On Saturday, January 4, protests against a US war on Iran took place in more than 80 cities in 38 states across the country. Organized by the ANSWER Coalition, CODEPINK and Popular Resistance, the number of protests rose quickly after President Trump’s murder of Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force along with Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, a leader of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units on Thursday. The two were killed by US forces in Iraq by a drone close to a civilian airport in Baghdad.
The United States has been conducting a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran but these assassinations are a new level of recklessness and lawlessness by the United States. They have raised concerns by world leaders. Iran has vowed to respond after it finishes three days of mourning for Soleimani. People in the United States and Iran are worried about the possibility of a full-on war.
Protesters across the country called for no war on Iran, the US out of Iraq and the Middle East and an end to US sanctions on Iran. The sanctions have caused suffering in Iran because of the resultant high prices of basic necessities and lack of access to medications.
Organizers of the protests will announce next steps soon.
Demonstrators in Washington, DC gave a message of solidarity and love for the Iranian people:
Antiwar demonstrators in #WashingtonDC sent a message of love and solidarity to Iranians today.
“We look to the day when we can travel freely between our countries.” #NoWarOnIran #HandsOffIran @answercoalition @codepink @WorldBeyondWar @VFPNational @DemSocialists @GreenPartyUS pic.twitter.com/lPR8ZdE7EO
— Popular Resistance (@PopResistance) January 5, 2020
Here are tweets from some of the demonstrations today:
Thousands of people gathered for more than 80 antiwar protests across the U.S. — in cities including Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Albuquerque, Indianapolis, Memphis, Miami and St. Louis — on Saturdayhttps://t.co/B5hIo8vQH0
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 4, 2020
New York Los Angeles Washington Dozens of other cities around the world join the #NoWarOnIran flash mob / No war on Iran. pic.twitter.com/KgZDlGyb8o
— Y.N.M.S (@ynms79797979) January 5, 2020
Austin
Today in Austin#HandsOffIran #HandsOffIraq pic.twitter.com/2xszUWqsXt
— Matthew (@MatthewJohn666) January 4, 2020
Boston
BOSTON ANTIWAR PROTEST CONTINUES TO MARCH THRU STS OF BOSTON PAST GOVERNMENT PLAZA
LO2MID 40S, LITE RAINBLOBS SHULD B FLOATED AWAY B4 6PM
WEATHER IS HAPPENING#BOSTON #WEATHER #MAWX#NOWARONIRAN #NOWARWITHIRAN#WEATHERISHAPPENING pic.twitter.com/VbeO7WD5BP
— WEATHER IS HAPPENING (@WEATHERISHAPPEN) January 5, 2020
STOP THE BOMBING
STOP THE WAR
BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW#NOWARONIRAN #NOWARWITHIRAN
BOSTON ANTIWAR PROTEST pic.twitter.com/l3HCTs9sC6— WEATHER IS HAPPENING (@WEATHERISHAPPEN) January 4, 2020
Champaign-Urbana
Anti-war protest in Champaign-Urbana this afternoon #NoWarOnIran pic.twitter.com/xtgXCWjPye
— E. “Vote in 2020” Majerus (@elizabetmajerus) January 4, 2020
Chicago
About a couple thousand people marching on Michigan Avenue right now chanting NO MORE WAR!#NoWarWithIran #NoWarInIran #NoWarOnIran pic.twitter.com/PAhW7s9CoT
— BLMChicago (@BLMChi) January 4, 2020
Wow!!
