Chicago activists, wary about Trump’s Israel-Iran ceasefire announcement, to keep protesting

Chicago activists welcomed word of a “complete and total ceasefire” in the war between Israel and Iran at a downtown protest Monday evening but said they were cautiously optimistic and urged continued agitation.

The protest at Federal Plaza attracted about 200 people despite Monday’s extreme heat. Demonstrators called for the United States to stop bombing Iranian nuclear sites, among other demands. Many condemned U.S. military aid to Israel, supporting its war in Iran and also in Gaza, which has lasted nearly two years.

President Donald Trump said on social media Monday that Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire to be phased in over 24 hours. The countries had been at war for 12 days. The U.S. got involved Saturday, bombing three Iranian nuclear sites.

Israeli military officials declined to comment on Trump’s statement. Iranian state media had no word on what response Tehran had to the ceasefire.

But back at Federal Plaza Monday, John Pottinger was skeptical.

“I wouldn’t hold my breath on the ceasefire,” Pottinger, 71, said.

Pottinger, who lives on the city’s North Side, came out to the demonstration because “protest is the only language that the government understands,” he said.

The US-Palestinian Community Network, which organized Monday’s protest as well as dozens of other demonstrations over Israel’s war in Gaza, said it was likewise wary of the ceasefire announcement.

“The main thing is that we don’t trust anything that Trump or Netanyahu say,” according to a statement from the group. “Trump lies, exaggerates, and shares unsourced material all the time, so until there’s true corroboration from Iran’s foreign ministry or any other more responsible figure in the world, it means nothing.”

Organizers said they told the crowd about the ceasefire at the start of the demonstration, but their message throughout the event remained largely unchanged.

Demonstrators chanted, “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air, U.S. out of everywhere” and held signs that read, “Hands off Iran now,” for about an hour before they marched north to Trump Tower. Iranian flags were scattered among the crowd.

Evan Callan, 36, said his message to elected officials was “don’t get involved in a war that’s not our own.” The Uptown resident said he came directly from work to the protest. Despite word of the ceasefire, Callan said, “We still need to continue applying pressure,” citing the war in Gaza. He called for more people to protest.

Adam Fleischer, 22, of Oak Park, said he didn’t want the U.S. to get involved in another “forever war.” He cautioned one ceasefire didn’t mean an end to fighting in the Middle East.

The Associated Press contributed.

ckubzansky@chicagotribune.com

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