*America Hates Authoritarianism, They Say
Millions are expected to show out for protests today at more than 2,500 locations across America, from small towns to large cities, to speak against the Trump administration.
No Kings, the coalition behind a mass demonstration last June, is again calling people to the streets to send the simple message that Donald Trump is not a king, pushing back against what they see as increasing authoritarianism in the world’s most admired and functional democracy.
Several US cities now have a militarised presence on the ground, most against the will of local leaders.
Trump has promised to crack down on dissent as part of an ongoing retribution campaign.
Still, organisers say they expect to see one of the largest, if not the largest, single day of protest in US history.
A coalition of left-leaning groups is again leading the day of mass demonstrations.
The protests are called No Kings to underscore that America does not have kinds of absolute rulers, a ding against Trump’s increasing authoritarianism.
“‘NO KINGS’ is more than just a slogan; it is the foundation our nation was built upon,” a website for the protests, nokings.org, says.
“Born in the streets, shouted by millions, carried on posters and chants, it echoes from city blocks to rural town squares, uniting people across this country to fight dictatorship together.”
Organisers say the protests will take place in the largest cities and in small towns, and in all 50 states.
It is part of a distributed model where people protest in their own communities rather than travelling to large urban hubs to show that discontent with Trump exists in all corners of the US.
For the 18 October day of action (today), organisers have identified several anchor cities: Washington DC; San Francisco; San Diego; Atlanta; New York City; Houston, Texas; Honolulu; Boston; Kansas City, Missouri; Bozeman, Montana; Chicago and New Orleans.
The protests start at different times depending on location.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Some protesters.
