San Jose Against War mobilizes against U.S. escalation against Iran

San Jose, CA – On Thursday June 11, San Jose Against War called an emergency action in response to Trump’s escalated bombing of Iran. The group of over 20 gathered outside of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library in San Jose with signs reading “No to war on Iran, Lebanon, & Palestine” and “Money for people’s needs, not for war and genocide!” Participants waved Palestinian and Iranian flags in solidarity with the people and counties targeted by U.S.-Israeli forces.

Drusie Kazanova, a member of SJAW stated, “It has been 100 days since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, killing thousands, including over 100 schoolgirls in an attempt to topple the only state in the region capable of resisting their ceaseless violence and imperial aims.”

Kazanova continued, “Part of why negotiations have taken so long is due to Iran’s refusal to back down to Israeli terror that the United States continues to fund with our tax dollars.”

“We pushed the city council to vote on divestment in March of this year, and four city council members voted to keep using our city funds to fund these atrocities. [Council members] George Casey, Michael Mulcahey, David Cohen, and Anthony Tordillos. Just like Trump and Netanyahu, just like war profiteering corporations, these council members have blood on their hands!” said Kazanova.

John Duroyan of Students for a Democratic Society at San Jose State University (SDS SJSU) spoke on the students’ struggle for divestment from war profiteers saying, “Here at SJSU’s campus, they opened a ‘Campus Center for Civic and Social Good,’ but we call it ‘Campus Center for War and Genocide.’”

Duroyan continued, “Companies like Open AI are just one of the many companies that aid and abet Zionism, aid and abet U.S. invasion, U.S. war mongering, aid and abet Trump and his billionaire cronies. But we, the working people of America, the students of this campus, the students of campuses all across the world, just as we fought for Palestine in 2024, we’re continuing to fight now, and that fight doesn’t stop until we’ve shut down those companies, kicked them off our campuses, kicked them out of our cities, until we’ve shut this brutal war machine down!”

Jack McCann of Freedom Road Socialist Organization reflected on the strength of the resistance to U.S. and Israeli aggression, and the weakness of Trump and his allies, saying, “Today, as we condemn U.S. aggression, let us honor the strength of the resistance, the bravery of people who stand strong in the face of overwhelming force, to assert their right to human dignity by any means necessary.”

McCann continues, “Trump is gambling our future for his own personal gain, and he is failing. The working people of the U.S. and the people of oppressed nations around the world share a common enemy: the monopoly capitalist class. In their desperation to secure resources, they sacrifice us all upon the altar of war to sacrifice for their selfish goals. The time is now to unite all who can be united to resist Trump and the ruling class’s attacks on the people of the world!”

Donna Wallach of SJAW described the nature of the abuses of the U.S. and Israel in the region. “Iran did not attack Israel. However, Israel has attacked Iran on numerous occasions. Bombing their nuclear facilities, assassinating scientists and government officials. And the USA has had horrendous sanctions on Iran for over a decade! [The] U.S.A and Israel target hospitals, medical people, journalists, homes, infrastructure. Iran targets military bases and installations.”

Wallach continued, “Israel is trying to steal more land, now from Lebanon to make Israel bigger of stolen land. Israel is attacking Iran because they want to devastate the Iranian economy. Also, the Israelis have this stupid notion that if the infrastructure and homes of the Iranian people are bombed, the Iranian people will blame their government, and they will try to overthrow their government. Iran has the right to defend itself, and it has the right to help Lebanon defend itself.”

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