Man 'drives SUV' into peaceful 'No Kings' protesters outside Virginia Walmart
A man was arrested Saturday for reckless driving and is accused of intentionally driving into a group of people leaving a protest today, according to Virginia police.
A group named Culpeper Democrats on Facebook said the ramming occurred in front of a Walmart on the James Madison Highway at their No Kings rally. Culpeper police described it as a "lawful protest event,"
according to NBC Washington
.
At least one person was hit but no other other injuries had been reported, police said. The man, 21-year-old Joseph Checklick Jr. is being held without bound at Culpeper County Jail.
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The Culpeper Democrats group thanked police for their swift action in arresting the driver.
"Based on the preliminary investigation, it was determined that Checklick Jr. intentionally accelerated his vehicle into the dispersing crowd, striking at least one person with his vehicle," Culpeper police said.
The Culpeper Democrats group, who helped organize the protest, thanked the police department for its "quick response and for keeping our protest safe" in
their Facebook post
.
The Culpeper Police Department described their investigation as active and ongoing, and urged witnesses to come forward.
The No Kings protest in Culpeper represented part of a nationwide series of protests Saturday against the escalating force used by immigration agents and law enforcement in the arrest and deportation of immigrants and others. Large protests took place in dozens of cities around the US, including in
Los Angeles
, the focal point of protest activity in the last two weeks and the host to National Guard and Marines troops.
The No Kings protests occurred at the same time as Trump's military parade kicked off in Washington, D.C., where tanks and thousands of armed forces gathered in procession to celebrate Trump's 79th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the US army.
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RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Waves of protesters flooded US streets against 'king' Trump
A giant orange balloon depicting Donald Trump in a nappy towered over one "No Kings" protest as hundreds of thousands thronged streets across the United States to decry the president's policies. Protest organisers expected rallies in all 50 US states, calling them the largest since Mr Trump returned to office in January, with the aim of "rejecting authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarisation of our democracy." Wielding signs with messages like "No KKKings" and "No crown for the clown," the protests stood in stark contrast to a massive military parade in Washington. The parade was meant to commemorate the founding of the US Army, but also fell on the president's 79th birthday. As thousands of soldiers marched and tanks rumbled through Washington's streets, protesters across the country slammed Trump as a "fascist." "We have a dictator," said Robin Breed, a 56-year-old retired nurse, in Austin, Texas, where thousands demonstrated while surrounded by hundreds of police and state troopers. "He is trampling on people's lives, he's militarising our streets, he is terrorising our communities," he said, insisting it was important "to push back and say it's our country, not his." In New York, tens of thousands of people, many wearing raincoats and carrying colourful umbrellas, marched down Fifth Avenue in a downpour to the sounds of drums, bells and chants of "Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go!" Actors Susan Sarandon and Mark Ruffalo were seen getting drenched among the protesters. 'Outraged' "I'm miserable and outraged about how this administration is destroying the ideals of the American Constitution," Polly Shulman, a 62-year-old museum employee, said. Holding a sign reading "Protect the Constitution," she said the most shocking thing was "the illegal deportations of law-abiding residents. They were "being kidnapped and disappeared and sent to torture prisons in foreign countries." In March, the Trump administration expelled more than 250 Venezuelans to a mega-prison in El Salvador after accusing them of being members of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang, which it has declared a terrorist organisation. At least four protesters in New York were arrested at a separate, smaller protest against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, police said. 'Mad as hell' "I think people are mad as hell," said Lindsay Ross, a 28-year-old musician who urged others to show "the administration that we're not going to take this." Bill Kennedy, a retired psychologist from Pennsylvania, was in Washington protesting a few hours before Mr Trump's $45 million parade. "I'm tired of the current administration. I think they're a bunch of fascists," he said, describing the military parade as "ridiculous." Suzanne Brown in Boston also lamented the money spent on the parade "for one man's vanity." Massive "No Kings" protests also took place in Los Angeles, which in recent days has been rocked by demonstrations over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, as federal agents swept up even law-abiding undocumented people. Protesters shouted "You are not welcome here" at some of the 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines that Mr Trump dispatched to the city against the wishes of local and state authorities. With a giant orange Trump-in-a-nappy balloon towering above them, thousands filled the city streets, sporting slogans like "No