Millions across all 50 US states march in No Kings protests against Trump
Crowds of Americans, many in costumes, aligned behind message that US is sliding into authoritarianism
Huge crowds have taken part in "No Kings" protests against President Donald Trump's policies in cities across the US, including New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles.
Thousands packed New York City's iconic Times Square and streets all around, with people holding signs with slogans like "Democracy not Monarchy" and "The Constitution is not optional". Ahead of the demonstrations, Trump allies accused the protesters of being linked with the far-left Antifa movement, and condemned what they called "the-hate America rally".
Several US states had mobilised the National Guard.
People in communities big and small came together nationwide with signs, marching bands, a huge banner with the US constitution’s preamble that people could sign, and inflatable costumes, particularly frogs, which have emerged as a sign of resistance beginning in Portland, Oregon.
The rallies are a turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats seemed at a loss as to how to counter Republicans’ grip of the White House and both houses of Congress after stinging national election losses.
“What we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine,” Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, a key organizing group, told the Associated Press. “The worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender.”
In Chicago, at Grant Park’s Butler Field, at least 10,000 people assembled, many with signs opposing federal immigration agents or mocking Trump. TV stations with feeds from protests warned viewers they could not be responsible for the language used in the signage. A later crowd estimate by the Chicago Tribune put the number at 100,000.
Some of them said “Hands Off Chicago”, a rallying cry that began when the president first announced his intent to send the national guard into the city.
In Bethesda, Maryland, one demonstrator held a sign reading, “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting.” In Washington, DC, Brian Reymann carried a large American flag and said being called a terrorist all week by Republicans was despicable.
On Saturday, Ginny Eschbach joined her 42nd protest since Trump’s inauguration in January.
The 72-year-old came to the No Kings rally in Los Angeles dressed as SpongeBob SquarePants, her second choice after not being able to find an inflatable frog costume. “I wanted to be whimsical, because I think that lets them know, when we’re here, we’re serious, however, we are not dangerous and we are not violent,” she said, referring to Republicans’ efforts to paint the rallies as dangerous and un-American. “We are just not happy.”
For Eschbach, who drove in from Thousand Oaks, a city north-west of Los Angeles, and carried an American flag, the Trump administration’s crackdown on free speech has been particularly alarming. “I personally am not happy with the erosion of our first amendment rights,” she said.
“This is my gravest concern, as they attack universities, the media, law firms and now our very own freedom of speech and threaten our ability to peacefully assemble.”
More than 200,000 Washington DC-area residents rallied near the US Capitol.
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