Wednesday, approximately fifty people including students from Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) along with members of Occupy Wall Street, Veterans For Peace, War Resisters League and World Can't Wait shut down three military recruiting stations that are situated within one block from BMCC and Stuyvesant High School on Chambers St. in Manhattan. Students and others gathered outside the gates of BMCC on Wednesday morning demanding “Stop the Wars, Stop the Recruiters!”

Protesters and students marched to the Marines recruiting station just across from the college as they chanted, then entered and occupied the office. The marchers then marched to the Army recruiting station just up the block, where Matthis Chiroux, an Iraq War resister spoke out, saying, “They teach you to kill, to kill for capitalism, imperialism, sexism and racism.” Both the Army and Navy recruitment center down the street were already shut for the day – most likely after hearing about the scheduled protest.

by Debra Sweet 

 We had a good beginning round of protest Saturday against a war on Iran, in about 80 places across the US and Canada, and including Leeds (UK), Berlin, and Rome. Thousands marched, rallied, spoke, sang, did theater, vigils, held signs and reached out to many thousands more. Many people said how much they felt the spirit of unity, and were heartened by quick, loud, determined message: not another US war in our name, whether it's begun by Israel or the Obama administration.

See video, press coverage, photos, reports here and on nowariranorg.  Send  more reports and photos.

We had a good beginning round of protest Saturday, February 4 against a war on Iran, in about 80 places across the US and Canada, and including Leeds (UK), Berlin, and Rome. Thousands marched, rallied, spoke, sang, did theater, vigils, held signs and reached out to many thousands more. Many people said how much they felt the spirit of unity, and were heartened by quick, loud, determined message: not another US war in our name, whether it's begun by Israel or the Obama administration.

Press Coverage

Photos from all locations

New York City

Watch the video (courtesy Next Left Notes):

Video by Joe Friendly:

Debra Sweet speaking at the UN Mission:

Photo essay by Next Left Notes

Waco, TX

The Waco Friends of Peace staged a "NO IRAN WAR"  street protest from 1-3p.m., Sat, Feb 4, at the corner of  Valley Mills and Waco Drives in Waco, Tx.. We had 12-14 activists participate, an excellent crowd for Waco. Almost all of the motorist response was positive, with many honks and peace signs flashed.  Waco is a very conservative city, thus we were pleased with coverage by one local TV station, which played a 30sec, clip on the 6pm news.

Defiance, OH

Defiance Citizens For Change and Occupy Defiance held a No War on Iran demonstration at the Defiance County Courthouse in Defiance, Ohio February 4 from noon to five. There were approximately a dozen people there at any one time. We gathered signatures and distributed information. We got tons of supportive honks and waves from motorists. We had two people come from Occupy Toledo and one from Cleveland.

Hawai'i

About 10 people held signs and leafleted at the First Friday Art Walk in Honolulu on Friday evening. Big 3x4' reproductions of the National Day of Mass Action logo lined the sidewalk as activists distributed the Call to Mass Action and the Iran Quiz. Many passers-by seemed puzzled by our action, indicating they hadn't heard anything about impending war. Several even asked if we didn't mean Iraq! Some thanked us for being there and a few reactionaries said the U.S. should just "nuke 'em" but most seemed to want to avoid the issue. Some were puzzled by our action, indicating they hadn't heard anything about an impending war on Iran. Few seemed aware of the sanctions being imposed on Iran.

Sixty peace and civil rights groups gathered in almost 80 cities, primarily in the U.S. and Canada on February 4, 2012, to oppose moves by the Obama administration and the Netanyahu government to wage war on Iran.

More photos from around the country, including Chicago, San Francisco, Richmond, and more...

More photos from NYC demonstration- No War, No Dictatorship

Photos from Tampa March on the MacDill CENTCOM Base

More from Rochester, NY

More from Houston, TX

More photos from DC

Dallas, TX: see full album. Also see this album, and this other album.

More from Milwaukee

More from Austin

More from Wilshire and Western Metro stop at noon, Los Angeles

More from the Federal Bldg. in Westwood, Los Angeles

Press Coverage from Feb. 4 Day of Action - No War on Iran

Reports from February 4 Day of Action - No War on Iran

by Andy Worthington 

Last week, I was in Washington D.C., attending events to mark the 10th anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, as part of a 12-day US tour organized by some of my great friends in the US — the activists of The World Can’t Wait, and their national director Debra Sweet, who is largely responsible for making sure that I don’t get lost, that I can find coffee when I need it, and that I don’t get too much sleep! — as well as being a tireless campaigner for justice.

Radio Interviews with Andy Worthington: Morning Mix, KPFA; Your Call, KALW; Flashpoints, KPFA

Starting at about 2:30pm Central Time today, watch discussion streamed live from Chicago's Loyola Law School with journalist Andy Worthington (author of The Guantánamo Files), Guantánamo attorneys Candace Gorman and Len Goodman and Debra Sweet, Director of The World Can't Wait. Ustream link.

by Debra Sweet

January 11th in Washington, we massed in front of all 3 branches of the government reported to represent "freedom and democracy for all."  About 800 of us marched from the White House, past the Department of Justice, and stood in front of the Supreme Court, opposite the Capitol. Amnesty International brought a lot of students.

I was thinking most of the prisoners still in Guantánamo, where no one has been released for more than a year (except in coffins). They began a political protest and some went on hunger strike for 3 days, beginning Tuesday, in solidarity with our actions. Their lawyers brought us the message that they take heart from what we do. Imagine, if you can, what it must be like to have been held for up to 10 years - perhaps being told you can be released - but still sitting there year after year.  See Andy Worthington's article, below.

This article is excerpted from one that originally appeared on the blog Mibba 

The "close Gitmo" protest that San Francisco did today was very moving. January 11, 2012 is exactly ten years since Guantanamo Bay opened up. Every year on January 11, people across America protest Gitmo in a variety of ways.

In Washington D.C, a group called Witness Against Torture has been fasting in solidarity with Gitmo detainees for ten days now. This group has also has a "caged vigil" going on in front of the White House. A protester who is also fasting has been locked in a cage since this protest began.

From the Chicago Chapter of World Can't Wait

As January 11th, the 10th anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo approaches, the World Can’t Wait participated in a teach-in with various Chicago-based groups that work to end torture and indefinite detention. The teach-in extended all day and covered many topics related to torture and indefinite detention.

World Can't Wait presented a workshop on prosecuting war crimes & provided materials from the War Criminals Watch website. An activist from the Chicago Committee against Political Repression explained the significance of resisting federal grand jury subpoenas that have targeted anti-war & international solidarity activists.  A discussion of the NDAA ensued and why getting out in the streets on Jan 11, when Pres. Obama will be in Chicago, is more important than ever.

By Samantha Goldman

Cheers to the thousands of women of Egypt who marched through Cairo yesterday demanding the end of military rule in light of their systematic sexual violence against women, including the stripping & beating of a woman in Tahrir square whose assault has gone viral and acted as a catalyst to the demonstration. According to CNN this woman, Aza, suffered a fractured skull and was struck 20 times with batons by the military police officers. The people of Egypt did not fight so courageously to end the Mubarak regime for this! Many women held of pictures of her as she has become a symbol of the anti-woman violence that the Egyptian military represents. See video of the courageous protest here. Their demands and bravery are righteous and are a source of tremendous inspiration to us all.