‘Stop the war on Iran’: Mass protests rock New York after US strikes Tehran; netizens ask ‘Do they have permit’

Anti-war protests erupted as demonstrators marched through the streets of New York to condemn the recent US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities amid heightened security measures across major cities in the US. Meanwhile, netizens asked whether they have permit to march on streets.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of New York, waving Palestinian flags and carrying signs that read “Hands Off Iran” and “Stop the War on Iran”, in response to Operation Midnight Hammer, a US-led military strike targeting Tehran’s nuclear sites, namely Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan.

Voicing the criticism toward Israel, protestors accused it of instigating the conflict with Iran and condemning its military actions in Gaza.

Netizens react

One of the users commented, “Do they have a permit to march in the street like that? If not, why is it tolerated?” Another stated, “Do they have permits? Then arrest them. Charge them. Repeat.” A third remarked, “Expected”. “Nobody cares”, “Sad. Ignorant. Deviant.”, “Amazing. Preprinted signs carried by the unemployed. Where oh where do they get the money to print all of those signs? Hmmm” were some other reactions.

Earlier in the day, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) mentioned that it was increasing its presence at key locations throughout the city to closely monitor any potential repercussions as the situation in Iran evolves. More resources would be deployed to religious, cultural and diplomatic sites throughout the city, it added, stressing the coordination with federal partners as part of precautionary measures.

“We’re tracking the situation unfolding in Iran. Out of an abundance of caution, we’re deploying additional resources to religious, cultural, and diplomatic sites across NYC and coordinating with our federal partners. We’ll continue to monitor for any potential impact to NYC,” it said.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on US strikes in Iran

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke of the success of the operation carried out by the US in Iran on Sunday.

“Last night, on President Trump’s order, the US Central Command conducted a precision strike in the middle of the night against three nuclear facilities in Iran – Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz – in order to destroy or severely degrade Iran’s nuclear programme. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs will demonstrate, it was an incredible and overwhelming success,” Hegseth stated.