My name is Jason, I am a Teamster and a member of the CT Democratic Socialists of America. Iran is the latest victim of a capitalist class that knows time is running out: as the pressures of climate change and the mass migration it has caused bears down on them, they have decided to embrace the fascist far right, dreaming that through war abroad and ICE terror here at home, they can hold on to the wealth they have stolen from working people around the world.
These robber barons want to convince Americans that their enemies are in Tehran, Caracas, Havana or Gaza. But my enemies live on Billionaire’s Row in Manhattan and work on Wall Street and in DC.
Iranians want what all people want: to live in peace, to see their children grow up and their parents grow old, to enjoy a life of prosperity where their hard work is rewarded, and the freedom to change their society without the need for bloodshed or war imposed by a country halfway around the globe. But they can’t have those things while the US and Israel bury their children under rubble, bomb their schools and hospitals, and murder their scientists, doctors and politicians.
And we can’t either: every dollar spent bombing schools and hospitals in Iran could have been spent building them in Hartford, Bridgeport or New Haven. Every dollar that Sen. Blumenthal and Rep. DeLauro sends to fund Israel’s apartheid in the West Bank and genocide in Gaza could be spent building houses for the homeless and feeding the hungry here in Connecticut.
American people don’t want to fight Israel’s war on Palestinians or Trump’s wars for oil: we want to fight poverty, and the bosses and landlords that are causing it.
But you know all of this already. You wouldn’t be here marching and listening to speeches if you didn’t. The hard truth we must face is that marching the same city blocks, standing in parks waving signs, and speeches that preach to the choir don’t end wars.
Only the working class waking up and realizing that we have more in common with grieving parents in Iran than with a billionaire in the White House or an arms contractor in Tel Aviv, and finally putting our hands together to shut our economy down, only then can we bring these murderers to justice.
That’s why on May 1st this year, International Workers Day, CT DSA will be rallying with unions, immigrant organizations and anyone else who hears the call for solidarity, to rebuild the workers movement and train thousands to become organizers at their jobs, in their apartment buildings, and on the streets, so come May 2028, when UAW auto workers, UPS Teamsters and other unions go on strike, we can join them and SHUT. IT. DOWN.
But we don’t need you to just show up once. We need you to have the hard conversations with your coworkers, neighbors, friends and family who may be too scared or too beaten down to think about taking action with us. And you don’t need to do it alone: join DSA, join a rapid response network like New Haven Immigrants Coalition, or any of the orgs you hear about today and we can train you how to do it. Understand that nothing worth doing is done alone, there is power in numbers, and we need you in this fight with us, not just cheering from the sidelines.
I want to close with the words of Assata Shakur, a Black revolutionary who died free and fugitive in Cuba this past year. Hold hands if you are able and repeat after me:
“IT IS OUR DUTY TO FIGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM
IT IS OUR DUTY TO WIN
WE MUST LOVE AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER
WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT OUR CHAINS”
Thank you and solidarity forever