Milwaukee demands no war with Iran after U.S. strikes
Milwaukee, WI – On Saturday, February 28, around 70 people gathered in Milwaukee’s Zeidler Union Square Park for an emergency action to demand no war with Iran, braving the cold and snow.
The protest, led by the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC), was in response to Israel and the U.S. launching a series of air strikes, killing over 200 Iranians and wounding hundreds, including at least 148 young girls who were murdered while attending classes at their elementary school.
MAC had been prepared for an emergency response as U.S. aggression ramped up against Iran. A month before, the organization had released an emergency action plan stating that it would call a protest for the day of an attack at 5 p.m. MAC, along with 17 other endorsing organizations, were prepared to fight back.
Emcee Sara Onitsuka, co-chair of MAC, started the rally, stating, “We are enraged for the Iranians who are being killed and injured. We are enraged for Palestinians, who are still facing genocide and starvation at the hands of Israel and the U.S. We are enraged for the whole region, who are in great danger from the U.S. and Israel’s attacks. And we are also enraged that people in the U.S. are forced to have our tax money go to death and destruction as many struggle to survive. We raise our voices today to fight in solidarity with Iran, against this grave injustice.”
“This unprovoked attack is not about Iran having nuclear weapons. This is about Israeli hegemony in the Middle East and toppling the Iranian government,” said Stephanie Spalatin, a member of Milwaukee Anti-war Committee.
“Like many of you I woke up this morning to see pictures of bloody backpacks that were found outside of the elementary school that the U.S. and Israel bombed. Those images reminded me of the car that Hind Rajab was in that was covered in 500 bullet holes from when the Israelis murdered her. It reminds me of the images we see every day coming out of Palestine, Lebanon, Haiti, Sudan, the Congo, out of all these places where we see women under attack all over the world”, said Casey Serrano representing Milwaukee’s International Women’s Day Coalition. “We are here to stand in solidarity with these women all over the world until every woman is safe and free!”
At 5:40 p.m., the rally paused for a call to prayer and breaking the fast for Ramadan. Dates and water were passed around as sunset hit in snowy Milwaukee.
After the breaking of the fast, there were more speeches, and chants such as “From Iran to the Philippines, end the U.S. war machine” and “From the belly of the beast, hands off the Middle East” to keep the energy of the crowd up.
Representative Ryan Clancy said, “In early 2003, I was in Baghdad trying to protest the war and protect the civilian infrastructure that I knew would be targeted and attacked just as the U.S. has targeted and attacked civilian infrastructure overnight. We cannot look at regime change by targeting an elementary school and killing any number of children. We are here to stand with the people of Iran here today.”
“It’s not about the freedom of women. What kind of freedom do you want to send to Iran by killing girls in their schools?” said Salah Sarsour of Islamic Society of Milwaukee. “We are here today to stop this, and work hard for real peace, and to stop all these killings all over the world. That’s why we stand against war with Iran.”
Closing out the rally, Chris Van Valkenberg from Students for a Democratic Society – UWM discussed their experience as a student teacher, stating, “For the first two years at UWM, I was an education major. I think about these elementary aged girls that were just murdered, and I think about my own students that I was student teaching just last semester. I don’t have the words to describe the pain and anguish that there is right now.”
Van Valkenberg continued, “It is abundantly clear that these strikes are not going to lead to peace. As much as Trump claims himself the anti-war president, these strikes and any more escalation will continue to have blood spilled and lives lost.”
A war with Iran remains deeply unpopular in the U.S. and the world. Through the Anti-War Action Network’s call to action, over 20 cities nationwide responded to the call to demand no war with Iran. Milwaukee added its voice to the call, vowing to continue rising up and taking the streets.