How to build opposition to the United States-Israel led war on Iran and supportself-determination for the people of Iran was discussed at a public meeting hosted by Socialist Alliance and Green Left at the Naarm/Melbourne Resistance Centre on March 31.
Abbas Saeidavi, veteran Iranian socialist from Voice of Iran Revolution, highlighted how the aim of the war against Iran is to “destroy Iranian society” and has brought nothing but destruction.
He also spoke about the Iranian people’s struggle for democratic rights and the severe repression they face from the Iranian government, including the recent protests against the regime in January and the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in 2022.
Saeidavi stressed that the US-Israel war on Iran does nothing to advance the aspirations of Iranian people, saying: “Freedom has never been won through the intervention of foreign powers.”
Iranian socialist Ali Keshtkar argued that opposing the war is an ethical responsibility for people around the world.
He highlighted that the deliberate targeting of the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls primary school by the US and Israel demonstrates that the war is about the destruction of human life and all moral principles.
He argued that opposing the war requires us to build “the broadest possible social force against the war” and that we need hundreds of thousands of people on the streets, much like the large Palestine solidarity protests around the world.
Fatima Yazbek, from the Gulf Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, argued that the war is about destroying Iran’s sovereignty,
She said these same war aims are being applied against Lebanon by Israel and that the events of the past month show that Israel and the US have no respect for international law.
Fatima also reported on the opposition to US bases by working people within the Gulf States, but said the repressive laws of countries such as Bahrain, Qatar make it difficult to organise protests.
Mary Merkenich, a member of Socialist Alliance’s Melbourne branch, highlighted the history of US interventions and how they have brought nothing but death and destruction.
She stressed the importance of building a mass movement against the war with concrete demands which includes withdrawing from AUKUS, ending all military trade with the United States and condemnation of the United States and Israel.