Local activists rallied outside MacDill Air Force Base last Thursday to protest the U.S. conflict with Iran.
The group of about 10, unaffiliated with any specific organizations, gathered at Gadsden Park south of Gandy Boulevard to march toward the entrance of the base.
MacDill has been instrumental in military operations since the early days of World War II. It houses CENTCOM (U.S. Central Command) and serves as the headquarters for the U.S. Operations Command.
“‘Operation Epic Fury’ was devised in our own backyard,” protester Gabby Aguilera told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “It is just the most recent in a long history of imperialist violence CENTCOM is responsible for, and we believe that if we are standing against that, we must confront it directly.”
Among many issues brought up by protesters was the Feb. 28 Tomahawk missile strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school, which killed at least 175 people—the result of a targeting mistake by the U.S. military, according to a New York Times investigation.
A series of large letters that read ‘US Out of Iran’ was also set up in the median as drivers passed—some honking in support and others heckling the group.
This article appears in Mar. 12 – 18, 2026.