Protesters skeptical of Iran-Israel ceasefire at Austin anti-war demonstration

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Dozens of people gathered in downtown Austin to protest the United States’ bombing of Iranian nuclear sites, despite President Donald Trump’s announcement that a ceasefire deal has been reached. According to NBC News, neither Iranian nor Israeli officials have commented on that deal.

When the United States bombed Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend, organizers with the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL Austin) and the Austin Palestine Coalition took to social media to condemn the action.

“It threatens to set into motion a regional or even global war with massive casualties, nuclear radiation, and catastrophic consequences,” the Austin for Palestine Coalition wrote on social media. “We demand an immediate end to U.S./Israeli attack on Iran and its sovereignty!”

While it remains unclear whether the Iranian and Israeli governments have accepted the ceasefire, organizer Brianna Griffith said she does not believe the situation has been resolved.

“The reality is we have seen Israel and the United States break these ceasefires many times before,” she said.

Amanda, who attended the protest with her husband and two young children, agreed that the ceasefire doesn’t necessarily mean peace in the region. Amanda’s husband is Iranian, making her a citizen of Iran as well.

“It looks to me like this is another tactic to say that the Iranians are not operating in good faith and to justify this bombing, when in reality, right, there probably was no actual offer made,” she said.

But Ray, who attended the Austin protest, said views of the average American are often excluded from the narrative.

“Where is our neutrality in America? It’s always the meeting of two extremes,” he said.

Similar protests have occurred nationwide after the United States’ official involvement in the conflict over the weekend, including in New York City and Washington, D.C.