Fort Lauderdale, FL – A dozen activists from the South Florida area joined together outside of the Federal Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday afternoon, February 20, to denounce U.S. sanctions and any U.S. aggression against Iran, and to urge President Biden to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action without any added stipulations.

This event was part of the “No War on Iran National Days of Action” called for by Youth Against Empire (YAE), the newest formation within the United National Antiwar Coalition. YAE is part of a national initiative by leading anti-war organizations within UNAC to place young people at the center of the struggle against U.S. wars of aggression.

In Fort Lauderdale, activists held signs that read, “No war on Iran,” as well as peace signs and a large banner that had the message, “Money for jobs and education, not for wars and occupation.” Cars and passersby waved and honked loudly in agreement as they drove past the activists on the busy intersection.

This was the first in-person rally held by anti-war groups in South Florida since summer of 2020, due to COVID concerns. However, the spirited group of protesters wore masks and maintained relative distance from others and voiced hope that this would be the beginning of renewed activism in the area.

Rallies, banner-drops, and sign-waving took place in several cities across the country as part of the National Days of Action, including in Minneapolis, Albany, Denver and Dallas.

#FortLauderdaleFL #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #IranSanctions

Denver, CO – On Saturday, January 20, the Denver Peace Council and Students for a Democratic Society gathered at the Colorado state capitol for a roadside protest against U.S. sanctions on Iran. The protest was called for as part of a national day of action by the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC)’s youth committee, Youth Against Empire.

The action was called due to continued U.S. aggression against Iran. Despite campaign promises to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Biden administration has opted to largely continue Trump’s policies. The Trump administration had withdrawn from the deal in 2018, stating that the agreement did not go far enough to limit Iran’s weapon production. Trump, furthermore, had placed new “maximum pressure” sanctions on Iran in 2018, which the Biden administration has only recently moved to lift.

Sanctions are a way to target the civilian population of a country, blocking food and medical supplies to countries in need. What makes this more significant is the presence of COVID-19. Since COVID first entered Iran, there have been a reported 1.54 million cases, leaving at least 60,000 dead. The sanctions against Iran have caused the country to go into an economic lockdown, worsening the effects of the pandemic. Lack of medical supplies and lab equipment continues to plague Iran, leading to the death of countless civilians. This makes it all the more important to demand that the Biden administration lift all sanctions on Iran, not just the ones implemented by the Trump administration.

#DenverCO #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #UnitedNationalAntiWarCoalition #IranSanctions #YouthAgainstEmpire