For experienced activist Howard Zinn, the war in Iraq is strikingly similar to the Vietnam War.

The Boston University professor emeritus screened his biographical documentary to 50 students and professors in the Photonics Center last night, answering questions and drawing parallels between Iraq and Vietnam.

“Our government isn’t really interested in democracy in Iraq,” he said. “It’s not our country. We simply don’t belong there.”

The film, Howard Zinn: You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train, is about the professor’s political activism during the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, highlighting his aim to promote free speech.

Although Zinn has worked with many well-known diplomats, he has remained grounded in his interaction with people, said political science professor Mark Silverstein.

“[He is] one of the sweetest, most gentle men I ever met,” he said before the event. “You never had the sense that this guy was larger than life.”

During the question-and-answer period, an audience member questioned Zinn on his “legacy.”

“That’s scary,” Zinn said. “I want people to think I did something decent.”

Suffolk University sociology professor Steve Spitzer said he commends Zinn for his “continuity” in his convictions as a political activist.

Although Zinn was more visible in the Vietnam War era, he is still admired by young people today, said College of Communication sophomore Allison Elvove.

“Hearing someone speak out makes me feel better about the potential for what America can become,” she said.

The film looked at Zinn’s participation in political demonstrations, explaining how his speeches and approximately 20 books divulge the people’s view of American social issues.

“If you are in fear of speaking out, then democracy has been severely crippled,” Zinn said in the film.

Zinn, a World War II Air Force veteran, taught at Spelman College in Atlanta after the war. Involved in the civil rights movement, he was dismissed from Spelman after serving as adviser for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and participating in student protests. Zinn then came to BU to teach political science but continued voicing his strong opinions.

Political science professor Christine Rossell, a colleague of Zinn’s for 15 years, said before the event she remembers the controversy surrounding Zinn’s outspoken opinions and actions while he worked at BU.

“He asserted that he did not believe there was any such thing as objectivity, and he was not going to pretend he had any,” she said in an email.