Occupy Chicago and Veterans Hold Anti-War Protest

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Nov 11, 2011 11:00PM

Veterans celebrated Veterans Day by joining Occupy Chicago protesters downtown to protest the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Multiple veterans groups joined the march, including Iraq Veterans Against the War and We Are Not Your Soldiers, an anti-war organization that works to keep military recruiters off of high school campuses. The Tribune writes:

"We want to make it clear that troops, veterans are not being supported,” said Aaron Hughes, 29, an organizer with Iraq Veterans Against the War. “We signed up to defend our communities and our countries, but our economic and human rights are being violated daily. It’s time to bring the fight home and fight for our communities here.”

The Veterans Day's events started with a ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Wacker and Wabash, followed by a march to Occupy Chicago headquarters.From the Occupy Chicago website:

“Veterans are the 99%, representing the people who have fought, been injured, and died in foreign lands to protect the interests of the 1%. This Veterans Day, we stand together to speak out against immoral, illegal military action, war profiteering, and economic exploitation,” said Jeffrey Marker of Occupy Chicago.

The events continue tonight with a silent candlelit vigil at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and a silent march to Occupy Chicago’s General Assembly.