Thousands of masked police officers planting terror, a catastrophic war, and an abusive exercise of power: thousands of protests swept across the United States on Saturday against Donald Trump, his anti-immigration policies, and his war on Iran.
This is the third time in less than a year that America has been called to the streets by a coalition of associations united under the slogan “No Kings.” This movement has become the most significant source of protest since the billionaire’s return to the White House.
The No Kings movement claimed a record turnout for this third day of mobilization against the Republican in the last year, with at least eight million protesters in over 3300 processions, according to them – an increase of one million participants and 600 additional processions from the previous day in October.
American authorities did not provide any official numbers.
“We believe that the Constitution is under threat in multiple ways. The situation is not normal, not acceptable. That’s why we are here, to help keep people safe and ensure their voices are heard,” said Marc McCaughey, a 36-year-old veteran protesting in Atlanta.
In Washington, near the White House, 67-year-old Robert Pavosevich stated that Donald Trump “just keeps lying.” He believes that more people are becoming angry, and things are slowly beginning to change.
On the other side of the Atlantic, in Rome, Amsterdam, Madrid, and Athens, there were also rallies against the American president. Twenty thousand people marched in the Italian capital, also celebrating the defeat of the far-right government in a justice referendum.
A protestor from Common Defense, an organization of veterans within the No Kings coalition, criticized the government for plunging them further into war since the last demonstration.
In New York, actor Robert De Niro, a fierce critic of Donald Trump, led a march where tens of thousands of people took to the streets with anti-war messages and peace symbols after a month of conflict in Iran.
Bruce Springsteen, the rock legend, performed his song “Streets of Minneapolis” in Minneapolis, paying tribute to two Americans who were killed by federal agents during immigration police operations. The governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, thanked the population for opposing what he called a “dictator in the making” like Donald Trump.
Bernie Sanders echoed the sentiment, expressing that they would never accept a president who undermines the Constitution and the rule of law every day.
The organizers noted that two-thirds of the people who expressed intentions to join the protests resided outside major cities, indicating a significant increase compared to the previous mobilization efforts.
