San Jose holds emergency protest against Israel’s strikes on Iran
San Jose, CA – On Tuesday, June 17, around 200 people gathered at the steps of Dr. MLK, Jr Library to protest Israel’s “pre-emptive” strikes on Iran.
In front of the library, chants such as, “Hands off Iran,” “Stop arming Israel” and “Iran is not the enemy,” resonated throughout the streets of downtown San Jose.
Emer Martin from Vigil 4 Gaza stated, “The empire wants us to believe that Iran, like Cuba and Venezuela, is an irrational, untrustworthy actor. But what these countries have in common is not extremism, it’s resistance. Resistance to being reduced to resource colonies.”
Noble Mushtak of Silicon Valley DSA said, “In the face of this genocide of the Palestinians and this disastrous war with Iran, we must find creative ways to say no to the profiting off weapons made for war criminals, say no to the killing of innocent people, and to fight back against the U.S. war machine!”
Allie Chen of San Jose Against War stated, “The ruling class wants to distract us and fund another endless war overseas, which will line the ruling class’s pockets, while defunding human rights here at home. Is it Iran that raises our cost of living while keeping our wages stagnant? Is it Iran that sends ICE to break down our neighbor’s doors?”
Musa Tariq from the Council on American-Islamic Relations reminded the crowd, “How many times have we been here before? 20 years ago, they told us Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. That they were a threat to global security. That we had no choice but to invade. Those lies cost over a million lives, destroyed a nation, and destabilized an entire region. Today, they’re attempting to use the same playbook against Iran.”
John Duroyan, president of San José State University Students for a Democratic Society, told the crowd, “Know your enemy! And know that while the rich continue to perpetuate war abroad while unleashing repression and violence at home, that it is our duty to not relent in our singular, righteous struggle against them. The student movement stands with you. The people of the world are counting on us to do our part in fighting back. We say no to endless war. Hands off Iran!”