Anti-Trump protests sweep across America

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Anti-Trump protests sweep across America

Washington - The protests came just hours after Hillary Clinton delivered an emotional concession speech in New York.

by

Bernd Debusmann Jr.

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Published: Fri 11 Nov 2016, 9:19 AM

Last updated: Fri 11 Nov 2016, 11:30 AM

Protests rocked dozens of American cities on Wednesday as thousands took to the streets to denounce president-elect Donald Trump and the inflammatory rhetoric of his campaign. More than 25 cities saw noisy anti-Trump protests, including New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Portland, and Washington DC.
In New York, an estimated 5,000 angry people converged on Trump Tower - where he currently lives - shouting slogans such as "dump Trump", "Trump is Hitler!" and "Not Our President!".
In Los Angeles - which voted heavily in Hillary Clinton's favor - protesters shut down one of the city's main thoroughfares, the 101 Freeway. Earlier in the day, young protesters gathered outside City Hall, where they torched a large effigy of Trump and spray-painted profanity-laden anti-Trump slogans on nearby buildings.
While the protests across the country were largely peaceful, in New York 15 people were arrested for disorderly conduct, as well as 13 in Los Angeles and smaller numbers elsewhere.
In another Democratic stronghold, Washington DC, the mood was somber on Wednesday as the reality of an upcoming Trump administration set in. Small groups of protesters gathered outside the White House, as well as several blocks away in front of the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue. Additional protests - and the burning of an American flag - were reported at American University.
"This is a win for those who want to normalize racism, condone oppression, and promote misogyny. Trump's xenophobia is not a political platform," said Elvira Sears, a 23-year old DC-native who was holding an anti-Trump sign in Lafayette Square, across from the White House. "The real protests will start happening when the people who voted for him realize he can't deliver what he said he would, or when he changes the stuff he says."
Ryan, a protester who was near Trump International Hotel, said that he "fully understands that Trump was rightfully elected."
"That's the way democracy works. But, he doesn't represent me, or what I stand for, so I'm out here protesting," he said. "This is setting us back as a country."
The protests came just hours after Hillary Clinton delivered an emotional concession speech in New York.
"Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and a chance to lead," she said. "This is not the outcome that we wanted and we worked so hard for, and I am sorry that we did not win this election." 
"And to all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and to achieve your own dreams," she added.
Also on Wednesday, President Barack Obama - who had previously called Trump 'unfit' for office - said that "We are now all rooting for his success in uniting and leading the country."
Despite their differences, Obama also pledged to work with the incoming administration, as was the case with his own and that of President George W. Bush in 2008.
"Eight years ago, President Bush and I had some pretty significant differences, but President Bush's team could not have been more professional or more gracious in making sure we had a smooth transition," Obama said. "So I have instructed my team to follow the example that President Bush's team set."
bernd@khaleejtimes.com


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