More than 50 protesters marched through downtown Phoenix Saturday in opposition to U.S. sanctions against Iran and the looming possibility of war with the Middle Eastern nation.
The march was part of a national protest coordinated by ANSWER, Act Now to Stop War and End Racism. The group said that thousands of protesters in over 60 cities across the United States demonstrated the same day.
Members of a number of political organizations and protest groups were present at the Phoenix protest, including Occupy Phoenix, ANSWER, Code Pink, the Green Party, and Progressive Democrats of Arizona.
“Going to war with Iran would be a disaster,” said Virginia Hauflaire, a member of the Progressive Democrats of Arizona. “Our prestige worldwide would take a hit. But mostly we, the citizens, would take a hit because of the costs involved and because we have no reasons to go to war.”
Protesters believed that the US has been gearing up for a war with Iran, especially following naval confrontations between the countries in the Strait of Hormuz. Activists gave speeches via megaphone, raising concerns that the country has been unfairly demonized and that reports of Iranian nuclear weapon development have been exaggerated.
Wielding signs and banners, the group began their march at Cesar Chavez Plaza, and passed CityScape, Symphony Hall, the Arizona Center, Chase Field and the US Airways Center. They chanted slogans and songs like “Give Peace a Chance” and “War” to draw attention while passing cars honked in support or others jeered at the march.
This march brought a jolt of life to the Occupy Phoenix movement, which has been slowing down for months.
Attorney Ana Ohm was having lunch with her family at Chloe’s Corner when the protesters marched through CityScape.
Although Ohm sympathized with some of the Occupy movement’s original goals, she disagreed with this march’s anti-war viewpoint and felt the group lacked a coherent message.
“It’s an eyesore,” she said. “They need to be organized, they need a message.”
Charlie Parke is a member of Occupy Phoenix and has been involved with organizing many of their protests. He said, while he believed the Saturday protest was effective, the Occupy Phoenix movement as a whole has lost steam since its mid-October debut.
“I think there’s definitely, at points, loss of momentum,” he said. “I feel that at points in time we end up with a lot of energy around one issue, but we also try possibly too many things.”
According to Parke, a lack of focus and an overcrowding of messages have weakened the movement’s impact.
Nevertheless, Parke said that Phoenix demonstrations with local relevance, such as biweekly demonstrations against the policies of Joe Arpaio, still draw crowds and attention.
MaLinda Zimmerman, an interdisciplinary studies and global health senior at ASU has participated in Occupy Phoenix and Occupy ASU since its inception. She cited disorganization and lack of communication as factors hindering protest activities in Arizona.
However, Zimmerman believes that the Occupy movement is improving by scheduling events more clearly.
“To be honest with you, I think Occupy Phoenix is getting more and more organized, which is great,” Zimmerman said. “If you’re like me, I work two jobs and I go to school full-time, so I only have a limited amount of time I can dedicate. So having that kind of organization is really beneficial to people who just come sporadically.”
Contact the reporter at bkutzler@asu.edu
