Anti-Trump rallies draw thousands across US and abroad

AFP | Washington

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Thousands of people descended yesterday on Washington’s National Mall and rallied in other cities across the US and abroad in opposition to the policies of Donald Trump, in the largest protests since he returned to the presidency.

A big “HANDS OFF!” banner stretched across the stage of an outdoor theater just a few blocks from the White House, with protesters holding signs that read “Not My President!”, “Fascism has Arrived,” “Hands Off Our Social Security” and “Wake Up and Smell the Coup.”

Jane Ellen Saums, 66, said she was dismayed to see the Trump administration dismantling America’s long-standing democratic institutions.

“It’s extremely concerning to see what is happening to our government, and all of the checks and balances that have been put in place that are being totally run over - everything from the environment to personal rights,” said the real estate worker who came dressed as Mother Nature, wrapped in ivy and holding a globe.

Global resentment

At a time of spreading global resentment against the Republican president - heightened by his announcement Wednesday of sweeping tariffs against scores of countries - demonstrators also marched in several European capitals.

“What’s happening in America is everyone’s problem,” Liz Chamberlin, a dual US-British citizen living in England told AFP at a London rally. “It’s economic lunacy... He is going to push us into a global recession.”

And in Berlin, 70-year-old retiree Susanne Fest said Trump had created “a constitutional crisis,” adding, “The guy is a lunatic.”

In the US, a loose coalition of dozens of left-leaning groups like MoveOn and Women’s March organized “Hands Off” events in more than 1,000 cities and in every congressional district, the groups said.

The unifying theme: the growing resentment of what another organising group, Indivisible, has called “the most brazen power grab in modern history,” led by Trump and his close advisor Elon Musk.