RICHMOND, Va. — A couple dozen people gathered near the Maggie Walker statue in Richmond Saturday afternoon to protest the overnight U.S. strikes on Iran.
The demonstration was organized by the Richmond Liberation Center. Director Adam Malinowski-Liu said the group believes the strikes were illegal and against international law.
"We organized today because ultimately we recognize that the American people are overwhelmingly against these foreign acts of aggression," Malinowski-Liu said.
Malinowski-Liu said the protest was part of a coordinated effort taking place across the country.
"It's showing that immediately the American people are against war with Iran," Malinowski-Liu said.
Malinowski-Liu also connected the strikes to domestic policy concerns, arguing that military spending abroad comes at the expense of social services at home.
"The federal government's choice to cut our social services and cut our housing and our healthcare and our jobs, it is connected to their explosion in their budget for the United States military," Malinowski-Liu said.
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He urged Richmond residents to hold elected officials accountable.
"As people that are paying taxes to the federal government, we have to demand that our politicians are not creating these disasters all around the world," Malinowski-Liu said.
WATCH: Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed in strikes, Israeli officials say
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