Thousands of Americans took to streets across the country on Saturday in the latest wave of \u201cNo Kings\u201d demonstrations, voicing opposition to President Donald Trump and what they perceive as a slide toward authoritarianism.<\/p>\n
The rallies, taking place in over 2,700 cities and towns from major urban centres to small communities included a high-profile gathering near Trump\u2019s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida where the president is spending the weekend. Organisers are expecting millions to participate nationwide.<\/p>\n
The protests mark the third mass mobilisation since Trump returned to the White House and come amid a government shutdown that has shuttered federal programs and services while raising questions about the limits of executive power.<\/p>\n
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Demonstrators argue that Trump\u2019s confrontations with Congress and the courts, coupled with attacks on political opponents and the media, threaten the democratic norms of the United States.<\/p>\n
In the nation\u2019s capital, protesters carried signs declaring \u201cQueens Say No Kings\u201d and \u201cWe Love America, Not Trump,\u201d emphasising their patriotic intent. Brian Reymann, waving a large American flag in Washington, D.C., described the vilification of protesters by Republican lawmakers as \u201csad, pathetic and terrifying,\u201d telling CNN, \u201cThis is America. I disagree with their politics, but I don\u2019t believe that they don\u2019t love this country. I believe they are misguided. I think they are power hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n
The movement, which unites around 300 organisations under the \u201cNo Kings\u201d banner, insists that the United States has no place for monarch-like authority. \u201cThe president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don\u2019t have kings and we won\u2019t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty,\u201d the group said on its website.<\/p>\n
Across the country, demonstrators expressed similar sentiments with chants of \u201cWe love our country, we can\u2019t stand Trump,\u201d and in Los Angeles, organisers plan to float a giant balloon depicting Trump in a diaper, with an estimated crowd of 100,000 expected.<\/p>\n
A growing opposition movement<\/p>\n
While the earlier protests this year \u2014 against Elon Musk\u2019s cuts in spring, then to counter Trump\u2019s military parade in June \u2014 drew crowds, organizers say this one is building a more unified opposition movement. Top Democrats such as Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders are joining in what organizers view as an antidote to Trump\u2019s actions, from the administration\u2019s clampdown on free speech to its military-style immigration raids.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no greater threat to an authoritarian regime than patriotic people-power,\u201d said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, among the key organizers.<\/p>\n
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Before noon, several thousand people had gathered in New York City\u2019s Times Square, chanting \u201cTrump must go now,\u201d and waving sometimes-profane signs with slogans insulting the president and condemning his immigration crackdown. Some people carried American flags.<\/p>\n
Retired family doctor Terence McCormally was heading to Arlington National Cemetery to join up with others Saturday morning and walk across the Memorial Bridge that enters Washington directly in front of the Lincoln Memorial. He thought the protests would be peaceful but said the recent deployment of the National Guard makes him more leery about the police than he used to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really don\u2019t like the crooks and conmen and religious zealots who are trying to use the country\u201d for personal gain, McCormally said, \u201cwhile they are killing and hurting millions of people with bombs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rallies were held in major European cities, where gatherings of a few hundred Americans chanted slogans and held signs and U.S. flags.<\/p>\n
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADRepublicans denounce \u2018Hate America\u2019 rallies<\/p>\n
Republicans have sought to portray participants in Saturday\u2019s rallies as far outside the mainstream of American politics, and a main reason for the prolonged government shutdown, now in its 18th day.<\/p>\n
From the White House to Capitol Hill, GOP leaders disparaged the rallygoers as \u201ccommunists\u201d and \u201cMarxists.”<\/p>\n
They say Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are beholden to the far-left flank and willing to keep the government shut down to appease those liberal forces.<\/p>\n
\u201cI encourage you to watch \u2014 we call it the Hate America rally \u2014 that will happen Saturday,\u201d said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s see who shows up for that,” Johnson said, listing groups including \u201cantifa types,\u201d people who \u201chate capitalism\u201d and \u201cMarxists in full display.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a Facebook post, former presidential contender Sanders said, \u201cIt\u2019s a love America rally.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a rally of millions of people all over this country who believe in our Constitution, who believe in American freedom and,\u201d he said, pointing at the GOP leadership, \u201care not going to let you and Donald Trump turn this country into an authoritarian society.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democrats have refused to vote on legislation that would reopen the government as they demand funding for health care. Republicans say they are willing to discuss the issue later, only after the government reopens.<\/p>\n
But for many Democrats, the government closure is also a way to stand up to Trump, and try to push the presidency back to its place in the U.S. system as a co-equal branch of government.<\/p>\n
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The situation is a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and despondent, unsure about how best to respond to Trump\u2019s return to the White House. Schumer in particular was berated by his party for allowing an earlier government funding bill to sail through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump.<\/p>\n
In April, the national march against Trump and Elon Musk had 1,300 registered locations. In June, for the first \u201cNo Kings\u201d day, there were 2,100 registered locations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine,\u201d Levin said. \u201cThe worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender.\u201d<\/p>\n
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he wasn\u2019t sure if he would join the rallygoers Saturday, but he took issue with the Republicans\u2019 characterization of the events.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s hateful is what happened on January 6th,” he said, referring to the 2021 Capitol attack, as Trump\u2019s supporters stormed the building to protest Joe Biden\u2019s election victory. \u201cWhat you\u2019ll see this weekend is what patriotism looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n
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With inputs from agencies<\/p>\n
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