Protesters gathered in hundreds of cities across the US to oppose President Donald Trump’s administration on Saturday, as he held a military parade in Washington.
Anti-Trump activists, including labor unions and civil-rights groups organized the nationwide demonstrations under the banner of “No Kings,” denouncing what they say are Trump’s authoritarian tendencies — and the parade being held on his 79th birthday.
The “day of defiance” was initially called to protest the US president’s turning the Army’s 250th birthday celebration into an expansive show of military hardware. It gained urgency after federal immigration raids in Los Angeles sparked protests and political strife between Trump and Democratic leaders.
Major demonstrations took place in Philadelphia, the cradle of US independence, Chicago and across California, including San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles, where the opposition to immigration raids prompted Trump to seize control of the state’s National Guard and deploy US Marines.
In New York, marchers gathered at Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan and marched down Fifth Avenue. The Seattle Police Department placed the crowd size in that city in excess of 70,000 and said there were no confrontations or property destruction.
“Let’s make sure we show the world the best of Los Angeles and our country,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said as protests got underway. “Let’s stand in contrast to the provocation, escalation and violence.”
The city’s police chief Jim McDonnell predicted a turnout of tens of thousands, numbers that appeared to materialize across the city. After a largely peaceful day, hundreds of law enforcement officers swarmed a small section of the city’s downtown as the main protest ended. They guarded key government buildings including city hall and the federal building while dispersing demonstrators with pepper balls, flash bangs and less lethal projectiles.
Protesters hurled some bottles and rocks and shot fireworks, according to police. Scenes showed demonstrators pushing forward towards police barricades and then being pushed back by officers.
The day was earlier marred when two Democratic state politicians in Minnesota were shot, one of them fatally, in what Trump said was likely a targeted attack. “No Kings” canceled its events across the state as law enforcement hunted for the shooter.
In Texas, authorities temporarily evacuated the state capitol complex in Austin after receiving threats against state lawmakers planning to attend a “No Kings” protest. A suspect was arrested later Saturday at a traffic stop in the town of La Grange, the Texas Department of Public Safety said on social media.
Organizers explicitly excluded Washington from the protests, saying they wanted to draw a contrast with the Army parade and make “everywhere else the story of America” on the day. About 200 protesters assembled anyway about a 20-minute walk from the White House, AP reported.
In Louisville, Kentucky, a crowd of thousands sang in unison and cheered motorists who honked their horns in support, broadcaster WHAS reported.
US Senator Bernie Sanders said he drew more than 500 people in Stowe, Vermont, at a protest meant to say no “to the authoritarianism that has taken hold of our country.”
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