Waves of protesters flooded US streets against 'king' Trump

RTÉ News​

9 hours ago

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.