Columbia activist group protests U.S airstrike in Iran
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Columbia based non-profit organized a last-minute demonstration for Saturday opposing a recent Iran airstrike ordered by President Donald Trump that killed an Iranian military leader.
President Trump ordered the airstrike that killed Qasem Soleimani, who was the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force unit. The strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of the Iran-backed Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).
The director of Mid-Missouri Peaceworks, Mark Haim, said the group has a peace vigil every weekend at the post office in downtown Columbia. Peaceworks posted on social media last night saying this week would be focused on opposing the war in Iran.
"It's something that really needs to be opposed because we can't live in a world in which countries go around killing other country's leaders," Haim said. "If someone did that to our secretary of defense, we'd currently be very unhappy about it."
This comes as thousands of people around the country and world are protesting the decision, including large crowds in Iran.
"You can totally understand a country being unhappy if one of their top leaders is killed by a foreign power," Haim said. "That's certainly a cause for them to come out in opposition."
Haim said around 10 people showed up to the demonstration, which he also called a peace vigil, but expects more people to join as time goes on and more develops with Iran.
"This is much more than a few people 'vigiling', this is our community's sentiment that people do not want an expanded war in the Middle East," Haim said. "They don't want to see thousands of U.S. troops sent over there and escalate conflict."
Haim said he saw a lot of support for the demonstration today but has faced opposition in the past.
"We got a lot of thank-yous, a lot of peace signs flashed, a lot of horns honking for peace," Haim said. "One gentleman stopped, rolled down his window and said 'thank you, my son's over there,' and gave us a thumb's up."
Several Missouri lawmakers expressed support of the president's decision.
U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, a Republican, said Iran and Soleimani have been responsible for supporting terror at the cost of American lives.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican, tweeted shortly after the attack Thursday and said Soleimani had terrorized Americans for years.
U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, a Republican, said the death of Soleimani would send a message to Iranian leaders.
Other Missouri lawmakers expressed concerns about the recent airstrike.
U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat, said the president was too hasty in his actions.
U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay, a Democrat, said he's supporting a bill that rebukes the president's actions.
Haim said Mid-Missouri Peaceworks is planning more demonstrations but did not have any dates besides their weekly peace vigils on Wednesday evenings and Saturday morning.
