Thousands of Bay Area residents turned the Golden Gate Bridge into a moving protest line on Saturday, linking hands across the span in a show of solidarity with demonstrators in Iran. The walk, organized as a symbolic human chain, ran from the bridge’s San Francisco plaza toward Marin County, with participants carrying Iranian flags and chanting for regime change as they headed toward Sausalito.
Bridge-Side Moment
Organizers called the event powerful and emotional, telling KTVU they estimated about 25,000 people walked from San Francisco to Sausalito to stand with Iranians. “This is a very emotional moment,” organizer Kamran Amintheri told the station. Participant Sahba Diluce, who said she has family in Iran, added, “It’s amazing. I hope something soon happens, and we get freedom.” Many attendees described the march as a peaceful, highly visible way to grab international attention.
Permit and Route
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District listed the event on its calendar as “Human Chain for Iranian People” on Jan. 31 and showed the East Sidewalk as the permitted location, according to the Golden Gate Bridge District. Community listings also noted staging at the Golden Gate Welcome Center and Bridge Plaza, per IranianHotline. Organizers urged participants to remain peaceful and to avoid disrupting vehicle traffic on the bridge…