A small group of demonstrators gathered in downtown Portland Saturday afternoon to protest the United States and Israel’s surprise attack on Iran. The airstrikes early Saturday came after off-and-on diplomatic efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear program.
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have encouraged Iranians to rise up and take control of their government. They’ve both said that Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the strikes. As of 5 p.m. PST on Saturday, the Iranian Red Crescent, a humanitarian organization, has said more than 200 people have been killed and 700 injured in the attacks.
Several Oregon politicians, including U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, have condemned Trump’s decision to launch the attacks without congressional approval.
The local organizations Portland for Palestine and Anti-War Action Network had announced a protest late Friday night, before the attacks started. At 3 p.m. Saturday, about 100 people gathered at Pioneer Courthouse Square with signs to call for the U.S. to end the attacks.
For a short time, the demonstrators marched through the surrounding blocks, closing off traffic, before they ended up back up at the square.
The protesters chanted “Stop the killing, stop the hate, Israel is a terrorist state.”
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