The Suffolk Marxist Club sponsored an anti -war protest that took place in the Boston Common.
According to the New Yorker, after the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Suleiman, anti- American sentient has been spread throughout the Middle East, heightening tensions.
According to the New York Times, the Iran Nuclear Deal, which was enacted in 2015, used the countries within the United Nations to limit Iran’s civilian nuclear enrichment program, restricting their nuclear weapons in general. From 2015 until recently, this agreement kept the tensions between the U.S. and the Middle East at ease.
People of all ages, backgrounds and identities protested the recent ideas of going to war with Iran and what it would actually do for the U.S.. Members of the crowd would emerge to speak, and then return to the crowd to protest and add solidarity between those just protesting and those working with peace organizations.
The protest opened with an opposition protest choir singing “Down by the Riverside” by Louis Armstrong, with lyrics like “Ain’t gonna study war no more.” Along with this choir, there were a large variety of chants, such as “up with liberation down with occupation.”
This protest marched along Tremont Street, gaining the interests of those in the area. During the rally, different organizations were collecting money in donation buckets in hopes of giving back to those impacted by conflict in the Middle East.
Julia Tiernan, one of the protesters, said just being present at a rally can raise awareness.
“Showing up and getting people together and trying to raise awareness for what our government is telling us is true can help reveal the real truth,” said Tiernan.
Protesters mentioned other topics, ranging from the Harriet Tubman house being sold and an Iranian student from Northeastern University recently being deported, even though he had a valid student Visa.
Cade, a protester and a member of the Fenway Socialists, talked about the public aspects of protest and what it can do for a movement like this.
“Standing against U.S. imperialism is important and also doing a public showing against U.S. imperialism is even more important because anyone walking through the Common right now could see the protest and shift them from being uneducated on these issues,” said Cade.
During the speeches during the protest, the crowd held signs reading “never again is now,” and “End Iran Sanctions, End Iraq Occupation, U.S. out of the Middle East,” as well as other slogans criticizing the currents administration’s policy amid the ongoing impeachment trials.
Max, another protester, commented on the recent Iranian civilian deaths and how coming together could create change.
“Silence is never solving anything, which is why us leftists need to come together in a place like Boston Common to show that there are people that are disapproving of the government’s actions,” said Max. “There’s Iranian civilian blood on our hands, and we need to stand against that.”
