RICHMOND, Va. — Around 30 demonstrators gathered in Monroe Park in Richmond Monday evening to protest against the war with Iran.
Members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation of Virginia organized the protest. Demonstrators said they condemn the actions of the president and Israel and are calling for an end to the bombings. The group believes the U.S. should not have engaged in the first place and that major decisions like those should be decided by the people of Iran.
Reed Baldwin, the organizer of the Party for Socialism and Liberation Virginia, said the U.S. is spending too much time focusing on other countries when it should be focusing on its own.
"We believe that the United States and Israel have no moral grounding to be the world's police in those areas. We believe that there's billions of dollars, trillions of dollars over years being funneled into genocides and wars around the world. When there are people sleeping on the streets, there are millions of dollars in student loan debt. We have people that can't afford healthcare, can't afford housing, can't afford food for their families, and we're continuing to send our resources around the world to push agendas that none of us have agreed to. So we're out here standing against that." Baldwin said.
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Midlothian man who fled Iran 'elated' over Khamenei's death in US strikes
Meanwhile, Ozzie Mirkhah, a Midlothian man who fled his home in Iran at 16 years old, said he is elated following the death of Iran's supreme leader. Now, 47 years later, he hopes to one day show his family where he grew up.
"I am so elated and people are so elated to see the knights in shining armor arriving and I tell you you've got to be desperate enough to want your country to be bombed by another country just so that you can be free so that you can live a normal life." Mirkhah said.
"One thing I want to clarify is: President Trump did not start a war. President Trump is ending a war." Mirkhah said.
Mirkhah said his opposition to the regime is what has kept him away from Iran. However, if the mission is successful, he said he would love to show his grandkids where he grew up.
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