Millions expected across all 50 US states to march in No Kings protests against Trump | Protests (US)

Americans in all 50 states will protest against the Trump administration on Saturday, rallying behind the message that the country is drifting toward authoritarianism and that there should be no kings in the United States.

Millions of people are expected to attend the No Kings protests, the second iteration of the coalition marching in June on one of the largest days of protests in U.S. history. Events are planned in more than 2,700 locations, from small towns to major cities.

Donald Trump has put pressure on US cities by trying to send in federal troops and add more immigration agents. It seeks to criminalize dissent by going after left-leaning organizations that it claims support terrorism or political violence. Cities responded largely by filing lawsuits to prevent the national guard from engaging, and residents took to the streets to speak out against the militarization of their communities.

Trump’s allies are trying to portray the No Kings protests as anti-American and led by the decentralized anti-fascist movement Antifa, while also claiming that the protests are prolonging the government shutdown. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he would send the state’s national guard to Austin, the state’s capital, before the protests.

Some politicians, including Democratic senators Chuck Schumer and Chris Murphy and independent Senator Bernie Sanders, are expected to attend the protests. The No Kings coalition has repeatedly emphasized its commitment to nonviolent resistance, and tens of thousands of participants have received training in security and de-escalation tactics.

“The most important message that people need to carry is that the president wants us to be afraid, but we will not be pushed into fear and silence,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-chair of Public Citizen, one of the protest organizers. “And it’s incredibly important for people to stay peaceful, to be proud, to say the things they care about, and not be intimidated by that fear.”

There are more than 200 organizations signed By participating in the October 18 protests. Organizers have identified several major cities: Washington D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Atlanta, New York City, Houston, Honolulu, Boston, Kansas City in Missouri, Bozeman, Chicago and New Orleans in Montana.

The simple framework of the protests is that the United States has no kings; This is a reference to Trump’s increasing authoritarianism. Themes cited by organizers include: Trump using taxpayer money to seize power, sending federal forces to take over U.S. cities; Trump said he wanted a third term and was “already acting like a monarch”; The Trump administration has pushed its agenda too far by defying the courts and cutting off services, deporting people without due process.

The June No Kings protests drew millions to the streets; The Harvard Crowd Counting Consortium estimated that 2 to 4.8 million people attended at more than 2,000 locations, making it “likely the second largest single-day demonstration since Trump’s inauguration in January 2017,” second only to the Women’s March in 2017.