Anti-Trump protesters turn out across US at ‘No Kings' rallies
A day of opposition to Donald Trump brought out protesters in hundreds of cities across the U.S. on Saturday, creating a split-screen contrast with a military parade in Washington promoted by the president.
Anti-Trump activists, including civil rights groups and labor unions, organized the nationwide protest 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 U.S. 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 U.S. independence, and in Los Angeles, where the opposition to immigration raids prompted Trump to seize control of California's National Guard and deploy U.S. Marines.
In New York, marchers gathered at Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan and marched down Fifth Avenue. Organizers had also called for a rally at Columbia University.
"Let's make sure we show the world the best of Los Angeles and our country," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said as protesters got underway. "Let's stand in contrast to the provocation, escalation and violence."
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said tens of thousands were expected to turn out.
Even as organizers called for peaceful opposition, violence loomed over the day's events after two Democratic state politicians in Minnesota were shot, one of them fatally, in what Trump said was likely a targeted attack. "No Kings" events across the state were canceled as law enforcement hunted for the shooter, the Associated Press reported.
About 2,000 events were planned, from the West Coast to Miami and the Midwest to New England.
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.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., 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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(With assistance from Susanne Barton.)
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