1971 May Day protests against the Vietnam War

1971 May Day protests
Part of the opposition to U.S. involvement in Vietnam
DateMay 1971
Location
Parties

Protesters

  • May Day tribe
  • Yippies
  • Other protesters
Number
12,000 - 15,000
12,000 federal troops
5,100 local police
1,500 National Guardsmen
Casualties
Arrested12,000

The 1971 May Day protests against the Vietnam War were a series of large-scale civil disobedience actions in Washington, D.C., protesting the United States' continuing involvement in the Vietnam War. The protests began on Monday morning, May 3 and ended on May 5. In all, more than 12,000 people were arrested, in what was the largest mass arrest in U.S. history.

Members of the Nixon administration would come to view the events as damaging because the government's response was perceived as violating citizens' civil rights.