faux-king way" and "Impeach Trump." Members of Russian feminist protest and performance art group Pussy Riot held up a large banner in front of city hall warning: "It's beginning to look a lot like Russia." After a day of largely peaceful protests, police yesterday evening unexpectedly began moving people away from the protest area, igniting confusion and anger among demonstrators caught off guard and unsure of where to go. Police on horseback pushed crowds back as law enforcement fired tear gas and flash-bang grenades hours ahead of an 8pm local time curfew. A police spokeswoman said a "small group of agitators" had begun throwing rocks, bottles and fireworks at officers, prompting the decision to order the crowd to disperse. If people refused to leave, "we will make arrests," she said, adding: "We have been patient all day." Police say one 'critically injured' in shooting at US protest There was unrest elsewhere, too, with at least one person "critically injured" in a shooting at a demonstration in the western US city of Salt Lake City, police said, with local media reporting the incident took place at a "No Kings" rally. Police said the incident occurred during the protest that drew about 10,000 people. Police Chief Brian Redd stressed during a news conference that the events leading up to the shooting "were very peaceful," adding that the first person taken in custody had a gunshot wound and was transported to the hospital. Two other individuals involved in the incident were also taken into custody, he said. "At this time, there is... no ongoing threats to the public," Mr Redd said, adding that it was too early in their investigation to say if the shooting was politically motivated. City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said "this act of violence does not define" Salt Lake City - a Democratic bastion in the deep-red Republican state of Utah. "The purpose of today's demonstration was a powerful and peaceful expression until this event and that cannot be overshadowed or silenced by a single act meant to harm," she said. "We are a nation that needs our First Amendment right, we deserve to protest in peace. And what happened today I hope will not silence the voices of the public who deserve to have their voices heard." In Virginia, police said a man in Culpeper "intentionally" rammed his car into a group of demonstrators as they left an anti-Trump event. No injuries were reported.
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Trump's ‘birthday parade' rolls through Washington as millions join ‘No Kings' counter protests across US
©Press Association Today at 06:15 A massive military parade to celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary, requested by President Donald Trump to coincide with his birthday, rolled through Washington DC on Saturday. It came as opponents of the president's agenda rallied in hundreds of cities nationwide for 'No Kings' protests.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Trump celebrates 79th birthday at $45m military parade as America stirred by deep unrest
Heavy lies the crown. On a sullen and forbiddingly hot Saturday in Washington, DC, Donald Trump celebrated his 79th birthday by watching centuries of US Army tradition and prowess roll past him on Constitution Avenue. The military parade he ordered was, in the end, a $45 million dollar exercise in immaculate planning and choreographed imagery. But it took place against the backdrop of deep unrest across America. In Minnesota, a manhunt was under way for the latest name in the list of notorious killings, with suspect Vance Boelter wanted for killing state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their home in the early hours of Saturday morning. Meanwhile, some 2,000 'No Kings' protests drew millions of people in major and minor US cities, culminating in a tense stand-off between protesters and officials in Los Angeles, which remains under curfew. READ MORE Even before the fireworks lit the skies over the Lincoln Memorial, Israel launched retaliatory strikes on Tehran. Few public figures seem to shrug off internal turmoil as easily as Trump but even he must have been struck by the singular strangeness of the national mood on this date, June 14th. The date will also be recorded for perhaps the shortest public speech Trump has given since parachuting on to the American political consciousness. Wisely, he trained his remarks on the stars of the event: the army. His 10-minute delivery was a paean to the fighting tradition of an army that he said 'are the bedrock on which our entire nation stands since the founding of the Continental Army on June 14th, 1775″. President Donald Trump salutes the troops marching past during the US army's 250th Anniversary Parade along the National Mall in Washington, DC. Photograph: Doug Mills/The New York Times 'Liberty got its shield and freedom got its sword,' Trump told the crowd, whose modest turnout must have wounded his vanity. The immediate parade route was lined with people but the overhead images, taken during the parade, showed vast sections of green, unoccupied viewing space. One particular clip that did brisk business online showed a tank rolling by a barren section in the viewing stand, the smattering of applause so low that you could hear the tracks squeaking. 'With the frostbitten feet and bloody fist they have marched into the flames and fury of combat, charged up mountains, stormed beaches, waded through torrents of gunfire and leapt into skies thick with smoke and shrapnel,' Trump said in the underwhelmed tone he adopts when sticking to the script. 