A large number of protesters expressed their anger against US President Donald Trump across the United States on Saturday, from New York to San Francisco, during a mass mobilization day criticized by the right, which it described as a "hate-against-America" movement.
Organizers expected millions of Americans to take to the streets under the slogan "No Kings" to protest the Republican president's "tyranny."
"It is imperative that everyone mobilize and do their best to resist the collapse of democracy as we know it," Hannah Foster, 41, a jewelry company employee who participated in a procession of thousands that began at noon in New York City from Times Square, told AFP.
"I fear that the United States, as it is now in some ways, will become a very cruel, unfair, and authoritarian regime, where people's dignity and rights are no longer respected," said retiree Colleen Hoffman.
More than 2,700 demonstrations are planned for Saturday in major US cities and small towns, as well as in several foreign countries such as Canada and Spain.
In Washington, D.C., a massive demonstration was held near Congress, where crowds urged Trump to "go away." In Florida, protesters held up signs depicting the president as Stalin and the Queen of England near his Mar-a-Lago residence, where he is spending the weekend.
"Hippopotamus"
Trump, who last June threatened to respond to the protesters with "very great force," commented this week on Fox News, saying, "They're calling me a king. I'm not a king."
Officials in his own party condemned the demonstrations, even comparing the protesters to terrorists.
House Republican Leader Mike Johnson described the planned rallies as "a mobilization of hatred against America," saying, "I bet you'll see supporters of Hamas and Antifa," the political movement the US president recently designated a "terrorist organization."
In defiance of this speech, many protesters on Saturday wore bizarre costumes depicting penguins, frogs, and even hippopotamuses, while others proudly waved the American flag.
In mid-June, the first day of the mobilization organized by the No Kings movement, which includes some 300 organizations, brought together millions of people of all ages in the largest protest since the Republican president's return to the White House.
Trump celebrated his 79th birthday with a massive military parade through the streets of the US capital.
Massive demonstrations against Trump across the United States
