Chanting “Not my president” and “love trumps hate,” thousands of demonstrators on Saturday took the streets in cities across the US to protest against US president-elect Donald Trump, who they say threatens their civil and human rights.
The biggest rallies were in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, where organizers said they wanted to build on the momentum after several nights of protests triggered by the real-estate mogul’s surprise win in Tuesday’s presidential election.
Police in Portland, Oregon, where a protester suffered non-life threatening injuries when he was shot early on Saturday, arrested at least 19 people on Saturday night.
Photo: AFP
In New York, several thousand protesters marched peacefully up Fifth Avenue past its glitzy store fronts, some already bearing Christmas decorations, before filling the streets at the foot of Trump Tower.
“We’re horrified the country has elected an incredibly unqualified, misogynist, racist on a platform that was just totally hateful,” said Mary Florin-McBride, 62, a retired banker from New York who held a sign reading, “No Fascism in America.”
In Los Angeles, several thousand protesters gathered beneath MacArthur Park’s palm trees holding placards including “Dump Trump” and “Minorities Matter,” before marching toward downtown.
Some of the demonstrators waved American, Mexican or rainbow flags. Holding a “Keep Love Legal” sign, 25-year-old gay Los Angeles resident Alex Seedman called Trump a fascist and feared he would repeal marriage equality.
Evelyne Werzola, 46, an immigrant from South Africa, said she had seen what a police state could do.
“I’ve seen people oppressed. And this is like a heartbreak of the American dream for me,” Werzola said. “So I’m fighting to keep what America has stood for alive.”
Since Trump’s victory, demonstrators in several cities have decried his campaign promises to restrict immigration and register Muslims, as well as allegations that he sexually abused women. Dozens of protesters have been arrested and a handful of police injured.
The post-election demonstrations have been impromptu affairs, quickly organized, with weekend protests expected to swell in size.
Trump initially denounced the protests, saying they were “incited” by media, but later praised the demonstrators’ “passion for our great country.”
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