'Time and again America's enemies have learned that if you threaten the American people our soldiers are coming for you.' The mood along Constitution Avenue and on the green field areas around the National Monument was easy-going, but muted and governed by the oppressive heat. The crowd was largely composed of army veterans, family members and supporters, spectators drawn to the uniqueness of the event and all-weather Trump loyalists out to pay homage to the birthday boy. Mike Frey, an army engineer of 20 years, stopped to chat as the tanks rolled by. He had driven 15 hours from Missouri to be here. His son is re-enlisting so they made a weekend of it. He was eager to hear about what Ireland makes of Trump and listened carefully before offering his perspective in a low-key, serious voice. 'I just want a country. I think I am overtaxed. I think we have too much government.' Mike Frey, an army engineer of 20 years, stopped to chat as the tanks rolled by. Photograph: Keith Duggan Asked about the No Kings protests taking place across the country, he had this to say. 'It's because of illegals in this country. That's what is happening. It is not about Trump. But if I do something illegal, what happens to me? The double standard of the Democrats is what it is. The Republicans don't bitch. The white American males made America, you know? There were some blacks, too. 'And so we haven't got pissed off yet and I think everybody knows we won't get pissed off because when we get pissed off, some bad shit's gonna happen. And it's what Jefferson said: the blood of the patriot needs to be refreshed from time to time. 'We're the bastards of America now. And it's terrible. I need a country. I love this country.' [ Millions protest against Donald Trump across the US Opens in new window ] It is during occasions like this that one is reminded that Washington, DC, was not designed with its residents in mind. It was conceived as the symbol of the US empire and so the city provided a perfect canvas for this parade. Among the 6,000 troops were those in the uniforms of the revolution and civil war marching across the Arlington Memorial bridge with Robert E Lee's old house looming behind them. Military aircraft, from 80-year-old bombers to Chinooks, flew low in the summer gloom across the city landmarks. There were drones. There were even robotic dogs. For fans of military history – and for children – the event was a fantasia. And it was clear from the faces of the army participants that this novel moment in the spotlight was enjoyable. And Washington, DC, was alone among the major American cities in that it was without a No Kings protest because the organisers felt it important not to deflect from the military parade. Respect for the military is one of the few remaining bipartisan pillars. But earlier in the afternoon, a crowd of several hundred gathered near Lafayette Square to participate in a protest organised by the 'Refuse Fascism' movement. 'I am here for a lot of reasons,' explained Andrew Hall, who grew up in Virginia and works in the city. 'I think we are in a very dangerous situation. And I think it's important that people like me, a college-educated white guy, come out and support our brothers and sisters who are being abducted and detained under disgusting conditions. Both of my grandfathers fought fascism in Europe. I am just doing the best I can.' Andrew Hall, who grew up in Virginia and works in the city, believes America is in a 'very dangerous' situation. Photograph: Keith Duggan His fear is that Maga Republicanism ultimately wants 'to turn America into an apartheid South Africa'. 'Because in 15 years' time white folks like me will be a statistical minority so that means to maintain white power you have to implement an apartheid-type regime. 'We are in the majority and we are going to take our country back.' Inside the vast parade enclosure, which is bordered by eight-foot-high metal fencing, there were a few protesters holding placards in protest against the president. Christopher Moffatt paced along the parade route holding aloft a banner alluding to Trump's civil case sexual assault finding, a gesture that seemed foolhardy, given the occasion. 'A little bit,' he replied, when asked if he was trepidatious. 'I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. But when I was walking through there were a bunch of soldiers standing there and they were questioning, can you bring that sign in. And a secret service guy said: yeah he can bring it in, he just has to get his bag searched. They let me through. And I have been walking up and down ever since. Not way down there near [where] the VIP area is. They do not like me down there.' The army organisers, tasked with putting this extravaganza together with just a few months' notice, must have been relieved by 10 o'clock on Saturday evening. They had been asked to organise a parade, and they did so without a hitch. The fireworks display, with the Lincoln Memorial backlit and splendid and the anticipated summer rainstorm staying away, meant that for those watching on television around the country, the closing minutes of the event had the power of a prime time recruitment drive. Trump swayed to the triumphant rendition of God Bless America at the end of the night and did his signature pointing at faces in the crowd. But by then, many of the crowd had headed for home. By the end of it all, the president seemed preoccupied as he stood with the first lady behind bulletproof glass, the full glory and omnipotence of the army's prowess fading with the last of the fireworks – and another birthday over.
