Across the US, demonstrations against President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration are under way. Primarily led by Palestinians, labour organisers and Hispanic activists, demonstrators are filling the streets for the next week to advocate for the rights of immigrants, Muslims, Palestinians, women and the LGBTQ+ community.
In San Francisco on Sunday afternoon, as the ceasefire in Gaza was being initiated, thousands gathered near city hall, many carrying Palestinian flags and wearing keffiyehs, while some carried Mexican flags and held signs in Spanish. Community leaders took turns taking the stage as they spoke about the interconnected struggles and then led a march downtown.
Trump has said that he will order a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants and that he will reinstate the Muslim travel ban upon taking office.
Though it was a large turnout of several thousand, there was a clear difference in attendance from the demonstrations eight years ago, when a wide spectrum of the opposition took to the streets in protest of Trump, and not primarily left-wing activists.
It’s unclear why this week’s demonstrations don’t seem to have the “big tent” that was seen last time. It’s possible that many Democrats are experiencing fatigue or shock over a second Trump term, or there may be fractures within the party after Joe Biden’s widely unpopular one term.
“One thing that’s unique this time around is the total failure of the Democratic Party. The collapse of the Democratic Party has left a shrinking population that looks to the party for leadership,” Walter Smolarek, media coordinator with the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), a protest umbrella group, told The New Arab.
“We’re seeing the consequences of that play out,” he said.
Indeed, many of the signs and slogans at Sunday’s demonstration were directed at the political elite, and not just at Trump. It was a sign of focus for the demonstrators, but also perhaps an acknowledgement of the mountain of issues they are up against.
“I’m worried about climate change. We’re really buried in issues, but if we don’t address climate change, there won’t be any more issues to fight for,” Michael Kerr, a member of Veterans for Peace, told TNA.
For Sneha Lohani, a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, there is no question that she would show up to Sunday’s demonstration, despite what appears to be a fatigued Trump resistance.
“We want to show that we’re going to fight back. We’re not going to give in to this chipping away of our rights,” she told TNA.
“Trump’s election is just another symptom of the billionaire class’s agenda of getting more profits on the backs of immigrants, of working class people, women,” she said.
As the demonstrators made their way through the streets, leading with a large banner reading “Unite and fight Trump’s billionaire agenda” held by activists of different backgrounds, chants alternated between support for Palestinians, workers, Latin Americans, women, the LGBTQ+ community, and the environment.
It will likely be a difficult resistance for a fractured and demoralised opposition over the next four years. Smolarek, with the ANSWER Coalition, however, is hopeful that this is only the beginning.
“This is setting the tone for the mass resistance during the Trump era on immigrant rights and the war machine. To fight back against the Trump agenda, we need to unite these struggles,” he said.
