BOISE — Protesters at the Idaho Capitol steps on Saturday decried President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord.

At the March for Truth event, protesters held placards opposing Trump’s stance on climate change. At the same time, Eagle political activist James Vandermaas and Boise State University political science professor Chase Johnson spoke in opposition to Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the multi-nation climate accord entered into under Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama.

“Backing out of the Paris climate accord — this is wrong on so many levels,” Vandermaas told the estimated 250 people in attendance at the Saturday rally. “This is something America helped to start, which, naturally, would help the climate problems that we’re having, but would also create more jobs.”

Vandermaas added: “And in spite of numerous large businesses, CEOs and so forth, recommending that we stay in — the likes of even Exxon, GE (General Electric) — Trump quits the accord and isolates us further from our friends and allies.” That comment elicited boos from the crowd.

Johnson he was expressing his views, not BSU’s.

“A president who plays loose with the truth is a president who takes us out of the Paris climate accords, OK?” Johnson said. “Climate change should not be up for debate.”

State Reps. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, and John McCrostie, D-Garden City, also spoke at the event. Both state lawmakers emphasized recent approved changes in Idaho education, with Wintrow claiming an overwhelming victory for Idaho Democrats in the May 16 election.

“Democrats won 80 percent of the elections across the state for school boards, school bonds, and the community college conversion in Idaho Falls,” Wintrow said. “In many of these elections, we won in a walk.”