New Orleans, LA – On Monday, March 2, around 25 students gathered on Freret Street in uptown New Orleans to protest the United States aggression against Iran. Students participated in the emergency action as part of a national call to action from Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

The U.S. began their strikes on Iran early in the morning on Saturday, February 28 in Tehran in coordination with Israel. Since then, more than 1000 deaths have been reported in Iran.

Speaking for SDS, Tulane University senior Billy Bernfeld stated, “The U.S. and Israel did not launch this war because they legitimately fear nuclear proliferation, but because they fear a tangible threat to Western imperialist hegemony. Overseas or right here where we stand, they target student voices because they fear student voices.”

The students chanted “Hands off Iran,” and “Money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation!”

Juleea Berthelot of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization told the crowd, “Iran is a sovereign country that stands at the center of an axis of resistance. Iran stands firmly with the Palestinian resistance and backs the anti-imperialist forces in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen. That is why Iran is targeted again and again.”

“We reject the lie we’ve heard for decades that the U.S. has the ultimate goal of peace and freedom for the Middle East. What peace is there for the millions already killed? What freedom is there for the next generation if they are never given a chance to grow up? We say: no more!” declared Jia Sharma-Chaube, a Tulane student and organizer with Students for a Democratic Society.

Despite agitation from pro-Israel counter-protesters, the rally persisted in disrupting business as usual on campus.

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