Joint Statement on Anti-War Rally
Following our decision to co-host an anti-war rally this Saturday, PAYYT and MS4P have received dozens of messages and calls from the same individuals, along with racist and threatening comments on our posts. The most severe content was automatically hidden by Meta but some remain visible.
We want to be clear about what this rally is and how it came to be. Members of the Iranian community in St. John's reached out to us to help them organize a public rally opposing military intervention and calling for peace, specifically asking for support in amplifying the voices that oppose war. Many Iranians here have family and loved ones in the region and are deeply worried for their safety and are living in constant fear and distress. They also shared experiencing intimidation and being fearful of speaking out.
As one community member said:
"We have reached out because we are against war and military intervention in our country. The Iranian community is divided about the current situation, and some of us feel that our voices have been silenced. We want our voices to be heard."
Claims that this rally does not include Iranians in Canada are false-and the harassment we have received confirms that their concerns about being silenced are well-founded. Bullying and threats directed at anti-war activists will not work. Those who support the bombing of Iran have demonstrated publicly for weeks without impediment and are free to continue doing so, but it is not acceptable to harass peaceful organizers, or to silence opposing perspectives.
We also firmly reject the claim that those outside the Iranian diaspora have no standing to oppose this bombing campaign, illegal war, and violations of international law. Canadians do not merely have the right to oppose war and imperialism-they have a moral obligation to do so.
The Canadian government's apologetics for Israel's genocide in Gaza, its continued sale of weapons used in documented war crimes, its subordination of foreign policy to American military objectives, and its own history of genocide against Indigenous peoples all demand that we remain politically engaged and exercise our obligations as citizens.
Those of us active in the peace movement have watched the same scenario play out in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Palestine, and Lebanon. Bombing campaigns do not liberate people. Military intervention in Iran risks the same outcome: not liberation, but civil war, mass displacement, and decades of instability.
On Saturday we rally for peace, justice, and an end to imperialist wars. We invite everyone who shares these values to join us.
No to war. Canada must choose peace.
Saturday, March 21
2:00 PM
Colonial Building, St. John's