Another Round of Anti-Trump Protests Hits US Cities

AFP/APP

New York: Thousands of protesters rallied Saturday in New York, Washington, and other cities across the United States for a second major round of demonstrations against former President Donald Trump and his hard-line policies.

In New York, demonstrators gathered outside the city’s main library, holding signs with slogans such as “No Kings in America” and “Resist Tyranny.” Many protesters criticized Trump’s immigration policies, chanting:

“No ICE, no fear, immigrants are welcome here,” — a reference to the role of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in targeting undocumented migrants.

In Washington, participants expressed concern that Trump was undermining long-standing constitutional principles, particularly the right to due process.

“The administration is carrying out a direct assault on the idea of the rule of law and the idea that the government should be restrained from abusing the people who live here in the United States,” said Benjamin Douglas, 41, speaking outside the White House.

Wearing a keffiyeh and carrying a sign demanding the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian student protester arrested last month, Douglas argued that individuals were being used as “test cases to rile up xenophobia and erode long-standing legal protections.”

In New York, Kathy Valy, 73, whose parents were Holocaust survivors, voiced alarm:

“We are in great danger,” she said, adding that her parents’ stories of how Hitler rose to power mirrored current events in the US.

“The one thing is that Trump is a lot more stupid than Hitler or the other fascists,” Valy added. 

“He’s being played… and his own team is divided.”