Massive demonstrations are expected in New York City this Saturday in protest against President Donald Trump and his administration. The mobilization at the national level – called “No Kings Day” (day without kings) – will coincide with the military parade that Trump has planned in Washington.
The parade, scheduled for flag day, will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the army. In addition, Saturday will be Trump’s 79th birthday. The organizers of “No Kings Day” say they do not meet to feed their ego, but to build a movement from the base that stops their policies and their policy.
“No Kings is a national day of challenge. From the blocks of the city to the small peoples, from the courts to the community parks, we are taking action to reject authoritarianism and show the world how democracy really looks,” says the main page of Nokings.org, the central collective that organizes the protests on Saturday. “We don’t meet to feed your ego. We are building a movement that will leave it behind.”
The protests are a continuation of the demonstrations of April 5, when millions of Americans took to the streets to raise their voice against Trump during the “Hands Off” movement (hands outside).
The NO Kings website shows a map with hundreds of protests planned throughout the country, with demonstrations provided for in the 48 contiguous statements.
In New York City, protests will be organized in the five districts, including Grace Plaza and Columbia University in Manhattan, Macdonald Park in Queens, Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, and Victory Boulevard in Staten Island. Although there are no official actions of non -Kings planned for the Bronx, there are two in Yonkers.
The protests occur at a time when demonstrations grow in Los Angeles, New York and throughout the country for the increase in raids of the Office of Immigration and Customs Control (ICE). In New York, elected and activist officials have launched the alert for a series of arrests made by undercover and masked ICE agents in immigration courts.
Trump has deployed 700 active marines and 4,000 members of the National Guard in Los Angeles amid protests against ICE, which the president has described violent and interference in the arrest of “illegal” by ICE. A protest in Foley Square against the recent ICE raids extended until late Tuesday night, with 80 arrests made by the New York Police due to clashes with the protesters.
The Trump parade has received generalized criticism from the Democrats, who accuse the president of prioritizing the show over the military and wasting money from taxpayers in a staging. Trump warned Tuesday that those who try to interfere with Saturday’s parade will be faced with “very large force.”
No Kings does not have planned events in Washington for Saturday.
“Instead of allowing this birthday parade to be the center of attention, we will make actions in all other places the history of the United States that day: united people in communities throughout the country to reject authoritarian policy and corruption,” says the website.
