A new appeal from former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell MP, John Moloney, PCS Assistant General Secretary and the Solidarity with the Iranian Workers’ Movement Committee.

This is an appeal to all trade unions, workers’ organisations, and supporters of peace. We must act now to stop the escalating conflict in the Middle East and support the struggle of the Iranian people.

On February 28th, the United States and Israel launched a military attack on Iran. The rhetoric of prevention of “support for people’s struggle” was soon put aside, and substituted with “regime change”, and then “prevention of nuclear weapons”, “limiting Iran’s missiles”, etc.

 This is a war that has shaken the entire region and put millions of lives at risk. A war that is not to bring about “democracy or peace” but a clear pursuit of the “New Middle East” and against the aspirations of the people in the region.

The people in Iran have additionally been subjected to unprecedented US and Israeli bombardment. At the same time, the Islamic Republic has used this aggression as an excuse for arrests and persecutions of the protesting population, calling them “foreign mercenaries.”

While the war has killed some government leaders, it has simultaneously brought widespread misery, devastation and pushed back the revolutionary momentum of the masses. This is the situation that the US and Israeli-led war has created, one that the fascist monarchists and warmongers have been advocating for.

This war was initiated and pursued in direct opposition to the Iranian people and their struggles against the Islamic Republic, and has now spread well beyond Iran’s borders, bringing about further suffering on the workers in the region and people experiencing poverty across the region and beyond.

Our Responsibility

The working class, trade unions, socialists, and communists have a duty to act. This war is not about liberation. The Iranian people, workers, women, and youth who have struggled against the Islamic Republic for over 47 years are now trapped between the US and Israeli bombardments and the repression of the Islamic Republic.

We ask you to stand with us:

1.      Oppose the War: Demand an immediate end to the war and attacks by the U.S. and Israel.

2.      Reject Foreign Interference: Oppose any ‘puppet’ government that the US tries to impose on Iran, and stand in solidarity with the people in Iran and their struggles for freedom and equality.

3.      Take Action: Use your voice in your unions and communities to demand an end to this slaughter.

 Stop the War! Power to the freedom-seeking people in Iran!

For more information about the Solidarity with the Iranian Workers’ Movement Committee, see https://www.swiw.org/about/

Image: c/o Labour Hub.