On Saturday, David North, chairman of the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site, filmed a three-minute video outside the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg, Germany, where the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals were held 80 years ago. Speaking at the very site where leaders of the Third Reich were convicted and hanged for crimes against peace—the launching of a war of aggression—North drew a direct and devastating parallel to the ongoing US bombardment of Iran.
“If the principles of Nuremberg were applied today,” North declared, “those responsible for the launching of the war against Iran, the leaders of the US government, Trump, Hegseth, Rubio, and the rest, would be found guilty of the very crimes of which the Nazi leaders were convicted.”
Characterizing the assault on Iran as a criminal act of imperialist aggression, he continued: “The war against Iran is a war of aggression. It is an illegal war. It is a war which has been launched for political purposes to achieve the hegemonic, global, political, economic aims of the ruling oligarchy in the United States. Iran posed no threat to the United States. It did not attack the United States. But it is being mercilessly bombed.”
North concluded with an appeal to the only social force capable of stopping the drive toward world war: “The International Committee of the Fourth International, Socialist Equality Party in the United States, and sections of the ICFI throughout the world make this appeal to the working class. You must stop this war. You must fight imperialism. This is the only way the future of humanity can be secured.”
Since its posting, the video has generated a massive response on social media. As of this writing, the video has been viewed more than 165,000 times on Facebook alone—and the number is steadily rising—where it has received over 1,100 comments and over 11,000 reactions. On Instagram, the video has surpassed 26,000 views with over 200 comments. On X, it has been viewed almost 10,000 times, with thousands more views on YouTube and TikTok.
The comments on both Facebook and Instagram are filled with expressions of support. On Facebook, one widely liked comment read: “Well said, I agree with every word. It’s down to the people to rise up.” Another wrote: “Thank you for presenting history and the truth.” A third declared: “People should listen to this and act accordingly!”
On Instagram, one of the most substantive responses stated: “Thank you for speaking the truth that the elected officials and mainstream media refuse to admit because they are complicit and the oligarchs that control them share Trump & Co’s objective of subjugating the entire world.” Another wrote: “I agree totally! Unfortunately, our generation has been mentally decimated to a point that we feel powerless and lacking the natural courage needed to battle injustice.” Yet another declared: “Nuremberg type trials must happen in the USA.” And from across the world, a single phrase captured the sentiment of many: “Workers unite!”
The breadth and depth of this response is politically significant. It demonstrates that an enormous audience exists among working people and youth for the socialist and internationalist perspective advanced by the WSWS. Despite the relentless propaganda of the corporate media, masses of people recognize the criminal character of the assault on Iran and are searching for a way to fight back.
North’s remarks were made shortly after he was barred from speaking at the “No Kings” rally in Nuremberg on Saturday by Democratic Party-aligned organizers, who blocked him from addressing the crowd because he intended to condemn the illegal war against Iran and the Democrats’ support for it, raising similar points to those he made in his video on the Nuremburg Trials. Video of the confrontation at the No Kings protest was also widely shared on X and other platforms.
The silencing of North at the official rally—and the explosive response to his video filmed shortly thereafter—demonstrates the chasm between the Democratic Party’s efforts to contain opposition to the war and the genuine antiwar sentiment of the masses. What the party’s operatives sought to suppress, social media has amplified to hundreds of thousands.
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