WASHINGTON — Anti-war protesters gathered outside of the White House on Saturday to oppose any war against Iran or Iraq.
"There’s a World War III trending on twitter right, people are alarmed, people are scared," Brian Becker, The National Director of ANSWER Coalition, said.
Becker said the message from demonstrators in D.C., and 72 other cities across the country, was that they want peace and not war.
“There’s no reason the united states need to act as the policeman of the world,” Becker said.
Becker was joined by what appeared to be several hundred other protesters that blocked D.C. streets as they made their way from the White House to the Trump International Hotel.
'We’re here to say no to an endless war," Leonardo Flores, the Campaign Coordinator for Code Pink said. “Trump, when he was a candidate, promised an end to war and right now it looks like he’s getting us into one.”
President Donald Trump said on Friday that killing Soleimani should have been done a long time ago, and that Soleimani made the death of innocent people his sick passion.
"We took action last night to stop a war," Trump said. "We did not take action to start a war,” Trump said.
"To be honest, I think there’s already been a war going on against Iran in terms of the sanctions, Flores said. "The sanctions are an economic war on Iran that has cost lives."
Protester and climate activist Jane Fonda was also at the demonstration. She said people should fight climate change and peace simultaneously.
"The younger people here should know all the wars that have been fought since you were born were fought over oil," Fonda said.
"I think the American people in the main are outraged over the idea that Donald Trump could be taking the country to another war in the middle east," Becker said.