpine, a junior from Hays.

Mike Appleby, a Lawrence junior, said he thought U.S. interest in Iraq was mainly about oil.

He said he was in the Army Reserve and didn’t want to be activated to fight in Iraq.

“I don’t feel like going to Iraq to fight a war for ExxonMobil,” he said.

The event was organized by Concerned, Active and Aware Students. This morning, students from the organization and members of the Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice will leave for Washington, D.C., where they will participate in a rally Saturday on the National Mall.

The Bush administration's plan to use military force in Iraq is drawing protests in Lawrence and across the nation. About 75 Kansas University students, including from left, Leawood freshman Emily Atkinson, Salina freshman Kevin McKenzie and Topeka freshman Christi Moses, joined in a protest Wednesday at Wescoe Beach.

The rally is a joint effort of several national and international organizations. Organizers expect more than 100,000 people to attend.

Roksana Alavi, a graduate student who grew up in Iran, said she had first-hand reasons to oppose the war.

“A war isn’t good,” she said. “I was bombed as a child, more than once. No child should go through that.”

She said the rally would be the best way for government leaders to hear opposition to war on Iraq.

“When we all come together in unity, it makes a difference,” she said. “Our senators are not hearing us, so we have to go to them.”

But Amanda Flott, a junior from Omaha, Neb., said even Wednesday’s rally, which she helped organize, could make an impact in Washington.

“I think even a small group like this can make a difference,” she said. “We got our voices out. We’re showing our opposition to whoever will listen.”