Mass Outpouring of Anti-War Sentiment Over Iran: Where Is It?

The invasion of Iraq was still five months away when an estimated 100,000 Americans poured into the streets of several major cities to protest the oncoming conflict. According to the protest’s chief organizer, the ANSWER Coalition, it was the largest display of anti-war sentiment the nation had experienced since the late 1960s. It would not be the last mass protest against the war.

In January 2003, when tens of thousands flooded the National Mall in Washington, D.C., U.S. Park Police could not even estimate the scale of the demonstration. “I think the organizers of the event will be very pleased,” said Park Police Sergeant Scott Fear. The largest of the antebellum protests took place on February 15, 2003, when hundreds of thousands of Americans took to the streets in Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, New York City, and Miami, among other major metros, carrying signs that read “No blood for oil” and “Get the warheads out of D.C.” The marches crippled their respective cities as protesters clashed with police and attempted to block access to major thoroughfares and public transportation.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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The invasion of Iraq was still five months away when an estimated 100,000 Americans poured into the streets of several major cities to protest the oncoming conflict. According to the protest’s chief organizer, the ANSWER Coalition, it was the largest display of anti-war sentiment the nation had experienced since the late 1960s. It would not be the last mass protest against the war.

In January 2003, when tens of thousands flooded the National Mall in Washington, D.C., U.S. Park Police could not even estimate the scale of the demonstration. “I think the organizers of the event will be very pleased,” said Park Police Sergeant Scott Fear. The largest of the antebellum protests took place on February 15, 2003, when hundreds of thousands of Americans took to the streets in Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, New York City, and Miami, among other major metros, carrying signs that read “No blood for oil” and “Get the warheads out of D.C.” The marches crippled their respective cities as protesters clashed with police and attempted to block access to major thoroughfares and public transportation.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.