Chicago students back Palestinian resistance, demand hands off Iran

Chicago IL – On April 17, over 70 students rallied and marched at the University of Illinois at Chicago to oppose U.S. war moves against Iran. The action was part of a National Day of Action called by Students for a Democratic Society.

Zahra Nabavi of Students for Justice in Palestine condemned the continuing aggression of the United States against Iran, demanding an end to the sanctions that caused the deaths of thousands of Iranians at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nabavi stated, “If you ask any Iranian in the diaspora, you’d know we’ve all lost at least one beloved family member or close friend as a result of sanctions, and I say this to emphasize that, as statistical and foreign as this reality may seem, the consequences are very much life-or-death for Iranians.”

Nabavi also praised Iran’s successful retaliatory strike and the consistent support it and its allies have shown for the resistance across the region, stating, “We salute the Axis of Resistance for their values, we praise their actions taken to prevail justice, we call for the longevity of their movement, and when their fighters are killed, we honor them as our martyrs. Long live the resistance!”

Angel Naranjos of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization denounced the corporate media’s attempt to spin Iran’s retaliatory strike as an aggressive and unprovoked attack. Naranjos made it clear that the Iranians were not the aggressors and were retaliating against illegal attacks, drawing a parallel with the media’s treatment of the Palestinian resistance.

Naranjos stated, “Didn’t we see this same type of rhetoric being used against the Palestinians back in October when they declared the historic Al-Aqsa Flood operation to liberate themselves from U.S.-backed Israel? Is the Al-Aqsa Flood unprovoked? No, it isn’t. The U.S. government has facilitated Israel’s occupation and genocide of Palestine for over 75 years.”

Sol Ugalde from Students for a Democratic Society gave the final speech, stating, “Our government has blood on its hands. Genocide Joe has remained complicit in these atrocities against the Palestinian people against the Iranian people.”

Ugalde ended by stating, “We must defend the people of Palestine and Iran. Iran has the right to defend itself and Palestine has the right to resist occupation and colonization,” and then led the crowd in chants of “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes!” as they gathered to march.

As students marched across the campus, students passing by joined in chants of “Hands off Iran” and “One, two, three, four! We won’t fight a rich man’s war. “Students overwhelmingly supported the march and many joined in as it moved or gathered to watch the demonstration pass. Midway through the march, organizers received news of the Biden administration’s new military aid package to Israel. Students stopped the march and made the announcement to the crowd, renewing their promise to march on the Democratic National Convention when it comes to Chicago on August 19.

During this announcement and as the march resumed, university administration pressured students to disperse and attempted to force the march away from the busiest areas of the campus. This was despite students having filled out the paperwork required to hold a march and demonstration and providing the route to university administrators ahead of time. Students continued to march and rally, booing the administrators and marching to the offices of the university administration. Outside the offices, Yusuf Masoud of SJP gave a final speech, denouncing the Zionist attack on Iran and Syria and the repression faced by Palestine solidarity activists all over the country.

Students marched back to the center of campus before dispersing as organizers promised to continue to protest and march until the total liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.

The rally was called by Students for a Democratic Society and Students for Justice in Palestine, and endorsed by Mexican Students of Aztlán, Anakbayan, Students for a Revolutionary Union, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

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