In the center of Washington on Saturday a military parade began on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the US Land forces (US Army). The celebration is attended by US President Donald Trump, who celebrates his 79th birthday that day.
Events related to the anniversary of the US Army began already in the morning, and the parade itself started through the streets of the city before 18.30 local time (0.30 on Sunday in Poland).
As the organizers announced, 6.7 thousand participate in the parade. soldiers in historical and contemporary uniforms. They are to cross the capital, among others Abrams tanks, Bradley infantry combat vehicles, Paladin self -propelled howitzers, Himars artillery systems. Black Hawk helicopters will fly over Washington, and finally a fireworks show is planned. There is also a parachute show.
The anniversary of the establishment of the US Army coincides with the 79th birthday of Trump, who has long been thinking about presenting the power of the US armed forces in Washington. Trump said that he wanted to organize a parade since 2017, when he watched the military parade in France, which made a great impression on him.
When the president entered the stage with the first Lady of Melania Trump, applause and shouts were in the crowd. You could hear: “We love you!”
The celebrations that take place at the National Mall in Washington are criticized by many Americans, who among others They emphasize that the funds spent on the parade should be allocated to the support of veterans and assess that this is an unnecessary demonstration of military force. On the same day, protests are underway throughout the United States under the slogan “Day without Kings”. According to the organizers, this is to be an expression of “rejection of authoritarianism” and a counterweight for Trump's “birthday parade”.
Kevin from Virginia, in a typical red magician hat in a T -shirt with the image of the president, says PAP: “I am here because I love Trump, which I think you can see!” He emphasized that he served in the army for 20 years, which is why he also treats Saturday's celebration as his holiday. “This is part of me!” – he noted. He assessed protests against Trump, which takes place throughout the country as “disgusting”. “I'm sorry I say it, but they should close them all,” a man said at the end.
26-year-old Karoline from Washington told PAP that she came to a parade out of respect for American soldiers. “I am not a supporter of Trump, but I came here, because this event is important for my nation, I want to see military and flight aircraft. There was an anti -crumb protest in front of my house, my friends went there, but I preferred to be here” – emphasized the woman in the shape of the Statue of Freedom. “Of course, Trump says that this is his birthday parade, but I'm not here for him,” she added.
On the way to the event at numerous stands, you can buy patriotic gadgets, Magician caps and T -shirts (Make America Great Again) and other items related to the president. Due to the high temperature, the military is distributed by fans with the inscription US Army. A queue of those willing to enter the celebration at approx. 17 reached up to the Capitol. People also stood in queues with whole families to take pictures with military vehicles.
Ok 70-year-old John from Alaska in an interview with PAP also sharply criticized the American leader, he called him, among others The demagogue dividing the country and assessed that the president “behaved like a little boy: I want to have a parade, I will have it.” The interlocutor of PAP pointed out that his father was also in the army, so he came to the parade to celebrate the American armed forces. The man emphasized that he supports soldiers and peace and is depressed by the situation in the USA. “You are from Poland? Great, Poles are great!” he added with a smile.
These types of military equipment shows are rare in the United States. Previously, the soldiers marched through the streets of the capital in 1991. The costs of organizing the parade are estimated at up to $ 45 million. Ok 30 percent This sum is to cover expenses related to the repair of the capital of the capital. According to the army, the celebrations are financed by over 20 corporations and foundations.
Crowds of thousands of protests against Trump throughout the country
Crowds of Americans march on Saturday through the streets of cities, towns and towns throughout the United States protesting against Donald Trump and his “authoritarian excesses”. Protests under the slogan “No Kings” (“No Kings”) take place on the president's birthday and have been running without interference.
According to the organizers of “Day without Kings”, demonstrations take place in over 1,800 places throughout the country, and over 1.5 million people have participated.
“In America, we do not tolerate people who would like to become kings. No Kings is a national day of action and mass mobilization in response to the growing authoritarian excesses and corruption of Trump and his allies,” the organizers announced.
One of the largest gatherings gathered in Los Angeles, a place of violent protests against collapse of immigrants, where Trump sent 4.7 thousand. Soldiers of the National Guard and Marines I where police hour was announced. The local ABC television branch has estimated a crowd extended to kilometers for at least 100,000. people, claiming that this is the biggest demonstration in the city since the 2020 anti -political protests after the police killed George Floyd. Despite earlier tensions, no incidents were recorded.
Large demonstrations are also ongoing or lasted, among others in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Houston. Demonstrators raise their slogans and carry banners calling the president to give up, calling him a dictator, demanding endings of rave on immigrants, or condemning his sympathy for Vladimir Putin and other autocrats. Almost all demonstrations run peacefully; The only exception was a protest in Atlanta, where demonstrators protesting against immigrants' detention fought with the police and tear gas was used.
The organizers dismissed all marches in Minnesota, where on Saturday there was an assassination of a pair of local Democrats and where the killer was still at the wild was to have plans to attack the demonstration. Despite this, the crowd appeared under the building of the State Capitol in St. Paul.
An official demonstration was also not organized in Washington, where the controversial military parade on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the US land forces will take place on Saturday. As one of the organizers, Ezra Levin, explained to the daily “USA Today, the point was to avoid the narrative that demonstrators were against veterans and the army.
“We made such a decision not to fuel the narrative that Trump might want us to protest directly against him or would give him the opportunity to deal with the protesters,” he said.
Trump suggested on Tuesday that he could use the army against “people who hate the country” and who would protest against the parade, although later the White House explained that he was only about demonstrators using violence.
Despite this, several smaller spontaneous protests gathered in the US capital during the day. In one of them, the Democrats Congressmen Eric Swalwell called for Trump's impeachment.
However, demonstrations gathered in many places in the suburbs of Washington in Virginia and Maryland. In Woodbridge, a small town in Virginia, in a demonstration gathered around a busy intersection at the shopping center, over a thousand people came during the day, encouraging drivers to express support through trumpet. Traveling every now and then fulfilled these requests, some waving American flags through the window. Several supporters of the president passed by the crowd with the engine roar or showed the crowd indecent gestures.
“We are a small community, the protest with us was not somehow advertised, so the attendance surprised us very pleasantly,” said Colleen, one of the organizers. “We see many older people, young people, there are children, there are people of all breeds and nationalities. It's nice to see it all, because this is how America looks like today,” she added.
Most of the slogans and banners concerned the state of democracy in the USA and the authoritarian Trumps accused of Trump: “In America this law is a king”, “Speeches while you can”, “He makes Russia with us.” There were also proimigrane threads, but also pro -Ukrainian. “A man without a suit is better than a suit without a man,” was the slogan on a banner with the image of the President of Ukraine. One of the participants converted the flag of Virginia – showing a tyrant fallen by the Amazon – with Trump as a tyrant with hamburger in hand.
“Our state motto is +sic semper Tyrannis +, i.e. +so always ends tyrants +. The slogan has not been so current for a long time,” the man explained.
Corey, a retired teacher, said in an interview with PAP that he came to protest with a sense of frustration helpless to the president's actions.
“I never expected that I would see something like that in America: a convicted criminal of the ruling country, leading the army to the streets, spitting to constitutions and norms. I did not teach my students in lessons about our democracy,” he said. “However, such a demonstration gives some hope and shows that we are not alone,” he added.
ndz/ zm/
