Light Gathering Protest Military Action In Iran

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 03/02/2026) Roughly 50 people gathered outside the Capitol Monday evening protesting the U.S. military action in Iran. The protest follows the United States' Saturday airstrikes in Iran that have drawn sharp criticism from those who argue President Donald Trump's administration shouldn't have started what could become a prolonged conflict without congressional approval.

Many of those who gathered carried signs and flags calling for peace and an end to war, chanting slogans like "no war with Iran" and "stop arming Israel now." Several protesters said they came to the Capitol to voice opposition not only to the airstrikes themselves, but to what they see as a broader pattern of U.S. military intervention overseas.

Larry Marple came with his wife of 23 years, Julia Marple, waving a large flag with a peace sign on it. They both are no strangers to protests in Lansing. In fact, they come to protests every Friday and Sunday. They also frequently write letters to Michigan legislators.

"We're here because of the illegal action the Trump administration took in bombing Iran without congressional approval," Larry Marple said.

Julia Marple added that she believed military action could have been conducted with less harm to civilians.

"We have the best military, and we were able to do a strike to take out Osama bin Laden without all that collateral damage of innocent people," she said. "It seems as if they wanted to remove leadership in Iran, they could have done it in a more strategic way without the loss of innocent lives."

The Marple couple said they continue to show up for demonstrations to set an example for their grandchildren.

"There's no sense in sitting at home and worrying about it," Julia said. "At least here we feel like we're doing something."

Other protesters connected the airstrikes to wider frustrations with U.S. foreign and domestic policy. Nicholas Kinsey, a protester from Lansing, criticized what he described as longstanding American military engagement abroad and called for reduced support for Israel. "We need to stop supporting Israel … because that's just going to bring us into more wars like this," he said.

Democratic congressional candidate William Lawrence also attended and said his opposition to the conflict aligns with his broader campaign priorities.

"Say no to war in Iran, yes to good housing and health care for the American people," he told MIRS. "I'm 35. We invaded Iraq when I was 12 years old. Feels like the forever war has never stopped since then, and this just feels like the latest deadline and destabilizing chapter."

Lawrence has been no stranger to recent protests across the state.

"I like to build bridges between the streets of protest and the halls of power so that we can actually overcome the power of the billionaires and war hawks and pass good housing and healthcare," he said.

Sam Burton, co-chair of the Greater Lansing Democratic Socialists of America, told the crowd the violence abroad is connected to political and economic struggles at home.

"The same people who destroy hospitals in Gaza or Iran are the same people who are telling you that single-payer health care is too expensive," Burton said. "The same people who destroy schools are the same people trying to break teachers unions here."

Burton argued that opposition to war should not be rooted solely in moral outrage, but in what he called a shared class struggle against political and corporate power. He urged attendees to continue organizing beyond the demonstration.

Another speaker, Anna Martinez-Hume, attended with her toddler, who held a small sign reading "Arms embargo now." Martinez-Hume led chants of "Stop arming Israel now" and "No war with Iran," tying the protest to Michigan's defense industry footprint.