Washington (United States) (AFP) – A boisterous “No Kings” rally competed for visitors’ attention Saturday in Washington, as people also packed the National Mall for a kite-flying festival and the US capital’s favorite annual rite of spring: communing with the cherry blossoms. The trio of colorful and competing events left the city’s monument area thronged with tourists, activists, and selfie-seekers — a tapestry of political protest, environmental tourism, and family fun.
“Where we come from there’s not a lot of stuff like this, and there were so many people, like thousands, and it was a really cool experience for me” to attend the protest against President Donald Trump, said Casey Chafik, a 15-year-old visiting from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. As she and her parents dodged kites and their strings, Chafik — still three years away from being able to vote — told AFP it was important to gather with “people like me who believe in the same thing and who are willing to stand up for what is right.”
“History is happening right in front of our eyes right now,” the teen added, “and it’s important that we’re speaking up for what we believe in at such an important time.” For hours on a crisp, blue-sky day, kite flyers mingled with sign-wavers, sharing space on the National Mall as they pursued their dueling missions.
– ‘Messy and chaotic’ –
“The planning could have been a little better,” quipped Greg Erlandson as he walked toward the US Capitol hoping to catch some speakers for the anti-Trump rally. “But it’s kind of nice seeing everybody out here. I’m sure there are people who are Trump supporters or people who don’t know what’s going on and they’re seeing the signs (held by protesters). That’s a good thing,” the 72-year-old former publisher from Maryland said. “This is what democracy looks like. It’s kind of messy and chaotic.”
Erlandson said he showed up as an “act of solidarity” with other people unhappy with how the country is being run. “I don’t know that rallies bring political change, at least not immediately,” he said. “But at the same time I think it’s a way of realizing that you’re not alone.”
One woman said she traveled from Boston to Washington to see the cherry blossoms, but wound up also flying a dragon-shaped kite with her friend and learning about the day of protest that includes anti-Trump demonstrations in 3,000 cities and towns across America. “It’s great to see the ‘No Kings’ rally, and for people to speak up about whatever they want,” said the 28-year-old who asked not to be named.
Earlier in the day, thousands of protesters marched past the famed Lincoln Memorial. Some held up oversized papier-mache heads of Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and other members of the president’s cabinet, along with a banner reading “Arrest them!” Todd, a 30-year resident of Washington and progressive film director, said he joined the protest “to represent and to be inspired” by other activists critical of Trump’s policies and behavior.
“But this ability to integrate with all kinds of other celebrations makes it kind of unique,” the 65-year-old, who asked that only his first name be used, told AFP. The blending of multiple events in a space commonly nicknamed “America’s front yard” allows the politically motivated and the less aware to “show up and start a conversation,” he said.
© 2024 AFP
