Protesters gathered in front of the Federal Building in downtown Eugene Saturday to denounce United States and Israeli attacks on Iran.
People held signs and chanted, “No threats. No bombs. No war with Iran.”
After the main gathering concluded, a smaller group of protesters periodically blocked streets around the building and in the nearby blocks. According to the Daily Emerald, one protester was injured by a driver who drove through a line of protesters.
By 7:30 p.m., the protesters had returned to the Federal Building, where at least two were detained, according to a KLCC reporter on the scene.
Earlier in the day, the gathering of anti-war protesters, along with at least two other demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, remained peaceful.
Not their first time protesting a war
The news of the strikes shocked John Brobst.
“My God, we’ve just bombed Iran,” Brobst remembered saying after hearing the news Saturday morning.
His wife, Anne Ryder, said she was not as shocked.
“It's not surprising that Trump would do something impetuous that is not going to help anybody,” she said. “There's no clear objectives, and there's no sense of what could be produced by this, other than death to innocent people."
The couple said they felt a responsibility to show up to the protests instead of “reading the newspaper and doom-scrolling.” But this is far from their first protest.
“I was protesting in the ‘70s against the Vietnam War,” Ryder said. “Like, we still have to do this.”
“I thought we'd learn something decades ago, 100 years ago, but here it is again, and it's all for money,” Brobst added.
Brobst joined the protest with a sign and hat that read, “Make Orwell Fiction Again.” He said he bought the hat during Trump’s first administration.
“If you read 1984, all the elements in there are with us,” Ryder said.
“I bought a copy from Tsunami Boots and read it again. This is what's happening right now. This is oppression,” Brobst said. “We’re in an authoritarian state now and this is really one of the few things that you can do that’s of any use, that’s of any good. It’s just to show up.”
KLCC's Zac Ziegler contributed to this report.
