Dallas Anti War Committee protests Biden airstrikes

Dallas, TX – About 30 protesters from the Dallas Anti War Committee assembled in downtown Dallas on March 6, to denounce President Joe Biden’s strikes on allegedly Iran-backed groups in Syria and demand no war on Iran. Protesters set up on the Akard Street Bridge over Interstate 30, holding signs and a large banner that read “No war on Iran.” The Dallas Anti War Committee (DAWC) called the event, and protesters were mostly from DAWC-affiliated groups, including Democratic Socialists of America, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and the Dallas Peace and Justice Center.

The protesters first assembled in the parking lot behind Dallas City Hall. Dariel Hernandez, from DAWC and PSL, led them in chants such as “Who’s the biggest danger in the world today? Joe Biden and the USA.” Dan Sullivan, from DAWC, talked about the importance of recognizing that a life is a life, regardless of nationality, and the way that the dehumanization of Arabs underlies U.S. foreign policy and allows the U.S. government to get public consent for murdering human beings for economic profit.

The protesters then marched together to the freeway bridge. Police followed and tried to convince them it was illegal to hold a banner while on a freeway bridge. Police showed protesters an outdated version of a city ordinance prohibiting protests on freeway overpasses. However, one of the protesters, Leslie Harris, had been involved in a court case where the ordinance was ruled to be invalid.

Traffic on I-30 was fairly heavy. May drivers honked, waved, or lifted clenched fists in solidarity, though a handful flipped the protesters off.

Saturday’s action followed a small banner drop carried out by a handful of DAWC members on the Northpark Boulevard Bridge over Central Expressway on March 4 during rush hour.