‘No war, no racist Islamophobia’ march and teach-in to take place in downtown
SPOKANE, Wash. — The Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane and Veterans for Peace gathered on Saturday to continue spreading the message that they are against a war happening with Iran.
It was only three weeks ago that the group, among other activists, were calling for peace from a street corner.
Protests erupted nationwide in the weeks since President Trump ordered an air-strike, killing one if Iran’s top generals. Iran responded by firing missiles into an Iraqi base holding American troops.
Activists are determined to continuing calling for peace.
The Facebook event said the group rejects President Trump and Vice President Pence’s “fueling and exploiting racism” and feels they are manipulating people’s attention to the Iran situation during Trump’s impeachment hearings.
“We reject anti-Muslim racism. We reject violence and militarism,” the description said.
In Saturday’s march and teach-in, they called for peace, respect, human rights and more.
“We’re here to say we don’t want to be at war with Iran. We refuse to be manipulated by racist Islamophobia into seeing any of the Iranian people as our enemy and we’re here to hold our elected leaders accountable,” said Liz Moore, with the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane.
Jim Richard, a veteran, was seen at the last rally, too. He was out again Saturday with holding his sign up high, saying “Stop Iran-Nam.”
“That’s what we’re headed for, another Vietnam if we keep going on this course we’re on now,” Richard said.
The march started at noon. The group started on a corner of Division and Martin Luther King Drive and marched downtown and ended with a rally and teach-in inside Eastern Washington University’s Riverpoint. Participating activists heard from an Iranian American professor and others about their experiences.
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