Thousands of processions are winding through the United States this Saturday against Donald Trump, his anti-immigration policy, and his war on Iran. It is the third time in less than a year that America has been called to take to the streets by this movement, which has emerged as the most significant driving force for protest since the return of the Republican billionaire to the White House.
More than 3,000 demonstrations have been organized across the country, from New York to Alaska, from cities to rural areas. “We believe that the Constitution is threatened in multiple ways. The situation is not normal, not acceptable. That’s why we are here, to help keep people safe and ensure that their voices are heard,” said Marc McCaughey to AFP, a 36-year-old veteran who came to demonstrate in Atlanta, Georgia.
In Washington, just a few streets from the White House, 67-year-old Robert Pavosevich says that Donald Trump “just keeps lying.” “I think more and more people are angry, and I think things are slowly going to change,” he asserts. Meanwhile, the American president was playing golf at his private club in Florida on Saturday afternoon.
In Minneapolis, Philadelphia, or Boston, participants marched with signs displaying anti-war messages and peace symbols, following a month of conflict in Iran. In Michigan, in Lansing, a protester held a sign that read “No Kings, No ICE, No War.”
Tens of thousands of people marched in the streets of New York, where actor Robert De Niro, a staunch critic of Donald Trump, led the march. De Niro emphasized, “Other presidents have already tested the constitutional limits of their power, but none has represented such an existential threat to our freedoms and security. We need to stop him.”
Crossing the Atlantic, demonstrations against the American president also took place in Rome, Amsterdam, Madrid, and Athens. About twenty thousand people marched in the Italian capital, also celebrating the defeat of the far-right government in a referendum on justice.
“We do not want a world governed by kings, oligarchies who decide above us, fight against peoples, and make war among themselves,” assured Andrea Nossa, a 29-year-old Milanese researcher wearing a T-shirt celebrating the French Revolution.
Since our last protest, this government has immersed us further into war,” denounced Naveed Shah, from Common Defense, a veteran organization part of the No Kings coalition. Shah added, “In our country, we have seen citizens killed in the streets by militarized forces. We have seen torn-apart families and immigrant communities targeted,” referring to recent events in Minneapolis.
Minneapolis, a Democratic city in the Midwest, at the heart of the brutal anti-immigration offensive by the American government earlier this year, is seen as the focal point of the demonstrations, along with its twin city, Saint Paul, where 200,000 people demonstrated, according to No Kings. Rock legend Bruce Springsteen performed his song “Streets of Minneapolis” in tribute to the two Americans killed by federal agents during immigration police operations, Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
In the crowd, some protesters held signs saying “ICE Out,” while others demanded “justice” for the two victims. On the steps of the state Capitol, a large banner summed up the general mood: “The Revolution Begins in Minnesota.”
Organizers specified that two-thirds of those who expressed their intention to join the protests resided outside major cities, marking a significant increase compared to the previous mobilization day.
