What brings hundreds of Americans to chant in front of the White House while battling stormy weather?
To protest against America getting involved in a war with Iran.
According to Brown University’s Costs of War Project, the United States has spent an estimated eight trillion dollars on war since 9/11. Today, I am concerned that the United States and its ally Israel may be instigating a war under false pretenses. For the last few decades, both countries have been claiming that Iran is close to developing an atomic bomb. While the Iran nuclear enrichment program has continued, there is little evidence today that they are pursuing a nuclear weapon.
I also have little confidence that Israeli prime minister Bibi Netanyahu can lead peace talks with the Iranians to stop the current war between the two countries. I oppose the creation of all nuclear weapons, and hope all sides can come together and find a peaceful solution. It is up to the United States to step in and bring both to the negotiation table, instead of potentially escalating this war.
Yesterday’s protest was one of the most electrifying and vivid I’ve been to in several months. Even before the protest officially started, there was already a few hundred people in gathering in front of the White House. You could feel the energy flowing through the crowd; people of all ages, races, religions, etc., brought together united under one struggle.
This No War with Iran Protest was a part of a national one organized by the ANSWER Coalition and the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), with dozens of other orgs signing on. The protest I attended was primarily organized by the PYM DMV branch as well as the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s (PSL) DC branch. PYM and PSL have been the primary organizers for dozens of protests for Palestine in DC since this most recent Palestinian genocide started in late 2023.
Speakers from PYM, PSL, ANSWER Coalition, About Face: Veterans Against the War, DMV’s Students for Justice in Palestine Coalition, the Black Alliance for Peace, the Kucheh Kollective, the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, as well as many community members, stressed that this war on Iran like the genocide in Palestine is part of one struggle people all over the world engage in against imperialism.
One speaker involved with both the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party and the Black Alliance for Peace, Rafiki Morris, had a passionate speech that got the most cheers from the crowd, saying that “we need an anti-Zionist united front!”
About an hour into the speeches, a few counterprotesters came to disrupt the protest by playing annoying music and sounds. When the rain started back up however, they soon left in a hurry. One speaker humorously said that the rain “washed them away.”
By going in front of the White House and speaking out, we hope to change minds and bring awareness of this unnecessary and violent war. We stand up for peace, and hope to sway those in power away from another destructive war. Even though this protest was announced a day before and was happing during a storm, hundreds of people still showed up. We are optimistic that each protest after this one will only get bigger and louder.
Link to Main Protest Website:
No War with Iran Protest Website
Related Links:
DMV Palestinian Youth Movement Protest Post
ANSWER Coalition Post on the National Protest
Protest Videos:
Links to the Organizers’ and Speakers’ Websites:
The Palestinian Youth Movement
The Party for Socialism and Liberation
National Students for Justice in Palestine
DMV Coalition of Students for Justice in Palestine
About Face: Veterans Against the War
PEOPLE BETWEEN WORLDS 
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