Reaction is pouring in across Northern California after U.S. and Israeli airstrikes in Iran killed the country’s Supreme Leader.

About four dozen protesters gathered Saturday in front of the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium and walked near 16th and J streets in downtown Sacramento, chanting and speaking out against the war.

“We are protesting against the war in Iran that just happened this morning,” protester Niko Hernes said. “It’s disgusting and nasty, and it doesn’t deserve to be happening.”

Carlos Tapia said the group’s message was simple.

“We’re just against all the war, because we need more love around the world,” Tapia said.

Scenes of airstrikes and uncertainty in the Middle East prompted strong reactions locally, but experts say the response among Iranian Americans is more complex.

Sahar Razavi, an associate professor at California State University, Sacramento, who directs the university’s Iranian and Middle Eastern Studies Center, said emotions range widely.

“Many people are horrified and terrified. There are some people who are excited, who believe that this might be the push that the regime needs to implode. Typically, what we have seen with military attacks on Iran in the past, it tends to lead to a spike in nationalist sentiment,” Razavi said. “There are also some sectors of Iranian society who are celebrating the attacks. So, in a country of 92 million people, as you might expect, there’s a diversity of opinions and voices, but we’ve already seen heavy casualties of civilians.”

Regardless of where people stand, Razavi said many Iranian Americans share one immediate concern: reaching loved ones.

“One thing that is extremely difficult for Iranian Americans is that we have a very low success rate at getting a hold of our loved ones in Iran to see if they’re OK,” said Razavi.

As protests unfolded in Sacramento, state officials said they are monitoring the situation.

California’s Office of Emergency Services said Saturday that while there are no specific or credible threats to California, its teams are working with federal partners and monitoring developments in Iran.

“We are all waiting to see what happens,” said Razavi.

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