On the 14th (local time), a large-scale military parade is scheduled to commemorate U.S. President Donald Trump's 79th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the U.S. Army, amidst simultaneous anti-government protests occurring across the country.
The organizers of the 'No Kings' protest held demonstrations opposing the Trump administration at approximately 2,000 locations across all 50 states of the U.S. and abroad. This protest was planned before the Los Angeles (LA) demonstration against illegal immigrant crackdowns, but it grew larger following the LA protest.
Protests took place not only in major cities such as Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, and San Francisco but also in states like Ohio, which is a stronghold of the Republican Party. Police estimate about 100,000 people gathered in Philadelphia, a symbol of American independence.
In New York City, Trump’s hometown and a city with strong Democratic support, approximately 50,000 attendees, estimated by the police, protested in rainy weather, chanting anti-Trump slogans. In Minnesota, a shooting with political motives resulted in the death of a Democratic state legislator and his spouse early that morning, leading to the cancellation of protests throughout the state.
Most protests proceeded peacefully; however, confrontations occurred between police and protesters in some areas. According to The New York Times (NYT), after the protest officially ended in Charlotte, North Carolina, police used tear gas against some demonstrators attempting to breach their line.