New York: Tens of thousands of people marched in streets across the United States, staging the fourth day of protests of Donald Trump’s surprise victory as president.
The protests held in big cities like New York and Chicago as well as smaller ones, such as Worcester, Massachusetts, and Iowa City, Iowa were largely peaceful yesterday.
Protesters rallied at New York’s Union Square before taking their cause up Fifth Avenue toward Trump Tower, where they were held back by police barricades.
The Republican president-elect was holed up inside his tower apartment, working with aides on the transition to the White House.
Among those railing against him was filmmaker Michael Moore, who tweeted a demand that Trump “step aside.” Fashion designer Noemi Abad, 30, agreed.
“I just can’t have Donald Trump running this country and teaching our children racism, sexism and bigotry,” she said.
“Out of his own mouth he made this division. He needs to go there’s no place for racism in society in America.”
Trump’s comments particularly a 2005 recording of him making lewd comments about women sparked outrage during his campaign. That spilled over into a fourth day of demonstrations following an election that ended with half of US voters choosing the other candidate, Democrat Hillary Clinton.
In Los Angeles, several thousand people marched through downtown streets Saturday to condemn what they saw as Trump’s hate speech about Muslims, pledge to deport people in the country illegally and crude comments about women.
Jennifer Cruz, 18, of Ventura, California, carried a sign that asked: “Legalize weed but not my Mom?” a reference to Californians’ Tuesday passage of a measure legalising recreational marijuana use.
Cruz said her parents have been in the United States illegally for 30 years, although her mother has spent years seeking citizenship. She called the possibility of their deportation terrifying.
“We talk about it almost every day,” she said. “My Mom wants to leave it in the hands of God but I’m not just going to sit back and not do anything. I’m going to fight for my parents, even if it kills me.”
“He doesn’t realize all the families he’s hurting,” she said of Trump. Shawn Smith, 41, of Los Angeles, wore an American flag vest and held a glittery sign that said “Love Trumps Hate.”
“What he’s been able to do is make 50 per cent of the nation look over their shoulder,” he said. “If you’re gay, if you’re LGBT, if you’re Muslim, if you’re Latin, if you’re special needs, if you’re female, it’s a much unsafer place now.
PTI