Chicago’s streets are FLOODED with anti-war protesters today.#NoWarWithIran
— Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) January 4, 2020
Shutting down Lake Shore Drive demanding #NoWarWithIran pic.twitter.com/RWtikxRRWs
— Chicago DSA 🌹 (@ChicagoCityDSA) January 4, 2020
Denver
Demonstrators making their way down the 16th Street Mall in Denver #NoWarOnIran pic.twitter.com/an6dTC0dud
— Chase Woodruff (@dcwoodruff) January 4, 2020
#NoWarOnIran rally in Denver, one of of 70+ events being held today across the country by @answercoalition, @codepink and other groups in response to the Trump administration’s escalating conflict with Iran pic.twitter.com/bZfLYaJ8MO
— Chase Woodruff (@dcwoodruff) January 4, 2020
Detroit
100+ people in Detroit for the first protest of 2020 #NoWarOnIran pic.twitter.com/1SGQd9FdFR
— Anna Kuipers (@KuipersAnna) January 4, 2020
Fresno
DSA Fresno with Peace Fresno out in solidarity against war and U.S. imperialism #NoWarOnIran pic.twitter.com/2PW84D4F0L
— Fresno DSA 🌹 (@dsa_fresno) January 5, 2020
Gainesville
#NoWarOnIran protest in Gainesville, Florida! pic.twitter.com/EsVKjKw0pk
— INDIVISIBLE GNV (@indivisiblegnv) January 4, 2020
Los Angeles
The people of LA made their voices heard today. We will not stand for war. We will not stand for sanctions. We stand with the working class here and in Iran and Iraq. #NoWarOnIran pic.twitter.com/QL4dc4xkpe
— PSL – LosAngeles (@psl_losangeles) January 5, 2020
Hundreds of anti-war protestors gathered in Perishing Square today in Los Angeles, joining thousands of people across the world calling for the United States to withdraw from the middle east. #MyDayInLA #LosAngeles #NoWarOnIran #WorldWarThree pic.twitter.com/kuFCz6D0RW
— Lexis-Olivier Ray (@ShotOn35mm) January 5, 2020
Madison
Madison Wisconsin showing up strong in the freezing cold on short notice to say: no war with Iran! US out of Iraq! Repeal the AUMF! No more blood for oil!#NoWarOnIran pic.twitter.com/Kyi175WcrI
— Wisconsin Green Party (@WIGreens) January 4, 2020
Miami
We had a great #NoWarWithIran rally in Miami pic.twitter.com/8mPVdVZBS2
— Medea Benjamin (@medeabenjamin) January 4, 2020
Minneapolis
This was the protest in #Minneapolis today #NoWarOnIran #NoWarWithIran #NoWarInIran #IranWar #Iraq
Proud to stand together with others. Estimated 700 folks showed up. We got a very, very positive response.
Support Our Troops! No War in Iran! 🇺🇲🦅🌎 pic.twitter.com/QXrwPg695R— Lilah (@LalaLemonLemon) January 5, 2020
New York City
People are outraged by the U.S.’ acts of war on #Iran! @EnasAlsaffadi joins hundreds in the streets of New York City to demand #NoWarOnIran! #PeaceWithIran #NoWarWithIran pic.twitter.com/4zNTMdkfEu
— CODEPINK (@codepink) January 4, 2020
There is a large anti-war protest happening now in Times Square.#NoWarWithIran pic.twitter.com/HKZV1alFCr
— Minh Ngo (@minhtngo) January 4, 2020
BREAKING: hundreds out on a misty morning in Times Square to demand No War With Iran#NoWarOnIran pic.twitter.com/zl2EMUBoOu
— Xaver Kandler (@XaverZava) January 4, 2020
Love these veterans.
A massive crowd just flooded Times Square to say #NoWarWithIran
And we were joined by these veterans. They want to stop endless war. pic.twitter.com/DwMEZXyl7t
— Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) January 4, 2020
This was the protest in #Minneapolis today #NoWarOnIran #NoWarWithIran #NoWarInIran #IranWar #Iraq
Proud to stand together with others. Estimated 700 folks showed up. We got a very, very positive response.
Support Our Troops! No War in Iran! 🇺🇲🦅🌎 pic.twitter.com/QXrwPg695R— Lilah (@LalaLemonLemon) January 5, 2020
Philadelphia
#NoWarOnIran NO #IranWar No #WorldWarThree Trump/Pence #OutNow pic.twitter.com/ZAStMHW7Xh
— Refuse Fascism Philly (@refusefascismPH) January 4, 2020
Philadelphia is out to say #NoWarWithIran! pic.twitter.com/rqqdg82vT7
— agitator in chief (@soit_goes) January 4, 2020
Philadelphia's #NoWarWithIran march wraps up at City Hall. pic.twitter.com/QRF9BFIpTy
— agitator in chief (@soit_goes) January 4, 2020
Portland, OR
Here with a huge crowd in downtown #Portland, Oregon to say loud and clear: War is NOT the answer. We stand for peace and the end of U.S. imperialism. #NoWarInIran #NoWarWithIran #Iran pic.twitter.com/VNqp3c5Pwu
— Damon Motz-Storey (@DamonMotzStorey) January 4, 2020
Portland, ME
#NoWarOnIran #NoWarWithIran Mainers say! pic.twitter.com/a5KayRqs7M
— Peace Action Maine (@me_action) January 4, 2020
San Diego
This was the protest in #Minneapolis today #NoWarOnIran #NoWarWithIran #NoWarInIran #IranWar #Iraq
Proud to stand together with others. Estimated 700 folks showed up. We got a very, very positive response.
