More than 100 protest Iran war outside Seattle Federal Building
Protest outside Seattle federal building over Iran war
More than 100 people demonstrated outside the federal building in Seattle, protesting the U.S.'s war against Iran.
SEATTLE - More than 100 showed up Tuesday in response to the war in Iran.
Protesters waved flags and held signs outside the federal building.
"I’m here today because I’m against war crimes, and I don’t think we should be bombing people in other countries because we disagree with their governments," said a protester who didn't want to be named.
Some say that working Americans are aware that this war does not benefit them.
What they're saying:
"Right now there are so many people who oppose this war on Iran," said Rae Lee, Current Chair of Seattle Against War.
They are calling for an end to war spending, saying that the money should go to domestic programs and aid for Americans.
"We are told we can’t afford all these things in this country. We can’t afford health care, we can’t afford education. We can’t afford to fight climate change, but there is money to bomb schools, to bomb infrastructure in other countries," said a protester who didn't want to use their name.
"When they are proposing this $1.5 trillion-dollar budget for the military for 2027, how can anybody stand still and take that lying down? They are cutting food stamps, healthcare. They are cutting jobs," said Rae Lee, current Chair of Seattle Against War.
They're also calling the incidents, like the bombing of a girl's school in Iran, an unacceptable loss of innocent life.
"We initiated this attack, we were the ones to strike the girls' school, killing 180 school girls," said Lee.
The other side:
Some people who do support regime change came out to voice their opinion as well.
Homeira Bakhtiari, told us she's in support of a regime change no matter what.
"We need to get rid of this regime for any cost," said Homeira Bakhtiari, who supports action against Iran.
She says she has family in Iran under bombardment who told her that they are just hoping the regime is gone for good.
"In just two nights, on January 9th and 10, they killed over 40,000 people, innocent Iranians, bare-handed, unarmed civilians with military weapons," she said about the regime.
As for the post in which President Trump said he would send the country back into the "stone ages," this is what Bakhtiari said:
"I heard, I heard, but that was just words," said Bakhtiari. "President Trump gave them two weeks to negotiate with them. We need to get rid of this regime for good."
What's next:
Many from Tuesday's protest plan to attend more anti-war protests in the weeks ahead.
Another protest is planned at the UW Quad on April 8th at around 2:00 pm. A second is planned for April 15th at the Tukwila Link Rail station.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Jennifer Dowling.