People across the US took the streets on Saturday for the latest “No Kings” demonstrations against US President Donald Trump.
They are protesting what they view as democratic backsliding and the Trump administration’s authoritarian bent.
The protests are organized by a broad movement of civil society groups, who say over 3,000 rallies were set for Saturday.
In Washington, hundreds marched past the Lincoln Memorial and into the National Mall, holding signs that read ‘Put down the crown, clown’ and ‘Regime change begins at home’Image: Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERS
In the capital, Washington, marchers walked across a bridge over the Potomac River to the Lincoln Memorial, site of historic civil rights demonstrations.
Some of them held banners with slogans such as “Trump Must Go Now!” and “Fight Fascism.”
In Atlanta, a protester told the AFP news agency that he felt the US Constitution was “under threat in a multitude of different ways.”
“No country can govern without the consent of the people,” said 36-year-old military veteran Marc McCaughey.
“Things aren’t normal. They aren’t okay.”
Protests have also been held in major European cities.
The protests are happening as Trump faces growing public backlashImage: Kerem Yucel/AFP
Rallies throughout Europe
In Germany, demonstrators protested in major cities, including Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf, voicing a range of political and social concerns. A few hundred people in Berlin protested against the actions of ICE and what they see as Trump’s anti-democratic tendencies, while also calling for the full release of the Epstein files.
Hundreds of people joined a demonstration in Munich, according to police estimates Image: Sachelle Babbar/ZUMA/picture alliance
In Rome, marchers directed defiant chants at Premier Giorgia Meloni after her government’s referendum on judicial reforms failed. Many carried signs warning of threats to judicial independence and calling for “a world free from wars,” including protests against recent Israeli and US strikes on Iran.
In London, demonstrators held banners reading “Stop the far right” and “Stand up to Racism,” adding to a day of coordinated international mobilization.
Trump vs. the world order
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What did the White House say about the ‘No Kings’ protest?
The White House, however, dismissed the rallies, with spokesperson Abigail Jackson describing them as the product of “leftist funding networks” with little real public support. The National Republican Congressional Committee also sharply criticized the rallies.
It is the third time in less than a year that such demonstrations are taking place, after they were held for the first time last June and then again in October.
Several million people turned out during the previous two rounds.
Organizers have said they aimed for over 9 million participants nationwide on Saturday.
Organizers said more than 3,100 events were registered, in all 50 US statesImage: Eduardo Munoz/REUTERS
US voters alarmed by Iran oil shock
The protests are happening as Trump faces growing backlash over a range of policies, including immigration, perceived high-level corruption, the cost-of-living crisis, and the ongoing Iran war.
Americans are alarmed by rising fuel prices in recent weeks due to the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran.
Trump is also under growing pressure as midterm elections loom in November, when his Republican Party could lose control of both chambers of Congress.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic and Wesley Dockery
