Cambridge, Aug 3 – About 50 activists gathered today at Kendall Square to hear politicians, academics and organizers condemn President Trump’s threats of war with Iran and call for the U.S. to return to the Iran nuclear deal, end sanctions on Iran, and reconcile with that country.
Rep. Mike Capuano, gubernatorial candidate Bob Massie, lieutenant governor candidate Jimmy Tingle, Congressional candidate Jeff Ballinger, and state representative Mike Connolly were among the political figures that addressed the rally, denouncing a turn towards militarism and runaway presidential authority as a serious threat to democracy in the United States.
Professors Val Moghadam and Prasannan Parthasarathi pointed out the dangerous regional situation in the Middle East and explained how United States meddling and interventions over many decades have greatly contributed to the chaos there. Read Prof. Moghadam’s remarks here.
Activists Massoudeh Edmond and Rashin Khosravi reminded attendees of the impact of sanctions on ordinary Iranian people.
Donna Favard, an organizer with the National Iranian-American Council, called on Iranian-Americans to unite, and get politically active, to push the U.S. to normalize relations with Iran and end the Muslim Ban.
See video of many of the talks at our Facebook page, starting with https://www.facebook.com/masspeaceaction/videos/10155424671050723/.
The rally was organized by Massachusetts Peace Action’s Middle East Working Group with cooperation from NIAC. The working group is circulating a petition at festivals and public events and urges citizens to get involved and attend its next meeting on August 28 at 7pm in Cambridge. It also joined a protest on Tuesday against Raytheon’s role in arming the Saudi/UAE/US war on Yemen.
