No Kings protests against Trump launch nationwide to coincide with military parade
No Kings protests launched across the U.S. Saturday in response to the Trump administration's plans to hold a large-scale military parade this weekend, authorities and event organizers said.
Some 2,000 protests were planned across the U.S., with multiple events scheduled in major cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, according to organizers. Tens of thousands marched peacefully in Philadelphia, where organizers were holding their main event, police said.
Philadelphia was chosen as the main hub, because "there's an indelible link between Philadelphia and between the freedoms and the ideals that the country was founded upon," said Joel Payne, spokesman for MoveOn, one of the dozens of groups behind the No Kings protests.
Roughly 1,000 people were at a Dallas protest, one of more than 60 planned in Texas, KERA reported.
Shahera Hyatt of Sacramento made signs for her local event that read, "From Palestine to Mexico, border walls have got to go," and "ICE, you're fired."
"I decided to go because I feel like with unchecked authority, Trump has led America into clear fascism, and I want to make sure that I live in an America that uplifts the people who live here and not just corporations and the wealthy," she told NPR.
Organizers are accusing the president of putting on the parade as a show of dominance and a celebration of his 79th birthday, which is also on Saturday. The Army has been planning some form of anniversary celebration for over a year, but the parade was a recent addition. It will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, and falls on Flag Day. A peacetime military parade is rare in the U.S. and has drawn criticism from Trump's political rivals.
"I think there is this broader understanding that what Donald Trump and his political supporters are doing is trying to position him as a monarch, as a king, as somebody who can operate above the law. And I think that that is really negatively impacting the lives of the American people," said Payne.
Protest organizers describe the protests as a "day of defiance … to reject authoritarianism — and show the world what democracy really looks like" on their website.
Trump on Thursday was asked about the protests, and told reporters, "I don't feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get stuff approved."
Separately, U.S. Capitol Police said they arrested 60 protesters Friday evening after some pushed down barriers and ran toward the steps of the Rotunda. They say all 60 will be charged with unlawful demonstration and crossing a police line. Additional charges include assault on a police officer and resisting arrest. The groups behind the protests didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
The No Kings demonstrations were put together by a coalition of more than 200 organizations, including MoveOn, the American Civil Liberties Union, American Federation of Teachers and the Communications Workers of America. Protests are scheduled in every state, but not in Washington, D.C., where the military parade will be held.
According to the organizers' website, the protesters are avoiding the nation's capital "to draw a clear contrast between our people-powered movement and the costly, wasteful, and un-American birthday parade in Washington."
The protests started after Trump's inauguration in February. They have also protested the way the Trump administration has cracked down on immigrants and cut the federal workforce.
Saturday's military parade is estimated to cost between $25 million and $45 million, and will feature 6,000 Army soldiers, 49 aircraft, 128 vehicles and 25 horses. Trump wanted to hold the parade during his first term, but it was scrapped because it was too expensive. He was inspired after attending the annual Bastille Day parade in France in 2017. That parade celebrates French mobs taking over the Bastille state prison in 1789.
Trump said Tuesday, "By the way, for those people that want to protest, they're going to be met with very big force. And I haven't even heard about a protest, but you know, this is people that hate our country."
In a document with guidance for participants and organizers, No Kings stressed that participants should practice nonviolence and de-escalate any conflicts with outside parties.