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Demonstrations held in every US state as people condemn Trump’s hardline tactics, calling for democracy and reforms. Huge crowds took to the streets in all 50 states of the United States to hold “No Kings” protests, expressing anger over President Donald Trump’s hardline policies, while Republicans ridiculed them as “Hate America” rallies. Organisers said seven million people attended protests spanning from New York to Los Angeles on Saturday, with demonstrations taking place in small cities across the US heartland and even near Trump’s home in Florida. “This is what democracy looks like!” chanted thousands near the US Capitol in Washington, DC, where the federal government had been shut down for a third week amid a legislative deadlock. Colourful signs called on people to “protect democracy”, while others demanded that the country abolish the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, which is at the centre of Trump’s anti-immigrant crackdown. Demonstrators condemned what they described as the Republican billionaire’s strong-arm tactics, including attacks on the media, political opponents, and undocumented immigrants. In Los Angeles, protesters floated a giant balloon portraying Trump in a nappy. Many flew flags, with at least one referencing the popular pirate anime “One Piece”, brandishing the skull logo that has recently become a staple of antigovernment protests from Peru to Madagascar. “Fight ignorance, not migrants,” read one sign at a protest in Houston, Texas, where nearly a quarter of the population is made up of immigrants, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

via al jazeera: Millions of US protesters hold anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ rallies

sieeh auch: Republicans mostly silent as millions of Americans protest Trump on No Kings day Outside of typical remarks from Donald Trump, JD Vance and Mike Johnson and a Fox News report, party stayed mum. Republican voices were mostly silent as No Kings rallies and marches against Trump administration policies unfurled on Saturday, many in the spirit of a street party that countered the “hate America” depiction advanced by senior members of the party. Instead of provocation, there were marching bands, huge banners with “we the people” references to the US constitution, and protesters wearing inflatable costumes, particularly frogs, which have emerged as a sign of resistance. It was the third mass mobilization since Trump’s return to the White House and came against the backdrop of a government shutdown that not only has closed federal programs and services but is testing the core balance of power, as an aggressive executive confronts Congress and the courts in ways that protest organizers warn are a slide toward authoritarianism. In comments Friday, Donald Trump opposed the protest organizers’ characterization of him as a would-be monarch. “They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said in a Fox News interview. Later Friday, a Trump campaign social media account mocked the protests by posting a computer-generated video of the president clothed like a monarch, wearing a crown and waving from a balcony. At a White House event on Wednesday, Trump tried to downplay the No Kings events. “I hear very few people [are] going to be there, by the way, but they have their day coming up and they want to have their day in the sun,” he said. Trump is spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. In a counter-programming move, JD Vance and defense secretary Pete Hegseth were attending a live-fire amphibious capabilities demonstration at Camp Pendleton in California to commemorate the US Marine Corps’ 250th birthday. However, a plan to fire live artillery shells over a nearby highway drew objections from governor Gavin Newsom, who said it forced the California highway patrol to close a portion of a major interstate through southern California for safety reasons. “The President is putting his ego over responsibility with this disregard for public safety,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. “Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn’t just wrong – it’s dangerous.”

Unter dem Motto “No Kings” versammeln sich Menschen im ganzen Land. Es könnte einer der größten Proteste in der Geschichte der USA werden. In den USA haben im ganzen Land Kundgebungen gegen Präsident Donald Trump begonnen, zu denen im Tagesverlauf Millionen Menschen erwartet werden. Unter dem Motto “No Kings” wurden mehr als 2.600 Demonstrationen angemeldet. Die Organisatoren wollen damit ein Zeichen gegen die ihrer Ansicht nach autoritäre Politik Trumps setzen. Auf der Webseite der Bewegung heißt es, Trumps Regierung schicke “maskierte Agenten auf unsere Straßen”, terrorisiere Gemeinden und nehme Menschen ohne Haftbefehl fest. Kürzlich rief Los Angeles wegen der teils brutalen Razzien der Einwanderungsbehörde ICE den Notstand aus. Außerdem werfen die Organisatoren Trump vor, Wahlen zu bedrohen, Gesundheits- und Umweltschutz abzubauen und Milliardären Vorteile zu verschaffen, während viele Familien unter steigenden Lebenshaltungskosten litten. “Der Präsident glaubt, seine Macht sei absolut”, heißt es. “Aber in Amerika haben wir keine Könige.” In New York versammelten sich bis Mittag Ortszeit mehrere Zehntausende Menschen. Eine Helferin sagte am Times Square, die Menge habe die Straße gen Süden bis zum Union Square gefüllt, also über mehrere Kilometer. Proteste gab es zudem in der Hauptstadt Washington, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles und zahlreichen weiteren Städten. Auch in kleineren Orten wie Bethesda im Umland von Washington und im Sarasota County in Florida beteiligten sich Menschen an den Kundgebungen.

