By Bill Hackwell on June 15, 2025 from Oakland Ca.
Millions of people took part in a new wave of protests across the US on Saturday to defend civil liberties and reject the Trump administration’s dictatorial immigration policy and its racist, exclusionary, and authoritarian approach, while supporting Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people and its instigation and support of Israel’s war with Iran.
The demonstrations took place in over 2,000 cities and small towns in all 50 states under the unifying slogan of No Kings; a clear reference to Trump’s authoritarian and reactionary government that viciously attacks and deports migrant workers and foreign students while attempting to cut Medicare and Social Security relied upon by the poorest.
The No Kings events proved to be a powerful counterweight to Trump’s long dreamed of military parade in Washington DC on the 250th anniversary of the Army, that just happened to coincide with the president’s 79th birthday. The procession went down Constitution Avenue under dark skies and included the deployment of around 7,000 military personnel (who slept the night before on the floors of government buildings) some 150 land vehicles, including M1 Abrams tanks, and around 50 military aircraft including Black Hawk and Apache helicopters, all to the tune of $50 million dollars of US tax payers money.
No Kings, Oakland Ca. Photos: Bill Hackwell
If Trump truly wanted to honor those in the military he would not be planning to cut 83,000 positions at the Department of Veterans Affairs that will severely diminish services to veterans including those with exposure to environmental toxins, traumatic brain injuries, nerve damage, mental health conditions, and other military service related disabilities. He would also find housing for the over 41,000 veterans that sleep on the streets of the US on any given night.
While the demonstrations were enthusiastically taking place around the country the attendance of thousands who were predicted to show up on the National Mall, to cheer on Trump’s war parade, never materialized, turning it into a reported dismal affair.
The demonstrations under the slogan “No Kings Day,” calls attention to the real estate mogul’s behavior since his return to the White House, which is referencing the British monarchy’s defeat by the Thirteen Colonies during the country’s war of independence.
According to the organizers, the president is using the army to cover himself in glory and demonstrate his strength at a time when his authority is being strongly questioned and protests are taking place in several cities against the hunt and mass deportations of migrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In California, the epicenter of discontent, Trump deployed some 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines. Following this, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the deployment of more than 5,000 National Guard troops along with more than 2,000 state police officers.
50501 Movement
The No Kings demonstrations was called and loosely put together by the 50501 Movement (“50 States, 50 Protests, One Movement”), a coalition of progressive mainstream groups of more than 200 organizations, including Move On, the American Civil Liberties Union, American Federation of Teachers and the Communications Workers of America. “No Kings is a day of national rebellion. From cities to small towns, from stairways to courthouses to community parks, we are taking action to reject authoritarianism and show the world what democracy really looks like. Real power is not on display in Washington. It is rising everywhere,” the Movement 50501 stated on its website.
The No Kings demonstrations has struck a chord of growing discontent in the US timed to Trump’s hawkish military moment providing a platform to protest against a wide range of issues including the dismissal of public employees, cuts to social programs, censorship of university leaders who led protests against Washington’s complicity in Israel’s war crimes in the Gaza Strip, and attacks against immigrant and LGBTIQ+ communities and other sectors.
Those millions of people were also in the streets out of the fear of the authoritarian trajectory of Trump who has signed 142 executive orders in his first 100 days. Way more than any previous president demonstrating once again his push to centralize the power to the executive branch of the government while minimizing the judicial and legislative.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – English