Saying No To Warmongering

In a situation where tensions between Iran and Israel have reached their peak, and concerns about the outbreak of a widespread war have become prevalent, the need for solidarity among democracy advocates in “saying no to warmongering’ has doubled.

We, a group of civil activists and Iranian activists, believe that in these circumstances, ‘saying no to warmongering’ is an essential stance both in terms of denying militarism in the structure of the Islamic Republic and in delineating against war and bloodshed in the region.

In a situation where Iran is facing multidimensional economic, political, and social crises, increased tension between Iran and Israel is detrimental to the streams of democracy advocates. The existing war atmosphere, in addition to covering up the unaccountability of the political system established in response to mega-crises, has also facilitated the increasing suppression of protest movements in Iran. ‘Guidance patrols’ or the same street mobilization of the Islamic Republic against women, just a few hours before the attack on Israel and numerous summonses of political and media activists and the execution of civil activists in recent days, testify to the argument that the warlike security atmosphere broadens the field of suppression and opens the hands of authoritarians to exert more pressure on civil society activists in Iran.

We, civil activists, believe that the discourse of democracy advocacy is intertwined with ‘saying no to war,’ and this discourse has no relation with warmongering streams, whether in the position of the Islamic Republic or in the guise of the opposition. The experience of war in the Middle East and Central Asia shows that war, in addition to endangering the lives of citizens, destroys the infrastructure of the country and is not a suitable solution for sustainable development. Therefore, supporting war under any pretext is not justifiable.

We, the signatories of this statement, while believing in the necessity of advancing the discourse of peace in the fiery and bloody region of the Middle East, express serious concern about any action by the Islamic Republic of Iran that would increase the flames of war in the region, suppress people domestically, and further securitize the atmosphere, and we warn against the warmongering approaches of other governments. We condemn any aggression on our country’s soil, Iran, for any reason, and insist on the necessity of a ceasefire in the Gaza war and the advancement of peace negotiations.

In an atmosphere where the domestic repressive policies of the Islamic Republic on the one hand, and its inefficient and undemocratic foreign policy on the other, are leading the country towards destruction, we believe that demarcating against warmongering and emphasizing the will of protesting citizens and using protest spaces to pressure governments is the duty of anti-war activists and activists.

Therefore, we call on all civil activists and activists to voice, unequivocally and without hesitation, ‘saying no to warmongering’ and to remain committed to democracy advocacy together.”

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