Los Angeles just lived through a case study in media dishonesty and political double standards. Two protests. Two very different outcomes. One was loud, emotional, and unapologetically pro-freedom. The other descended into chaos, vandalism, and violence. Guess which one the press bent over backward to excuse.
It is considered the largest community of Iranians outside of Iran… “Little Tehran” (or Tehrangeles) is centered around Westwood Boulevard in West Los Angeles, particularly between Wilkins Avenue and Olympic Boulevard. Officially recognized as Persian Square at Westwood and Wilkins, this corridor is the heart of the Iranian community in LA, featuring numerous restaurants, markets, and shops.
A Peaceful Protest That Terrified The “Right” People
In Westwood and on the UCLA campus, thousands of Iranian Americans and students took to the streets calling for regime change in Iran. They blocked traffic. They chanted. They waved flags from Iran’s pre-revolution past. They begged the United States to stand up to a theocratic regime that has slaughtered thousands of its own citizens and shut off the internet to hide the bodies.
And here’s the part that seems to confuse certain commentators: it stayed peaceful.
- No fires.
- No smashed windows.
- No assaults on police.
- No federal buildings under siege.
- Nobody threatened or intimidated.
Just people demanding freedom for relatives and friends trapped under an Islamic dictatorship. Some even dared to chant “Trump, act now,” which apparently is more offensive to polite society than actual political violence.
The Protest Everyone Pretends Didn’t Happen
Contrast that with the other Los Angeles protest erupting around federal facilities. This one wasn’t about overthrowing a murderous foreign regime. It was about opposing the enforcement of U.S. immigration law—something the federal government is legally required to do.
This protest didn’t stop at chants.
- Objects were thrown at officers.
- Barricades were set ablaze.
- A dumpster was pushed into the street and torched.
- Federal property became the target.
- Public and private property was vandalized.
- Bystanders were threatened with bodily injury.
That’s not a protest. That’s a riot.
Yet somehow, this is the protest that gets framed as “understandable,” “organic,” or “born of frustration.” Violence is rebranded as passion. Criminal behavior is recast as activism.
Why One Side Gets A Free Pass
This isn’t accidental. For decades, California’s political class has pushed a narrative that law enforcement, especially federal enforcement, is inherently suspect. Immigration law is treated as optional. Borders are dismissed as immoral. Consequences are portrayed as cruelty.
So when enforcement finally happens, outrage is pre-loaded. Anger is pre-justified. And violence becomes, if not endorsed, then quietly rationalized.
Meanwhile, Iranian dissidents get treated like an inconvenience. Their protest doesn’t fit the approved script. They oppose an Islamic regime. They ask America to project strength. Some even express gratitude for U.S. power. That alone is enough to make certain activists deeply uncomfortable.
The Irony the Media Does Not Want To Touch
Let’s pause on the irony.
People fleeing an actual theocracy beg for help in Los Angeles—and behave peacefully.
People opposing U.S. law enforcement torch dumpsters and attack officers—in Los Angeles.
Yet only one of these groups gets scolded, surveilled, or quietly smeared.
The so-called “anti-fascists” end up using intimidation and force.
The alleged “reactionaries” stick to chants and signs.
Reality has a way of ruining political slogans.
Media Selective Blindness At Work
If violence happens in the service of progressive orthodoxy, it’s minimized. If it happens on the “wrong” side, it’s front-page outrage. In this case, the roles flipped—and the silence was deafening.
The peaceful Iranian protest exposed something uncomfortable: violence is not inevitable. It is a choice. And it is far more likely when activists are told for years that laws are illegitimate and enforcement is oppression.
Bottom Line
Los Angeles didn’t witness a protest problem—it witnessed a double standard. One movement demanded freedom and stayed peaceful. The other claimed moral superiority and descended into street violence. Only one of them deserves condemnation, no matter how loudly certain ideologues insist otherwise.
