Iranian-American Bahar Shirafi was among the roughly two hundred protesters gathered not far from the Massachusetts’ State House to condemn the joint US and Israeli attacks on Iran on Saturday.
She’d called her mother and sister in Tehran as soon as she heard about the bombing. Her mother could hear explosions not far from where she lived.
Shirafi is worried about extended family in the country. It was a familiar nightmare.
“We were here in June asking our government to not bomb our families. And here we are again,” said Shirafi.
She scoffed at the idea that President Donald Trump — who encouraged Iranians to “take over your government — would succeed in bringing regime change.
“It’s the Iranian people who deserve to decide who their government is,” said Shirafi, “They cannot do that if they are under bombs, if they are suffocated by sanctions.”
Shirafi believes Iran will retaliate with far more force than they did in June, when the U.S. last bombed Iran, and said she was very worried about escalation and reaction in countries like Syria and Libya.
“I don’t think they have an option but to respond,” said Shirafi. “If the Islamic Republic of Iran falls, there will be sectarian militias, and that doesn’t stay contained to Iran. It will spread.”
Newton resident Susan Mirsky stood holding a sign that read “Grandmothers for Peace.” She said her late mother had made the sign when she was in her 90s. Now, Mirsky was carrying it to honor her mother in calling for peace.
“I think about my children, my grandchildren, the children in Iran and children everywhere that deserve to have a future,” said Mirsky.
She said she was angry about the strikes and, like Shirafi, worried about an escalation.
“I am here to protest what is happening — this illegal, unprovoked attack on Iran which is so dangerous and dismantling for the whole region,” said Mirsky who works with Mass Peace Action on nuclear disarmament, ”This is escalation in the whole region.“
