Vigil For Peace And Diplomacy Supporters Find Urgency, Even With Obama Iran Nuclear Deal Victory
On the same day President Obama gained enough votes from Democrats to prevent Republicans from blocking the Iran nuclear peace deal, supporters of the Vigil For Peace and Diplomacy lined Grand Army Plaza and continued to express concerns over the schism in Washington.
The vigil — held during a cool and drizzly early evening — was organized by Brooklyn For Peace, MoveOn, and CREDO in order to express their appreciation for the support of the nuclear accord by Brooklyn Congressional Representatives Yvette Clarke, Hakeem Jeffries, Jerrold Nadler, Nydia Velasquez, and New York State Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
Senator Gillibrand’s statement of her support for the Iran nuclear deal focuses on both the necessity to hold Iran accountable, and the concern that there is not “a viable alternative.” The senator goes on to says that “Iran has signed on to a sufficiently verifiable and enforceable deal that cuts off all paths to a bomb and has its entire nuclear supply chain closely monitored for years to come. A deal like this, widely supported by independent nuclear arms control experts, was unimaginable just a few years ago.”
As pedestrians and drivers passed by the supporters, organizer Eric Shtob of Brooklyn For Peace talked about the the U.S. and Iran having “a chance for a peaceful resolution rather than a warfare solution.” When asked why he thought the opposition to the deal was so strong, he said that “there are a lot of vested interests in keeping antagonism alive.”
Paul Grebanier of MoveOn spoke of his support for Senator Gillibrand. “I’ve gotten to respect her. And this highlights the lack of support by the other senator,” he said, alluding to Senator Chuck Schumer‘s opposition to the deal.
Senator Schumer’s statement expresses concern over Iran’s support of “terrorist actions” in the Middle East. He says that “under this agreement, Iran would receive at least $50 billion dollars in the near future and would undoubtedly use some of that money to redouble its efforts to create even more trouble in the Middle East, and, perhaps, beyond.”
“Peace is always far preferable to war,” said supporter Elizabeth Schneewind. “That is why it is so important to be out here.” Schneewind also spoke of the situation being “very complicated. The supreme leader of Iran thinks we’re the devil. That’s a problem.”
James and Valerie Booth noted the importance of being part of the vigil to support President Obama. “I’ve supported Obama for seven years. And I’m very concerned about who gets elected next,” said Valerie.
By about 5:45pm, the traffic was increasing, with a few cars slowing down and opening their windows to express their support of the vigil.
While the vigil was slated to last until 7pm, one man holding a sign walked up to another and suggested, “Maybe we should end this at 6?”
The rain may have smudged a bit of the edge off the vigil, but the concerns of these supporters won’t disappear any time soon.