New York, Oct 19: Hundreds of thousands of people across the US, from coast to coast, north to south, participated in protests against President Donald Trump under the banner of “No Kings”, accusing him of turning the nation onto an authoritarian path.
The protest sponsored by the Democratic Party was the second “No Kings Protest” after the first held in June, and this time the crowds were bigger.
Kamala Harris, who lost the election to Trump, gave the call to arms, posting on X, “I encourage you to join your neighbors in peaceful protest at a No Kings event… to express out voice”.
“In our country, the power is with the people,” she wrote.
The “No Kings” theme is meant to recall the anti-British protests that led to the birth of the US, abjuring monarchy and absolutism, and opting for a republican form of government.
Trump denied he had regal ambitions or was acting like a monarch.
“They’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” he told a Fox Business TV interviewer.
The sponsors of the protests include the American Civil Liberties Union, the Human Rights Campaign, and some trade unions like those of teachers. The protests took place while most of the government was shut down because of a standoff between the Democrats and Republicans in the Senate, with no negotiations to end it.
Democrats are demanding the reinstatement of cuts to medical insurance and health-related programmes, which Trump says will drain more than $1.5 trillion from the treasury.
Because of the standoff, the Senate is unable to pass legislation to temporarily fund the government.
The protests were sparked after Trump sent federal forces to Democratic-run states and increased enforcement against illegal migrants.
During the government shutdown, Trump has cut off funds to programmes in several Democrat-run states.
The protest’s focus was on Trump using forces under federal control in the states under Democrats, asserting that there was a breakdown of law and order and crimes were rampant.
He has threatened to take over law and order in some of the cities, although under the US Constitution, there is no provision for a president’s rule.
Tens of thousands of protesters jammed Times Square in New York.
Protests were organised in Los Angeles on the West Coast, where federal immigration and other officials have clashed with demonstrators against immigration enforcement.
In the middle, in Chicago, in the state where Governor J.B. Pritzker has emerged as one of the strongest critics of Trump, huge protests were reported.
More than 2,500 protests, large and small, have been planned, and most are underway, including in the nation’s capital.
While some sported placards with angry slogans, many costumed demonstrators mixed levity with protest to lampoon Trump’s administration. (IANS)
