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CBS News
10 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Protestors in Denver oppose war with Iran: "Do not define the Islamic regime as the Iranian people"
As tensions rise over President Trump's decision to launch airstrikes against Iran, a last-minute protest Sunday at the Colorado State Capitol drew people voicing opposition to the prospect of another U.S. war in the Middle East. The demonstration, organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation, came together in less than 24 hours. A few dozen protesters gathered peacefully in the afternoon to condemn the military action and call for peace. "There was no way that we weren't gonna be out here protesting," said Katie Leonard, a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Just blocks away, Aryan Kiani, who came to the United States as a student in 1978, offered a different perspective. Kiani, an Iranian-born Denver resident who advocates for a secular Iran, criticized both the U.S. strike and the Islamic regime in his home country. "The violence is gonna cause the violence in the future, and it's not gonna help the United States," Kiani said. "Do not define the Islamic regime as the Iranian people. They are not." Mr. Trump said that he launched strikes against the Iranian nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan on Saturday and called the strikes a "spectacular military success." In addition to retaliatory strikes against Israel, which launched strikes against Iran on June 12, Iran launched missiles at the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday. Later that day, Mr. Trump said that Israel and Iran have agreed on a "Complete and Total" ceasefire. Despite differing views, protesters and Kiani shared opposition to further U.S. military involvement in the region. Protesters drew parallels to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. "We've lived through this already," Leonard said. "Back when George W. Bush said that Iraq had so-called 'weapons of mass destruction' and used that as a pretext to send us to war." Kiani said he hopes international intervention won't be necessary and that change in Iran can come from within. "Let the people do the job," he said. "You don't need the military." The protest ended peacefully around 5:30 p.m., with organizers saying more demonstrations are likely in the future.
CBS News
10-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Coloradans hold protest to advocate for immigrants, call for an end to deportations
Saturday was the second time in less than a week that thousands of people gathered at the state capitol to protest current immigration enforcement in Colorado. The Denver protest was one of many across the country this week, following immigration operations by multiple federal agencies. Wednesday morning members of the Department of Homeland Security conducted operations across Denver and Aurora they said targeted over 100 people connected to Venezuelan gang activity in the U.S. However, immigration advocates argue targeting neighborhoods and residential areas is spreading fear in communities already living in fear of deportation. Protest organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation Katie Leonard said, "It's so important that when you see a massive show of force from ICE and all of these other federal law enforcement agencies on a Wednesday, you saw the same show of force, of masses of people come out to the streets that same Wednesday. It's really important that we show that the people here are standing with our immigrant communities." Some protesters on Saturday, like Julian Neave, are seeing the effects firsthand. Neave said, "I'm just here for my family because my father is an immigrant and came to the U.S. to make a better life for us." Others, like Sheila Urkquhartmoura, came out to show their support. "It's absolutely horrible in this day and time we are still fighting the same fight," said Urkquhartmoura. Leonard explained why it's important to come together as a community, stating, "We are signaling to the country, to the world, that we stand with our immigrant neighbors, and we stand against deportation, and we want ice out of our communities." Some protesters also fear that the recent operations are opening the door to bigotry and prejudice.
