Madison community rallies against war in Middle East - Channel3000.com - WISC-TV3

A group of about 100 people protested in front of Wisconsin State Capitol

January 4, 2020 7:16 PM

Gabriella Bachara

Posted: January 4, 2020 7:16 PM

Madison joined other cities in protesting against the United States for military involvement in the Middle East. At least 100 people at the Wisconsin State Capitol rallied to make their message heard.

“No justice, no peace, US out of the Middle East.” Many speakers sharing their thoughts on the current administration. #News3Now pic.twitter.com/2UlaM8pt4A

— Gabriella Bachara (@GabbyBachara) January 4, 2020

“I think I got better priorities than another war in the Middle East. I think another war in the Middle East means the U.S. is seeking to maintain it’s empire, and it harms people both here at home in Madison and people abroad,” Johnson said.

Rather than spending money on war, protesters said they would rather see the money spend on the needs of the community.

“People cared about getting enough to eat and paying their rent. They cared about the vast amount of people experiencing homelessness who live around State Street. They care about their neighbors. They don’t care at all about maintaining US empire and thus killing Iranians in the process or Iraqis. They care about getting their needs met here and that’s something that we can do.”

AJ Basso, a member of the Socialist Rifle Association, said the recent attack on Iran did not come as a surprise.

“I thought that we would have already accelerated into our build-up to a war with Iran because of the acceleration into impeachment. I figured that that was going to happen as a distraction,” Basso said.

President Donald Trump said the attack was not intended to be an act of war. Bass said he thinks Iran’s threatened retaliation could make a war happen.

“I am a veteran who was radicalized at least in part by my experiences. So, I along with the Veterans for Peace can tell you that not a single person that is out here will benefit from our military actions,” Basso said.

The Pentagon announced the United States will deploy over 3,000 troops to the Middle East.