By Brad Brooks
(Reuters) -Protesters massed in cities across the United States on Saturday, channeling a "No Kings" message to denounce what they view as authoritarian tendencies and the unbridled corruption of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Organizers expected millions of people to turn out by day's end at more than 2,600 planned rallies in major cities, small towns and some foreign capitals, challenging a Trump-led agenda that has reshaped the government and upended democratic norms with unprecedented speed since he took office in January.
“There is nothing more American than saying, 'We don’t have kings’ and exercising our right to peacefully protest,” said Leah Greenberg, co-founder of Indivisible, a progressive organization that led planning of Saturday's events.
The protests reflect growing unease among many Americans, mainly on the left of the political spectrum, to developments such as the criminal prosecution of Trump's perceived political enemies, his militarized immigration crackdown and the sending of National Guard troops into U.S. cities — a move Trump has said was aimed at fighting crime and protecting immigration agents.
As his administration has tried to rapidly implement its policies, Trump has installed inexperienced loyalists across the ranks of his administration and sought to apply pressure on the news media, law firms and higher education.
The rallies were boisterous but orderly, with police largely keeping a low profile.
In Washington, demonstrators filled the street as they marched toward the U.S. Capitol, chanting and carrying signs, U.S. flags and balloons. Many people - and their dogs - wore costumes in a peaceful, carnival-style atmosphere.
Four marchers dressed in prison stripes and large caricature heads of Trump and other officials displayed a sign saying "Impeach Trump Again."
Protester Aliston Elliot, wearing a Statue of Liberty headpiece and holding a "No Wannabe Dictators" sign, said: "We want to show our support for democracy and for fighting (for) what is right. I'm against the overreach of power."
Events in New York City, Boston, Chicago and Atlanta also drew large crowds. In downtown Houston, U.S. Marine Corps veteran Daniel Aboyte Gamez, 30, joined a crowd that officials said numbered at least 1,500.
"I don't understand what's going on in this nation right now," said Gamez, who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. "As a Marine Corps vet, I understand that the United States was founded upon action against tyrants, against kings."
Kevin Brice, 70, a military veteran among thousands of protesters streaming into the riverfront area of Portland, Oregon, wore a black sweatshirt emblazoned with the slogan "No Kings since 1776."
“I’m embarrassed that we have federal agents in masks arresting people in the streets. I’m embarrassed that we’re talking about using the military against civilians. I’m embarrassed that it’s OK to lie and make stuff up," Brice said. "So even though I’m a lifelong Republican, I don’t support the direction the party is going.”
TRUMP SAYS HE IS NOT A KING
Trump has said little about Saturday’s protests. But in an interview with Fox Business aired on Friday he said that “they’re referring to me as a king -- I’m not a king.”
More than 300 grassroots groups helped organize Saturday’s marches, Greenberg said. The American Civil Liberties Union said it has given legal training to tens of thousands of people who will act as marshals at the various marches, and those people were also trained in de-escalation. "No Kings" ads and information have blanketed social media to drive turnout.
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, a progressive independent, and U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive Democrat, have backed the marches along with former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump. Senior Democratic lawmakers also voiced support for the movement.
In June, 2,000-plus No Kings protests took place, mostly peacefully, on the same day that Trump celebrated his 79th birthday and held a military parade in Washington.
REPUBLICANS CLAIM PROTESTS ARE ANTI-AMERICAN
House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, on Friday echoed a common refrain among his party, labeling the "No Kings" protests "the hate America rally."
Other Republicans have accused organizers of the rallies of stoking an atmosphere that might spur more political violence, especially in the wake of the September assassination of right-wing activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk.
Dana Fisher, a professor at American University in Washington and author of several books on American activism, forecast that Saturday could see the largest protest turnout in modern U.S. history.
She expected that over 3 million people would take part based on registrations and participation in the June events.
Overall turnout for the June 14 "No Kings" rallies was estimated at 4 million to 6 million, according to a crowd-sourcing analysis published by the prominent data journalist G. Elliott Morris on his Strength in Numbers blog site.
Fisher said the protests were “not going to change Trump’s policies. But it might embolden elected officials at all levels who are in opposition to Trump.”
The first of Saturday's rallies unfolded overseas, with hundreds of protesters assembled at the U.S. Embassy in London, and more demonstrations in Madrid and Barcelona.
(Reporting by Brad Brooks, AJ Vicens and David Shephardson; editing by Marguerita Choy, Cynthia Osterman and Nick Zieminski)
