ATLANTA, GA - A coalition of Atlanta faith, community, and labor groups will hold a vigil on Tuesday, June 24th in opposition to attacks on Iran. The vigil will take place at 8:30 p.m. at Freedom Park (intersection of Moreland and John Lewis Freedom Parkway). The event is organized by a newly-formed coalition calling for an end to war and militarism that endangers lives here, in Iran, Palestine, and across the world. Participating groups include the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the Atlanta Multifaith Coalition for Palestine, Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights, Jewish Voice for Peace - Atlanta, and Southern Workers Assembly.
“When Dr. King said in 1967 that, ‘The bombs in Vietnam explode at home,’ he was connecting the misplaced priorities of war over social needs. In 2025, we see programs to benefit education, housing, health care, and the needs of our children, youth and seniors being cut while endless money goes to war,” said Attorney Mawuli Davis, president of the Georgia Chapter of National Conference of Black Lawyers.
The strikes on Iran are an extension of the U.S.-backed genocide Israel is carrying out against Palestinians in Gaza. The U.S. government has funded the killing of at least 55,000 people and is complicit in the weaponization of hunger that has pushed almost the entire population of Gaza to starvation. The vigil is calling for immediate action to stop U.S.-funded genocide and war before tens of thousands more lives are lost.
“Militarized force is the common thread between endless imperialist wars abroad and the state violence we witness every day with ICE raids, the terrorizing of our communities, and authoritarian repression of peaceful protest,” said Tim Franzen, director of AFSC’s Atlanta program.
“We're now seeing the continued chaos and devastation wrought from the warmongering, authoritarian Netanyahu-Trump alliance," said Marisa Pyle with Jewish Voice for Peace Atlanta. "Far from promoting peace and working towards de-escalation, illegally bombing Iran at Israel's behest continues the devastating pattern of militarized imperialism in the Middle East. From the ongoing U.S.-backed genocide in Gaza to these escalatory strikes in Iran, we reject the U.S. and Israel's violent alliance that continues to bring death, conflict, and endless war. We demand an end to the genocide in Gaza, an end to belligerent escalation in Iran, and an end to repression abroad and at home."
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The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) promotes a world free of violence, inequality, and oppression. Guided by the Quaker belief in the divine Light within each person, we nurture the seeds of change and the respect for human life to fundamentally transform our societies and institutions. We work with people and partners worldwide, of all faiths and backgrounds, to meet urgent community needs, challenge injustice, and build peace.