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Large crowds of protesters are gathering in cities across the US on Saturday in what is expected to be a massive “No Kings” demonstration against President Donald Trump.
In New York’s Times Square, thousands of people clogged 7th Avenue on Saturday morning waving signs and chanting. The mood was calm and the police presence was typical for one of the most crowded places in the city.
Demonstrations also started in Miami, Washington DC, Boston and Chicago, along with many cities overseas including London, Barcelona, Madrid and Nice.
Saturday’s “No Kings” marches are the second wave of such protests this year. In June, millions took to the streets as the US president staged a controversial military parade in Washington.
Since then, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have escalated arrests of undocumented workers across the country. Trump has also ordered National Guardsmen into Democratic-led cities such as Washington and Chicago, further inciting political tensions.
Trump dismissed the demonstrations in an interview with Fox News on Friday, saying: “I’m not a king.”
Republicans have sought to paint the protesters as leftist anti-American radicals. House Speaker Mike Johnson called the demonstrations the “Hate America rally.”
“Let’s see who shows up for that,” Johnson said Wednesday at a news conference with other House GOP leaders. “I bet you you’ll see Hamas supporters, I bet you’ll see antifa types, I bet you’ll see the Marxists on full display, the people who don’t want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic.”
Democrats, who are in a fight with Trump over the government shutdown, applauded the rallies. Former presidential candidate Kamala Harris overnight called on Americans to join their neighbours in “peaceful protest”.
The 2024 Democratic candidate who lost to Trump said on X: “In our country the power is with the people.”
While the demonstrations started peacefully, protesters expressed concerns about for their safety. “Always . . . I feel like we live that way now,” said Tammy, a demonstrator in New York, who declined to give her full name.
“It is important to show government that we are not complicit and to show countries around the world that not everyone in the US falls in line,” said Ellie, another New York demonstrator.
Melissa Rios, a 42-year-old woman from Texas who lives in Maryland, said she made the short trip into Washington for the first time since Trump took office because she was appalled at his actions in office.
“What he’s doing is not OK. People shouldn’t live in fear,” she said.
Rios, who brought her passport with her to prove that she is a US citizen, said one of her many concerns was that ICE agents were “snatching” American citizens off the streets with no cause.
“This is reminiscent of what was going on in Germany. This is not OK,” Rios added. “Every day, people are scared to walk their kids to school. And kids at school are scared to come home and not find their parents there.”
Prominent Democrats including progressive Senator Bernie Sanders are expected to attend the rallies. In a message on social media platform X before the events, Sanders said: “People fought and died to preserve our democracy, and we’re not going to let Trump or anybody else take it away.”
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