via zeit: Massenproteste gegen Trump beginnen in Hunderten Städten

siehe auch: No Kings protests draw huge crowds as anti-Trump rallies sweep across US. Protesters gather for No Kings demonstrations against Trump Planned protests against President Donald Trump have begun in cities across the United States. The protest in New York City’s iconic Times Square was already crowded with thousands of people not long after it began Saturday morning. The streets and sidewalks, even the entrances to subway stations, were densely packed with people holding up signs with slogans like “Democracy not Monarchy” and “The Constitution is not optional”. Sections of the crowd regularly erupted into chants like “This is what democracy looks like” as a near-constant drumbeat boomed in the background alongside cowbells and noisemakers. But while the atmosphere at the rally in New York and other cities like Washington, DC and Los Angeles was almost party-like, Trump allies were accusing the protesters of being allied with the far-left Antifa movement, and condemned what they called “the hate America rally”. (…) In Washington, DC, where the National Guard guard has been deployed since August, at Trump’s request, no troops were visible at the protest, although local police were. One protester at the rally in the capital held up a sign that read “I am antifa”. Chuck Epes, 76, said it was a “loaded” term, and just meant he supported “peace, daycare, livable wage, healthcare”, as well as immigrants and people of colour. “He’s gaslighting everybody – or trying to, and it ain’t working,” he said. A core principle of all No Kings events is non-violence, the group explicitly states on its website, which also urges all participants to de-escalate any potential altercations; Frogs, Axolotls, and a Hippo Take Manhattan to Deflate Trump’s “Antifa” Slur “I tried to get a Portland frog outfit and they were sold out until November!” A joyous, mocking menagerie of frogs, axolotls, and at least one giant pink hippo made its way down Seventh Avenue in Manhattan on Saturday, alongside thousands of others, in a defiant protest that formed part of the nationwide “No Kings” rallies. With limited visibility inside hot inflatable suits, the marchers’ steps were sometimes ginger. Amphibious, reptilian, and fantastical alike were repeatedly stopped by fellow protesters, photographers, and journalists like me—making progress slow and a bit hapless, adding to the general air of absurd exuberance. “Solidarity with Portland!” said Denise Cohen, a 59-year-old dog groomer and podcaster from upstate New York who was peering out from inside a unicorn costume, alongside her husband Marty (in a dinosaur outfit.) “I wanted frogs, but nobody had frogs,” she said, referencing the original protesters who donned the inflatables in Portland in recent months. “I tried to get a Portland frog outfit and they were sold out until November,” said Oscar Hernandez, 58, from Weehawken, New Jersey, dressed in a giant pink rhino costume and shuffling (or perhaps dancing—hard to tell) down the street. “You know, this is fun! This is, this is America. This is not a hate America rally,” he said, referring to how Trump and his team have been representing the mass gatherings. Rather than wearing an inflatable, financial analyst Christopher Hardwick, 46, appeared in hastily constructed drag, clutching a McDonald’s coffee, and adorned with black and yellow accessories “to make it look a little Proud Boy-y.” His goal was to reclaim the word “antifa” from the Trump administration. “I’m a big antifa girl now!”