WASHINGTON, January 23, 2002 (LSN.ca) – Today LifeSite spoke with Nellie Gray, president of the March for Life Fund, who stated that the official estimate of the attendance at yesterday’s March for Life was 100,000. Gray said the wide line of the March took well over one and a half hours to pass one point. Some veteran Canadian pro-life leaders at the march strongly felt that the attendance was well over 100,000.
While the report in the Washington Post quoted the 100,000 figure, other reports wildly underestimated the numbers. A report by United Press International called the March, “the smallest ‘March for Life’ in the event’s history”, claiming a Capitol Police estimate of the crowd between 5,000 and 8,000 and topping at 15,000. Most media reports on the March failed to mention specific estimates but underestimated the numbers by reporting “thousands,” rather than ‘tens of thousands’ participated.
Numerous calls to Capitol Police were unreturned by press time.
See the March coverage from the Washington Post and UPI at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22074-2002Jan22.html https://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=3056799&BRD=1713&PAG=740&dept_id=226956&rfi=6