Video of San Diego protesters rallying against Trump over US airstrikes on Iran

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team reviewed this content and determined that it is misleading.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search to find the actual event.

Posts from multiple users on social media platforms X and TikTok on June 22, 2025, shared a clip claiming to show a large crowd gathered in San Diego in protest against the recent United States airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. However, the footage is from a protest that took place prior to the Iran attack.

A US airstrike on June 22, codenamed “Operation Midnight Hammer”, targeted and “totally obliterated” Iran’s primary nuclear enrichment facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, President Donald Trump announced. Iran has condemned the strikes as a “barbaric violation” of international law and warned of “everlasting consequences”, including potential unilateral action such as closing the Strait of Hormuz.

HOW IT STARTED

On June 22, an Indian user shared a 33-second clip showing a huge crowd gathering to protest against US President Donald Trump.

The post’s caption said, “Big breaking: Mass protests erupt across America as citizens take to the streets in outrage after the US launches an attack on Iran. Demonstrators chant in unison: Trump must go — No war in our name!”

The post gained over 4.7 million views and 22,000 reshares.

The same clip was shared by several other X users, as seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here, accumulating over 1.3m views.

The same clip was found on TikTok which can be seen here, here, here, and here, collectively getting over 760,000 views.

Similarly, the clip was also found on Instagram too which can be seen here, here, here, here, and here with collectively over 78,000 likes.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in the US involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict.

A reverse image search yielded an Instagram post of a digital creator named Jess Porter published on June 14, 2025.

The caption of the post read, “San Diego showed up! — Protesting Trump’s tyrannical MAGA government. 80,000 people converged on downtown to speak out and peacefully protest. Beautiful to see this occur countrywide. So proud of our city for showing up!

A keyword search for “San Diego”, and “June 14” led to videos from two local media outlets, CBS 8 San Diego and ABC 10 News, covering news from San Diego.

The video uploaded on June 15, 2025 by CBS 8 San Diego titled: ‘No Kings’ | More than 20,000 march in downtown San Diego’

While the same event’s coverage was done by ABC 10 News on June 14, 2025 titled WATCH LIVE: “No Kings” protests across San Diego County’.

A comparison between the viral clip and coverage by local San Diego media confirmed that the protest occurred prior to the US attack on Iran, as both featured similar aerial footage of the march at San Diego Waterfront Park.

Notably, an anchored sailboat visible in the bay appears in both the viral video and local reports covering the “No Kings” march, further verifying that both clips depict the same event.

A Hindustan Times report published on June 13, 2025 said that multiple activist groups, including Indivisible and the 50501 movement (50 states, 50 protests, 1 movement), organised nationwide “No Kings” protests on June 14 in response to Trump’s Army Day parade in Washington, DC, held on his 79th birthday.

The protests aimed to oppose authoritarianism and corruption, further fuelled by Trump’s handling of recent demonstrations in Los Angeles. Organisers described the event as a national day of defiance to reclaim democratic values across US.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: MISLEADING

The claim that a viral video shows protesters in San Diego rallying against Trump in response to recent US airstrikes on Iran is misleading.

The video does not show anti-Trump protests over the Iran attacks but protests against his administration on June 14 for its handling of the Los Angeles demonstrations and its other actions and measures.

Evidence and References

June 13, 2025, Hindustan Times news article:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/no-kings-june-14-protest-time-find-out-when-it-is-happening-in-your-city-101749799300634.html

June 14, 2025, Instagram post:
https://archive.md/dfYJZ

June 14, 2025, ABC 10 News YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgZjnnEWO_s

June 15, 2025, CBS 8 San Diego YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJSYfLd2LQ0&t=41s