Sunday, 15 June 2025
Sunday, 15 June 2025
Protesters across the United States took to the streets to denounce President Donald Trump as a dictator-in-the-making and to defend democracy and immigrant rights. Meanwhile, in Washington, Trump celebrated his 79th birthday with a grand military parade. Tanks rolled down Constitution Avenue in honour of the Army’s 250th anniversary, but critics condemned the event as an inappropriate display of power.
Organisers of the "No Kings" demonstrations said that millions took to the streets across the nation, marching in hundreds of events.
In Washington, hundreds protesting Trump carried signs with messages that included "Where's the due process?" and "No to Trump's fascist military parade" as they marched toward the White House.
A giant puppet of Trump was paraded through the crowd, depicting the president crowned and seated on a golden toilet.
Protesters waving pride flags held up signs as as "The The invasion was HERE Jan. 6th, NOT in LA" and "I prefer crushed ICE", referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Mexican flags, now a common sight at Los Angeles protests against immigration raids, also appeared at some demonstrations on Saturday.
Amid signs that read “They fear us, don’t back down California” and “We carry dreams, not danger,” one protester carried a two-foot-tall pinata of Trump mounted on a stick, complete with a crown on his head and a sombrero slung over his back.
Another demonstrator held up a large helium balloon resembling an orange baby with Trump’s signature blond hairstyle.
In New York, marchers filled several blocks of Fifth Avenue, voicing anger over Trump’s immigration policies, expressing support for Palestinians, and protesting what they saw as a decline in free speech rights.
Protests turn violent
A previously calm demonstration in Los Angeles turned chaotic when police began dispersing the crowd using tear gas after the formal event concluded.
Officers in Portland also fired tear gas and projectiles to disperse a crowd that protested in front of a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement building well into the evening.
One person was critically injured during a shooting in Salt Lake City, Utah. Three people were taken into custody.
In Culpepper, Virginia, police reported that a 21-year-old driver deliberately sped his SUV into a crowd of protesters exiting a rally, injuring one person. The driver has been charged with reckless driving.
“Today, across red states and blue, rural towns and major cities, Americans stood in peaceful unity and made it clear: we don't do kings," the No Kings Coalition said in a statement Saturday afternoon after many events had ended.
(With inputs from AP)
