Mass protests against Trump in US, UK, others

Thousands of people marched against US President Donald Trump and his policies, on Saturday, in major cities in the US.

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PREMIUM TIMES reports that protests were also held against the American president outside the US, in cities such as London, Paris and Berlin.

The ‘Hands Off’ protests in the US were held across the country’s 50 states and were organised by pro-democracy groups to demand a halt to Mr Trump’s agenda including cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Some protesters in Boston told the BBC that they were motivated by immigration raids on US university students that have led to arrests and deportation proceedings.

“Law student Katie Smith told BBC News that she was motivated by Turkish international student Rumeysa Ozturk, whose arrest near Boston-area Tufts University by masked US agents was caught on camera last month,” the BBC reported.

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Protest organisers said they have three demands, CNN reported. They want “an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration; an end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs working people rely on; and an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities.”

In London, protesters chanted, “Hands off Canada”, “Hands off Greenland” and “Hands off Ukraine,” in response to Mr Trump’s proposals to annex Canada and Greenland and essentially get Ukraine to surrender to Russia.

In Washington DC, Democratic lawmakers addressed protesters, telling the crowd that the Trump administration had been taken over by billionaires.

Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost denounced the “billionaire takeover of our government,” the BBC reported.

“When you steal from the people, expect the people to rise up. At the ballot box and in the streets,” Mr Frost said.

The protests were the first such mass protest against the US president since he assumed office in January for his second term.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that many of his policies have disrupted not just the US but also the global order.

READ ALSO: Nigerian listeners react to Trump’s VOA Hausa closure

The American leader has withdrawn from or cut funding for global institutions like WHO, UNICEF, and the Paris Climate Accord. He has also decimated USAID and ended many of the US aid agency’s programmes in developing countries like Nigeria.

Protest organisers described Saturday’s protest as a success attended by millions of people in several countries.

“What we witnessed today was nothing short of extraordinary. Across the country and around the world, people came together to say: we will not be silent while our rights, our futures, and our democracy are under attack,” said Rahna Epting, Executive Director, MoveOn. “This peaceful movement is powered by everyday people—nurses, teachers, students, parents—who are rising up to protect what matters most. We are united, we are relentless, and we are just getting started.”