A Vigil Honoring the Lives Taken in the War on Iran
On the morning of February 28th, a U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls' Elementary School in Minab, Iran. At least 168 children and 14 teachers were killed. The roof collapsed on them while they were in school. Investigations by the New York Times, CNN, NPR, the BBC, and CBC have all concluded the United States was responsible.
We are holding this vigil because these children deserve to be mourned. That is the whole reason. Everything else is secondary to the fact that over 100 girls went to school that morning and did not come home.
There is also something you should know about where you live. The Tomahawk missile is manufactured by Raytheon, with components produced by Ball Aerospace — now BAE Systems, headquartered here in Boulder. The distance between this city and that school in Minab is smaller than most people here want to sit with. We are asking you to sit with it anyway.
We invite you to mourn with us because children were killed. Come because their families are living with every day with their loss. Come because when we share in grief we can honor the memory of our martyrs.
The Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls' Elementary School was struck three times on the morning of February 28th. The building was triple-tapped. The roof came down on the students inside. According to Amnesty International, over 100 of the 175 people killed were children. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child called it alarming. UNICEF called for civilian protection. Malala Yousafzai said it left her heartbroken and appalled. The head of Iran's Red Crescent said no singular attack had killed so many students simultaneously — not even in Gaza.
The U.S. government's own preliminary investigation found the strike was carried out using outdated targeting data. The Trump administration had already dismantled the Defense Department's civilian harm mitigation programs, fired the military lawyers responsible for ensuring compliance with international humanitarian law, and loosened restrictions on commanders authorizing airstrikes. Over 100 international law experts have since signed a letter stating the war itself violates the UN Charter, and that the school strike constitutes a potential war crime under the Rome Statute.
The U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran — launched without UN Security Council authorization, without evidence of imminent threat, during active nuclear negotiations — is imperial war. It is the continuation of decades of U.S. military dominance across the Middle East, enforced through proxy relationships, weapons exports, and the deliberate dismantling of any internal check on how and where American bombs fall. The people dying are civilians. The infrastructure being destroyed includes schools, hospitals, water plants. That is a choice, backed by policy, funded by our tax dollars, and in part built in our city.
We gather to mourn the children of Minab. We gather for the more than 1,400 Iranian civilians killed since February 28th, including 217 children. We gather for the people of Lebanon, of Palestine, of every place this war has escalated imperial violence. Every martyr is a universe. Every one of them was someone's whole world, and so many worlds are gone.
Scott Carpenter Park Playground is an outdoor space with paved access. No stairs are required to reach the main gathering area. The event takes place on flat ground with space to sit, stand, or step away as needed.
There is a large parking lot on site with accessible parking spaces available near the entrance.
The nearest bus stop is along 30th Street on the Bound route — approximately a 4-minute walk or roll to Scott Carpenter Park Playground along paved sidewalks with curb cuts.
Scott Carpenter Park includes an accessible restroom with grab bars and sufficient turning space.
This event will be facilitated in English.