Newsman: Thousands of New Yorkers took to the streets of Midtown Manhattan Saturday to send a clear message to President-elect Trump: They will not back down in protecting the rights of immigrants, women and LGBTQ+ Americans, if and when he moves to attack them.
Donald Trump at his campaign rallies, declared that he would implement “the largest mass deportation program in history.” He also plans to reinstate first-term policies like “Remain in Mexico,” end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and ban Muslims from certain countries entering the United States. Many immigrants are worried that they will get deported now that Trump has been re-elected.
Organizers of the march say 5,000 people participated in the demonstration. More than 30 organizations put the event together, including the progressive Working Families Party, Make the Road New York, CWA Union, VOCAL NY, Citizens Action of NY, and Jews for Racial & Economic Justice.
Carrying banners and signs that read “We won’t back down” and “New York Stands Together” while chanting “Not my President” and “Education, No Deportation,” protestors marched from Columbus Circle to Bryant Park, rejecting Trump’s policies, which the crowd deemed fascist.
Progressive elected officials were also in attendance, including two mayoral candidates next year: City Comptroller Brad Lander and Queens Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani.
A handful of Trump supporters, carrying Trump flags, walked alongside the marchers on the sidewalk. One managed to cross the barriers and tried to interrupt the march, hurling insults at the peaceful assembly, but was escorted away by NYPD officers swiftly.
