Donald Trump faces a pushback from his once-trusted allies over the war with Iran.
Protesters from NATO-allied countries launched a fierce attack on the 79-year-old Trump on Saturday as they took to the streets to demonstrate against the United States and Israel over the unexpected war with Iran that broke out on February 28.
In Montreal, hundreds of demonstrators wielded megaphones and held signs disparaging Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Canadians have recently taken to the streets to protest Trump and Israel’s war against Iran. /Andrei Ivanov/AFP, Getty Images
“Israel and pedophile Trump bombed Iran on lies, now your families are in trouble as food and gas prices rise!” read a large banner, according to footage from the demonstration. Another demonstrator held up statues of Trump and Netanyahu wearing blood-stained aprons.
Social media videos showed harsh condemnations of Trump’s clashes. /screenshots/piedmontrell/ Instagram
Trump and his Israeli counterparts have been painted as bloody butchers at the protests. /screenshots/piedmontrell/ Instagram
Similar sentiments were reported in Madrid, where 4,000 demonstrators gathered for a rally. In early March, Trump labeled Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez a “loser” after the country would not allow the two countries’ shared military bases to be used in a war.
Protesters chant slogans in Spanish capital
Trump calls the country
Other protests in Edinburgh and Amsterdam were held to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In 1960, South African authorities opened fire on a peaceful anti-apartheid demonstration, killing 69 people. The incident became known as the Sharpeville Massacre, and the United Nations subsequently designated this day as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
A protester in Edinburgh, Scotland, held a sign that read about Trump’s previous remarks to a female reporter. /Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images
Cartoonized depictions of Trump were a common theme throughout the day Saturday. / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images
The conflict has killed thousands of people in Iran and its neighbors, including 13 U.S. service members. There has been an international outcry over the conflict, which comes as the president has repeatedly expressed anger at NATO allies for not supporting the war he started without consulting them.
“Without the United States, NATO is a paper tiger!” Trump roared on “Truth Social” on Friday. “They don’t want to join the fight to stop a nuclear-powered Iran.”
The president went on to declare victory against Iran — as he has done repeatedly, only to reverse course hours later and threaten new military strikes — and scolded allied leaders for not assisting the United States in keeping open the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil is transported.
Trump declares U.S. military victory in the war against Iran. / truth society
“Now that the battle is won militarily, there is little danger for them, who complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay but do not want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, which is a simple military exercise and the only reason for the high oil prices,” he wrote.
“It was easy for them to do it and the risk was minimal. Cowards, we will remember it!” the president continued.
Trump this week escalated his verbal attacks on his NATO counterparts as oil prices soared – with global benchmark Brent crude approaching $120 a barrel at its peak.
Trump complained in the Oval Office on Thursday that NATO didn’t want to help defend the strait, but claimed, “Now they’re better because they see my attitude.”
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s too late,” Trump declared.
For their part, some European leaders have staunchly supported NATO’s stated mission of protecting allies from attack rather than provoking them.
“France’s position has not changed: Defend. Protect,” French Response, the official X account of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote in a March 16 post in response to another of Trump’s threats.
There is little support from allies for Trump and Israel’s war against Iran. An IPSOS poll on March 18 found that 80% of British respondents were “concerned” about the economic impact of the conflict, while 79% of French citizens said they were worried about the conflict spreading beyond the Middle East. Additionally, a majority of Canadians (60%) disapprove of a U.S. strike without congressional approval.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
