Cities across the US are preparing for major protests against US President Donald Trump on Saturday, while he is set to attend a military parade in the capital Washington to mark the US army’s 250th anniversary on a day that also coincides with his birthday.
It is expected to be the largest single-day mobilisation since Trump returned to office for his second terms, the protests’ organisers said, as they expect millions to take to the streets across all 50 states and commonwealths.
A flagship “No Kings” anti-Trump march and rally are planned in Philadelphia, with demonstrations set to take place in cities across the country. No events are planned in the capital, where the military parade is taking place.
The protests come at the end of a week which has seen demonstrations flare up in several locations around the country over federal immigration enforcement raids, which also saw Trump order National Guard troops and Marines to head to Los Angeles.
Some protesters blocked a highway and set cars on fire, with police responding with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. A curfew was imposed in the city, while Democratic governors decried the deployment of troops as an “alarming abuse of power” by the Trump administration as they urged calm on the part of the demonstrators.
Addressing protestors, Washington State’s Democrat Governor Bob Ferguson called for peaceful demonstrations in order to avoid the military being sent to his state. ““Donald Trump wants to be able to say that we cannot handle our own public safety in Washington state,” he said.
Meanwhile, Republican governors in Virginia, Texas ,Nebraska and Missouri are already mobilising National Guard troops to support law enforcement manage the planned protests.
Virginia Governore Glenn Youngkin told reporters on Friday there will be “zero tolerance” for violence, destruction or disrupting traffic, and “if you violate the law, you’re going to be arrested.” The governors of Nebraska and Missouri echoed that sentiment, with the latter vowing he would take a proactive approach and not “wait for chaos to ensue.”
A march is also planned to go to the gates of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where Republican Governor Ron DeSantis warned that “the line is very clear” and should not be crossed.
‘No Kings’
The nearly 2,000 protests across the country have been organised to express what the organisers say is a rejection of authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics and the militarisation of the country’s democracy.
Their plan is to explicitly counter the military’s 250th anniversary celebration, which Trump. The military parade was added to the celebrations just a few weeks ago, and is expected to attract up to 200,000 people.
The “No Kings” theme was put together by the so-called 50501 Movement, whose name 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.
