Millions across United States march to demand ‘No Kings’

The scenes in Boise, Idaho (Pic: Stand Up America/Twitter)

The United States erupted in scenes of defiance on Saturday as millions of people marched against Donald Trump. It is the most widespread rejection of his presidency so far. 

In Washington DC, a group of US army veterans staged a peaceful, sit down protest on the steps of the Capitol building.

Their banners read “benefits not bullshit” and “veterans against fascism”. They were led away in handcuffs.

From to Boston and Philadelphia on the East Coast, to San Francisco and San Diego on the west coast, huge numbers of people were on protests against Donald Trump. 

There were even protests at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. 

The crowd was full of children, demanding “a future not a throne.”

Over 2,000 demonstrations took place nationwide. 15,000 came out in Charlotte, North Carolina. 20,000 in Chicago, Illinois. 70,000 in Seattle, Washington. Up to 100,000 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Lawyer Makayla was one of the 200,000 people marching through New York City. 

“As someone who cares about this country, as someone who was born here, as someone who is a public servant for this country, as someone who’s an attorney, I just can’t sit by as I watch my country fall to fascism,” she said. 

One estimate says 5 million people came out across the country on Saturday.

No Kings is the organising force behind a day of rage against Donald Trump’s nauseating military parade. 

The parade marks the 250th anniversary of the creation of the US army—the deadliest military force on Earth. It also just happens to coincide with Trump’s 79th birthday.

It is a massive show of force aimed at Trump’s enemies abroad and, of course, at resistance at home.

No Kings is a mixed bag politically. It involves republicans who think Trump is “unAmerican” to Democrats nostalgic for Barak Obama’s presidency, to trade unionists. There are thousands of ordinary people who want to stand up against Trump’s mass deportations, his travel bans, his transphobia and his sweeping attacks on education, health and protection from climate change. 

The protests were a direct response to the carnage of Trump’s regime. It was a hugely cheering sight to anyone who wants to see an end to mass deportations, travel bans, transphobia and Trump’s sweeping attacks on public services.

Trump’s swaggering display cost around £33 million—giving rise to the No Kings slogan, “If there is money for a parade, there is money for Medicaid”.

Those protesting have a range of motives—but they all know they could face the repressive power of the state. 

Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida has declared that car drivers in the state have the right to run over protesters who occupy the road.

People on the streets are fuelled not just by anger at Trump’s regime. They are also inspired by the resistance to it, seen most acutely in the rage against immigration raids in Los Angeles in the last week. 

It saw big, defiant marches across the US—including in states that are typically Republican strongholds. 

Thousands of people took to the streets of Fayetteville, North Carolina, chanting, “No KKK, no Fascist USA” and “No Ice”.

Thousands flooded the streets of Atlanta and gathered in the Liberty Plaza. One protester said, “From coast to coast, Americans are rising up. This isn’t just a protest—it’s a movement.”

In Fort Worth, Texas, a large group of women dressed in red robes to invoke the dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale. 

Tens of thousands marched through Philadelphia’s Love Park. Many homemade placards carried pictures of Tacos referencing the slogan “Trump Always Chickens Out”.

The No Kings protest is the latest signal that the anger against Trump is far from dissipating.