Massive Crowd Expected for Upcoming "No Monarchs" Demonstrations
Protest coordinators for the forthcoming "No Monarchs" demonstration anticipate that millions of US citizens will publicly express their disapproval of the current government's policies this coming weekend. This event comes as immigration enforcement continues to be contentious and military forces have been dispatched to multiple cities led by Democratic officials across the nation.
The Goal of the Protests
According to one of the chief coordinators of the demonstration, the objective is clear: to express unity, to mobilize, to safeguard our democratic principles, and to protect each other and our communities. In their view, the time has come to say 'enough is enough.'
The coordinator continued, saying that they have been observing the current government's oversteps and that millions demonstrated their disapproval in the streets in June.
However, not everyone is in agreement with the protests. Some have labeled the demonstrations as anti-American, going as far as calling it a "despise America rally."
Previous Protests
Earlier this summer, significant numbers of protesters assembled on the 250th anniversary of the Army, which coincidentally fell on the current president’s birthday. The president called for a grand military parade on that day, an act that critics argue was as much about celebrating him as it was about honoring the military.
Now, the protesters are voicing their concerns about what they perceive as injustices committed against alleged unauthorized immigrants, a failing healthcare system, election manipulation attempts, and other complaints.
The protest organizers stated on their website, "The president seems to think he has absolute authority. But in this country, we don't have monarchs and we won't stand down in the face of disorder, corruption, and inhumanity."
Official Response
When asked about the upcoming demonstrations and allegations of the president behaving like a king, a spokesperson for the White House responded with a dismissive "Who cares?" and offered no further comment.
During similar protests in June, organizers estimated that around 5 million people participated in over 2,000 events across the country. They expect even more people to join the upcoming demonstration.
Effectiveness of Large-Scale Movements
An expert in sociology from a leading university commented that historically, large-scale movements have been successful in instigating social change. However, she noted that their effectiveness has significantly decreased since the start of the new millennium.
"We're not even a year into the current government, and so I think the strategy on the part of the organizers is to show that 'we're not backing down,'" she explained.
However, she also noted that while we've seen more people protesting, not just in the US but globally, and in many cases by the millions, these protests have often not achieved their stated aims.