U.S. involvement in Middle East ignites protests in Los Angeles
Conflicting activist groups gathered in front of the Wilshire Federal Building to protest U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran war on June 18 and 23.
On June 13, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a series of aerial strikes on Iran’s nuclear weapons program, according to a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On June 21, President Donald Trump bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities.
After the mission, Trump said on Truth Social that the attacks on the nuclear facilities Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan were “very successful” and that, “NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!”
Since June 18, the Party for Socialism and Liberation has organized multiple anti-war protests in front of the federal building, before an audience of Marines and National Guardsmen. The troops arrived at the federal building on June 13 after a series of anti-ICE protests in L.A. County.
“People are tired of lies to manufacture a war,” said Shany Ebadi, a Santa Monica College alumnus and organizer for the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism Coalition (ANSWER). “The people don’t want war.”
On June 18, protesters in keffiyehs and waving yellow signs with anti-war sentiments filled the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Veteran Avenue. Half-uniformed veterans stood under a banner that read “Vets Say: Refuse Unlawful Orders.”
On June 23, the Los Angeles Iranian Protest Organization, an anti-Islamic Republic of Iran group, held a pro-U.S.-intervention rally at the federal building, advocating for regime change in Iran.
According to Kate Dehbashi, a spokesperson for the organization, the group wants U.S. lawmakers to maximize their support for Israel and cease negotiations with Iran. “We do not want reform, we just want regime change,” she said.
Ruhollah Khomeini established the Islamic Republic of Iran after toppling the Pahlavi constitutional monarchy during the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, has been the highest political and religious authority within the Iranian government since coming into power in 1989, after Khomeini’s death.
“You have an evil regime that doesn’t care about the people; all they care about is killing Jews and eliminating Israel,” said Shiva Bagheri, pro-U.S. intervention protester and chair of Assembly District 51 for the LAGOP. “I’m thankful that we have a president now that doesn’t just talk the talk, but walks the walk.”
On June 23, Trump brokered a ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel. In an exchange with reporters on June 24, Trump said that both countries immediately violated the ceasefire.
“As soon as we made the deal, they (Israel) came out and dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I’ve never seen before,” Trump said.
After the attack, Iran and Israel agreed to continue the ceasefire, pausing what Trump called the “12-day war.” Trump then wrote on Truth Social that both Iran and Israel wanted an end to the war, and that it was an honor to stop the war after destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
On June 24, Hossein Kermanpour, head of the Iranian Ministry of Health media relations, wrote on X that the Israeli military campaign killed 610 Iranians and injured 4,746 others. According to a press release from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel experienced 28 casualties and counted over 1,472 wounded.
Both federal building protests garnered sizable and peaceful crowds, with no police interference. Still, straight-faced troops carrying riot shields and plastic handcuffs, some armed with rifles, surrounded the building, forming a defensive barrier.
“They’re here to follow orders; we’re here to protest peacefully,” Ebadi said. “We’re here for our community.”