Hundreds of Chicagoans mobilize to demand “Hands off Iran!” and “U.S. out of the Middle East!”

Chicago, IL – “Hands off Iran!” echoed loud in downtown Chicago on June 23, after U.S. bombing of Iran nuclear sites. Over 500 people rallied at Federal Plaza and marched to demand “U.S. out of Iran and the Middle East” and an end to the genocide and all U.S aid to Israel.

The demonstration was called by the Anti-War Committee Chicago (AWC) and the United States Palestinian Community Network (USPCN).

Hands off Iran!

”No war on Iran! Let us be clear, this is not about nuclear weapons. We’ve seen this before. What we are witnessing is not an attempt of global security, but a ruthless punishment of Iran for its refusal to bow down to U.S. imperialism and its unwavering opposition to Israeli apartheid, genocide and occupation. This campaign of aggression must end now!” said Luna Ebrahim of USPCN.

Caeli Kean of AWC reinforced solidarity with Iran and other Arab resistance against U.S. aggression, saying, “They want to blame Iran for its internationally recognized right to defend itself from U.S. and Israeli aggression. They want to blame Palestine for its international right to resist oppression and occupation. They want to blame Yemen for its international right to intervene and prevent genocide. They want to blame everyone stopping this violence. It is crystal clear that U.S. imperialism is the source of all of this violence!”

Early during the demonstration, Husam Marajda of USPCN had announced to the crowd the ceasefire announced by Donald Trump agreed upon by Iran, Israel and the U.S. Marajda stated, “That’s a good thing. We don’t want war. And we want an end to U.S. and Israeli aggression in the region immediately.”

Marajda emphasized the power of the people in the United States in pushing the government to keep its hands off Iran, he stated, “Let’s be clear, the reason why this war did not escalate was because the people here in the United States rejected it. They opposed it and mobilized against it, here in Chicago and all over the country.”

Money for jobs and education, not for war and occupations!

After the rally at Federal Plaza, protesters flooded into the streets of downtown Chicago, taking Michigan Avenue and ending at Trump Tower. Chants demanded an end to the U.S. military in the Middle East and the Philippines, and an end to oppressive walls and surveillance, from Palestine to Mexico.

The attention of bystanders was captured by Husam Marajda, who stated, “They are sending and spending billions of dollars on weapons to bomb other countries and we say, that ain’t right! “

“Marajda continued, We want money to go to disenfranchised communities. We wanna fund our schools, our infrastructure, our healthcare. We wanna get money to communities long impacted by colonialism and by racism. We wanna invest in the people, not in the destruction of other countries.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Iran #Palestine #USPCN #AWCChicago