Support Our Troops! No War in Iran! 🇺🇲🦅🌎 pic.twitter.com/QXrwPg695R— Lilah (@LalaLemonLemon) January 5, 2020
San Francisco
Over 2,000 demonstrators take to the streets of #SanFrancisco to protest war in Iran following last week’s US drone strike that killed a prominent Iranian general in Baghdad @sfchronicle pic.twitter.com/RD7P6XxRE7
— Jessica Christian (@jachristian) January 4, 2020
Earlier today in San Francisco#NoWarOnIran #NoWarWithIran #SanFrancisco pic.twitter.com/QIeJSIuUlI
— t (@tmccorstin) January 5, 2020
There are hundreds of people here in San Francisco protesting the aggression against Iran #NoWarOnIran #NoWarWithIran #NoWar pic.twitter.com/CUemkDcczn
— Joe Rivano Barros (@jrivanob) January 4, 2020
San Francisco, CA. HUUUUGE TURNOUT for the #NoWarOnIran rally & march in the Bay Area!
We should invest in healing & strengthening our communities, not paying 4 endless wars.
✊✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻@answercoalition @codepink @SFBayResistance @AROCBayArea @PopResistance @DSA_SF @jvplive pic.twitter.com/QbFU27DQmX— Alyssa Kang (@1alyssakang) January 4, 2020
Seattle
Even in the cold and wind and drizzle, hundreds of us were in the streets of Seattle protesting today. No justice. No peace. US out of the Middle East. #NoWarInIran #NoWarOnIran pic.twitter.com/aoReKKQL9q
— Anthony Crain 🌹 (@rabbidbunnyz) January 5, 2020
Washington, DC
Happening Now: Americans protest war footing with Iran at White House. Nearly 1000 protesters demand US leave Iraq chanting “US out of the Middle East no justice no peace.” #Iran #Iraq #NoWarWithIran pic.twitter.com/R9a0FB5VFD
— DCMediaGroup (@DCMediaGroup) January 4, 2020
Beloved Black fam,
We should ABSOLUTELY care about what is happening with/ in Iran.
We MUST do some radical learning together about this situatiuation, and imperialism, militarism, and international solidarity in general.
Our future depends on it.#NoWarOnIran #NoWarWithIran pic.twitter.com/gfUfmkizZ5
— BlackLivesMatter DC (@DMVBlackLives) January 5, 2020
“US out of the Middle East!”
Rally against war on Iran in front of the White House is the largest one we’ve had for years.
The real resistance is here. #NoWarOnIran pic.twitter.com/SKElwr6hTo
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) January 4, 2020
Jane Fonda speaking TODAY at Lafayette Park in DC: "Did we NOT learn the lessons of Vietnam?" #NoWarWithIran pic.twitter.com/Kfh8Ck5Zz7
— Peter Morley (@morethanmySLE) January 4, 2020
At Trump Tower #NoWarOnIran pic.twitter.com/S63XYigQEd
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) January 4, 2020
While Trump is spending his 367th day golfing at one of his own properties, a giant crowd has amassed outside of the WH chanting: “No justice! No peace! U.S. out of the Middle East!”
America doesn’t want a war with Iran#NoWarWithIran pic.twitter.com/kWVwLhr9c0
— Andrew Wortman (@AmoneyResists) January 4, 2020
.@MaxBlumenthal told 100s of anti war activists outside the White House today “why Qassem Soleiman was killed: He rolled back salafi jihadi forces the CIA had been backing in Syria to destabilize another independent state & he helped prevent Iraq from becoming a US client state.” pic.twitter.com/Bx0nakYRb2
— Wyatt Reed (@wyattreed13) January 4, 2020
Protest at Trump Tower.
"Shame, Shame, Shame, Shame SHAME!" #NoWarWithIran pic.twitter.com/xCWQRsVtp7
— Peter Morley (@morethanmySLE) January 4, 2020
And in Canada:
Toronto
#NoWarOnIran rally today in Toronto pic.twitter.com/TQHeiTVvtX
— Drapeau Rouge (@ledrapeaurouge) January 4, 2020