Veterans Occupy the Cannon Rotunda in Protest of Overseas US-led Wars
Veterans from several coalitions and service member families gathered at the Cannon Rotunda in the US Capitol Building. They came to protest the Iran war and other military incursions in the Middle East early on Tuesday morning.
The groups in protest include About Face, Veterans for Peace, Common Defense, Military Families Speak Out, the Center on Conscience and War, and more.
“We’re here until arrest or Speaker Mike Johnson comes out to answer for the dead and meets our demands,” Greg Stoker said in his viral TikTok video. Stoker is a veteran and attendee, running for Congress in Texas.
“If you’re an active duty service member and do not wish to join the 5th US generation fighting in a senseless, self-destructive moral war for the rich, for the parasite class, we will stand with you. There is a way out,” he said in a video that has gone viral online.
Stoker’s TikTok video garnered support from people who claim to be veterans, with others apologizing that they could not be there in solidarity. Signs that said “End the War” and “We Can’t Afford Another War” were held up. The demonstrators also carried red tulips, which they carried in respect for Iranians who’ve been killed in the war.
In Iranian culture, the flower represents sacrifice and martyrdom. This is why a red tulip is at the center of the current rendition of Iran’s flag. Numerous artworks and propaganda posters from Iran corroborate the symbolism.
Why are veteran protests being dismantled?
Although the protest was peaceful, Capitol Police arrested 150 participants. Some of the arrested are disabled veterans. This would not be the first protest that broke out at the Capitol Building since the Iran War started. Early in March, a marine veteran stormed the building and disrupted a session.
The veteran, McGinnis, was injured after Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy forced him out of the room. Social media was split over the event, with many people pointing out the irony of silencing veterans who are against war. Nevertheless, the law describes the protests in the Capitol as an “unlawful activity.”
According to the U.S. Code § 5104, unlawful activities, includes assembling on the US Capitol grounds. Essentially, protests are not allowed and considered federal offenses. Regardless of the penalties in place, the grounds have their fair share of protests—both violent and peaceful. In recent history, the storming of the Capitol on January 6th led to thousands of people charged for their participation. Some have even been imprisoned.
Veterans also protested the Vietnam War
But most famously, both the Capitol and the White House had been protest grounds during the Vietnam War. Notably, 700 veterans threw their medals over the fences of the Capitol to send an anti-war message. This was one of the most dramatic displays against the Vietnam War. Former President Richard Nixon’s struggle to contain the protests is well-documented, and his administration would eventually cave to the protests.
Even back then, protestors were being politically pressured to acquiesce. But as the unpopularity of the war grew, Washington saw a flood of protestors on the streets—and at the White House. Understanding this, Nixon signed the Paris Peace Accord in 1973, which saw the end of the Vietnam War.
More than fifty years later, veterans are protesting against war once more. They’ve done it successfully against Vietnam—they can do it again with Iran.
(featured image: Mark Stebnicki)
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