Protesters assemble near the Atlanta CNN debate site - against both presidential candidates

Ahead of Thursday’s presidential debate some activists vowed to “disrupt” the proceedings in protest of both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. While a number of groups did gather in support of various causes, things remained calm and the Atlanta Police Department said there were no arrests.

ExplorePHOTOS: Debates draw protests

Demonstrators off Tumlin Street carried signs that said, “Smash Imperialism, Free Gaza Now” and “Defund the U.S. war machine.” They wore masks and did not want to speak to a reporter.

A group of pro-Palestinian protesters also gathered near the site.

“Everything that’s happening in Gaza and the West Bank is horrific,” said State House candidate Gabriel Sanchez, a democratic socialist who ousted incumbent Democratic state Rep. Teri Anulewicz in last month’s primary. “We have to do everything we can to stop it.”

ExploreHow CNN prepared for the Atlanta presidential debate

Credit: Seeger Gray / AJC

Credit: Seeger Gray / AJC

Meanwhile, a giant mouse waved to traffic and fellow protestors while advocating for an end to animal testing just blocks from the presidential debate Thursday evening.

“Cut the NIH’s $22 billion budget, not mice,” read a sign held by the furry activist (a person in a mouse costume).

CNN was for years located in downtown Atlanta, and the iconic sign at time became a focus of protest activity. It was vandalized during violent protests in 2020.

The network is now located on a heavily fortified campus in Midtown. Security, a massive and collaborative effort involving the Secret Service and numerous state and local agencies, was formidable.

At one point on Thursday two anti-abortion protesters and a pro-Palestinian group yelled at each other and jockeyed for space, but they were quickly corralled by police.

A different group walked up 14th Street westbound chanting “cops, pigs, murderers” as police officers on bikes cycled alongside the group, which kept to the sidewalk.

Opponents of Atlanta’s planned public safety training center and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war were among the groups who announced plans to protest ahead of the debate.

Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC

While their topics varied, the groups seemed unified in their lack of enthusiasm for either candidate.

“Many of us have been in Atlanta and no matter how many people come out and say that they want this war to stop, they want a permanent cease fire in Palestine, the president is not really budging on it,” said Kelsea Bond, co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America’s Atlanta chapter. “We don’t think Trump would be any better so we are protesting both of them.”

At the Home Park rally, protesters gathered around a giant papier-mâché sculpture depicting Trump and Biden as a conjoined monster.

“Both Trump and Biden support the genocide going on in Palestine and so we don’t support, we reject both candidates,” a man with a megaphone said.

As darkness descended, the group chanted, “ATL you will see, Palestine will be free.”

At one gathering spot a Decatur resident named Geoff, who did not give his last name, spoke to the AJC while holding a “Veterans for Peace” flag. Geoff said he served in the Navy for 24 years and traditionally voted Democrat, but he was frustrated by “endless war.”

“America, where’s your heart? Biden, where’s your heart?” he asked.

Geoff said he’d participated in several protests against the Israel-Hamas War and hoped to spread a message of peace.

“I’d love to see a foreign policy that didn’t just get us into one war after another,” Geoff said. “Hopefully, we’re making a difference.”