A Kansas University professor’s trip to Iraq is becoming a rallying point for anti-war activists in Lawrence.

Scott Harding, assistant professor of social welfare, has started a series of talks about his five-day trip, which ended Jan. 18. He spoke Wednesday to faculty, staff and students on campus and to a crowd at Plymouth Congregational Church.

“I think he gives some depth to the issue,” said Judy LeRoy, a KU instructor and doctoral student. “I’m delighted he did this. It’s good to know he’s optimistic we can do things to stop the war.”

Harding traveled to Iraq with 30 faculty members and graduate students from American universities. Much of their time was spent meeting with faculty at Baghdad University, though they also toured hospitals and met with government officials.

Harding has spoken several times since his return. He talked at the University of Texas-Austin at the request of a friend who teaches there and at a Kansas City Iraq Task Force meeting. He also will speak next week to a class at Haskell Indian Nations University.

Harding said his goal was to explain the dilemma of the common people of Iraq and to show how United Nations sanctions there have affected them. Though Iraqi government officials shepherded the group around the country and dictated some of the conversations, Harding said he saw enough everyday people to know war there would devastate Iraqis.

“People in the Middle East have been demonized” by the media, he said. “I certainly was overwhelmed by the warmth and friendliness of the people I met.”

Scott Harding, assistant professor of social welfare, has started a series of talks about his recent trip to Iraq. He spoke Wednesday to faculty, staff and students on campus and to a crowd at Plymouth Congregational Church. Harding said his goal was to put a face on the common people of Iraq and to show how United Nations sanctions there have affected them.

He said he was optimistic that American public opinion could prevent President Bush from ordering an attack on Iraq. He said writing to congressmen and gathering for protests — such as the noontime Saturday rallies at the Douglas County Courthouse — would make a difference.

If Bush thinks enough Americans oppose war that he could lose the 2004 election, he might back off his plans, Harding said.

Liz Snyder, a KU senior from Wichita who attended the campus lecture Wednesday, said she especially was interested in Harding’s views on sanctions in Iraq, which he said had kept everything from medical supplies to scholarly journals from reaching Iraqis.

“I was very interested when he talked about the sanctions,” she said. “You don’t hear about that in the news, how those efforts have hurt the Iraqi people.”