Hollywood, FL- Anti-war activists gathered along Young Circle in downtown Hollywood Saturday evening to demand “Peace not escalation” in Ukraine.

The 15 activists held a large, hand-painted banner that read, “No war with Russia. Peace in Ukraine,” as others held “Crisis in Ukraine, made in the USA,” and “Honk for peace,” signs.

The rally was met with enthusiastic honks of approval and peace signs from cars and passersby, both. In fact, one woman who passed the large banner shouted from her car, “I am Ukrainian, thank you for doing this!”

After the sign-waving, the group gathered to hear speeches providing context for the events unfolding in Ukraine and clarity for what the anti-war movement should be doing.

“The people of the United States who truly want peace we have to demand it from our own government. Let me be clear: if Mr. Biden wanted to stop the destruction in Ukraine, he could do so right now,” said Conor Munro of local anti-war group, People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR). “How? Simply by saying there will be no further NATO expansion and removing the sanctions which do nothing but harm people of all nations. That’s why those are the two demands we put on our flyer for this rally – ‘No NATO expansion’ and ‘No sanctions.’ The anti-war movement in the U.S. can’t just rally for peace; we need to explain to people how to get it.”

#HollywoodFL #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #NATO #PeoplesOppositionToWarImperialismAndRacism

Fort Lauderdale, FL – Hundreds of protests took place across the world on January 25, to demand no new U.S. war in Iran, an end to Trump’s violence and sanctions against Iran, and the removal of U.S. troops from the Middle East. In Fort Lauderdale, 35 activists gathered outside of the federal courthouse to join the global day of protest.

The diverse and energized group rallied on the busy intersection of Broward Boulevard, blasting protest music from speakers, holding signs and banners, and chanting loudly. People driving by opened their windows to share peace-signs and fists of solidarity, truck and bus drivers honked loudly in approval.

The activists at the rally held bright signs that read, “We need union jobs, not a war on Iran,” and “We need universal healthcare, not a war on Iran,” along with a super-sized red banner with the words, “Forward without war and capitalism.” The activists took part in an interactive art display by local social-justice artist Huong, who was also in attendance. Huong created double-sided painted canvases with messages of peace and justice, one piece taking five activists to spell out the words, “No war.”

After an hour of chanting, the activists gathered to listen to local grassroots organizers speak about the importance of continuing to oppose U.S. wars. Those in attendance were also encouraged to call and email their senators when they returned home to demand Senators Rubio and Scott vote “Yes” on the war powers resolution that passed the House. The resolution would force the president to get congressional approval before conducting military strikes against Iran. The group also signed onto a letter of apology being circulated by CodePink addressed to the people of Iran, by the people of the United States, apologizing for our government’s decades of intervention in their country.

While the global day of action was endorsed by most national and international anti-war organizations, the local South Florida rally was organized largely by People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR) and Dream Defenders.

#FortLauderdaleFL #International #AntiwarMovement #Iraq #Iran #US #MiddleEast #PeoplesStruggles #DreamDefenders #DonaldTrump #PeoplesOppositionToWarImperialismAndRacism #NoWarWithIran

Fort Lauderdale, FL – On Sunday, April 15, about 25 members of the South Florida activist community joined together outside of the federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale to protest the latest U.S. attacks on Syria. The event was in reaction to the attack Friday night by U.S. and its accomplices, in which they illegally bombed three government-controlled sites in and around heavily populated areas in Syria.

Protesters held several “Hands off Syria!” signs and a large hand-painted banner that read, “Stop the endless war! U.S out of the Middle East!” As cars drove by along the busy downtown roads, the spirited group of protesters chanted slogans such as, “Hey, hey Donald J, how many bombs did you drop today?”

After about one hour of chanting and sign-waving, the group formed a circle to hear the organizers of the event speak about why protesting these endless wars is imperative.

Lifetime anti-war activist Ray del Papa, of Pax Christi, addressed the crowd by reminding them of the lies told by the media and the politicians in the months leading up to the Iraq War. He warned that the U.S. is playing a world-ending game against Russia in Syria, and that the stakes are high.

Conor Munro, an organizer with People's Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR), also addressed the crowd, stating, “We know it’s not going to be Trump junior or senators’ sons that are going to fight and die in war against the people of Syria. It’s the 99% that will have to fight, and all to line the pockets of the big corporations.”

Munro continued, “While Donald Trump was out bombing Syria, we could have used that money to fix the poisoned water in Flint, or give health care to all Americans, or to provide free college for millions of students. And don’t let the news media fool you into thinking this is a humanitarian war. Do we really think that Donald Trump is a humanitarian?”

To show the hypocrisy in American ‘humanitarian intervention,’ Munro mentioned the desperate humanitarian crisis in Yemen caused by Saudi Arabia, the slaughter of dozens of Palestinians in recent weeks by Israel, and the millions of Iraqis killed in the U.S. ‘War on Terror,’ all acts committed by or assisted by the U.S.

#FortLauderdaleFL #AntiwarMovement #Syria #POWIR #PeoplesOppositionToWarImperialismAndRacism