An unrelated video is shared as Americans protesting against Trump over the US attack on Iran
On 13 June 2025, Israel launched attacks on more than a dozen targets across Iran under the codename Operation Rising Lion, with the stated objective of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Israel reportedly damaged key nuclear facilities and military installations, killing several of Iran’s top military leaders. In retaliation, Iran launched a series of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel under the name Operation True Promise 3.
In the early hours of 22 June 2025, the United States carried out attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran under Operation Midnight Hammer (here, here, here, here, and here). Seven B-2 bombers, along with submarine-launched missiles, targeted Iran’s key nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, causing extensive damage to underground enrichment structures. The US described the action as a pre-emptive measure aimed at degrading Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
In this context, a video is going viral on social media (here, here, and here), showing a crowd on a bridge throwing stones at police vehicles parked below, shattering their windows. The video is being shared with the claim that due to the attack on Iran, Donald Trump is facing strong opposition in the US, leading people to destroy police vehicles. In this article, let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: The video shows Americans destroying police vehicles in protest against Donald Trump following the US attack on Iran.
Fact: The viral video does not show Americans protesting against Donald Trump over the US attack on Iran. It actually shows a violent protest in Downtown Los Angeles on 08 June 2025, sparked by immigration raids. Although protests did take place in multiple countries, including the US, against the 22 June 2025 strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, this video is not related to those demonstrations. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
To verify the claim, we searched online to check whether any such protest took place in the US, where Americans opposed Donald Trump following the US attack on Iran. We found several media reports and articles by news organisations (here, here, here, and here) confirming that protests were indeed held in various countries, including the United States, against the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. In Washington DC, hundreds of people demonstrated in front of the White House, while similar protests took place in New York. Protesters were seen holding placards reading “NO WAR ON IRAN”.
Upon closely observing the viral video, we noticed a watermark of an Instagram handle named @caughtla. A search on Instagram led us to an account with that name. On reviewing the profile, we found the same video uploaded on 09 June 2025, confirming that it predates the US attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites on 22 June 2025, and is unrelated to the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. The post’s caption stated that the video shows protesters throwing rocks and debris at CHP and LAPD during the ICE protests that took place in Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA).
Using clues from the Instagram post, we searched with relevant keywords and found several media reports (here, here, and here) showing the same incident from different angles. According to these reports, violent protests broke out in Los Angeles on 08 June 2025, in response to immigration raids conducted under Donald Trump’s deportation policy. Protesters clashed with police, vandalised property, and set fires, prompting the deployment of 2,100 National Guard troops. Similar protests were also reported in other US cities. This confirms that the viral video shows these immigration-related protests and has no connection to the US attack on Iran.
Apart from Los Angeles, similar protests erupted in cities like San Francisco, New York, and Chicago. The unrest began after immigration raids on 06 June 2025, leading to over 100 arrests. As violence escalated, 2,100 National Guard troops and 700 Marines were deployed under federal orders, sparking legal and political backlash from California officials. A court battle followed over the legality of the deployment. The federal response cost over $134 million, while L.A.’s local expenses exceeded $30 million.
To sum up, the viral video does not show protests against Trump over the US attack on Iran; it shows immigration raid protests in Los Angeles.