Thousands of residents took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles and other major cities across the US on Saturday to protest against President Donald Trump and his billionaire backer, Elon Musk's policies.
The Los Angeles Times reports that chants rang out from Pershing Square to City Hall as protesters, young and old, denounced what they described as a systematic dismantling of vital public services and a growing alliance between government power and billionaire interests.
In Los Angeles, the crowd swelled to tens of thousands, rallying under the banner of “Hands Off!”.
What began as a peaceful assembly in Pershing Square transformed into a fiery march that brought downtown L.A. to a standstill by sundown.
Among the demonstrators was 38-year-old Sam Phillips, who came with her husband and 15-month-old son in a pushchair.
“It’s really important to both stand up for his future and to also show him that in our family, we stand up to bullies,” Phillips told the Los Angeles Times. “They’re eliminating so many essential and useful services. The library is a big one I’m really concerned about. Story time at our local branch has been huge for helping my son learn to socialise.”
Her frustrations mirrored those of many in the crowd, who cited attacks on immigrants, transgender rights, and government programmes as the final straw.
SaharaReporters on Friday reported that over 1,100 "Hands Off!" protests and meetings were scheduled to take place across all 50 states in the U.S. on Saturday.
These were in response to the significant cuts to the federal workforce, reportedly overseen by Trump advisor and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
These nationwide demonstrations were aimed to voice opposition to the dramatic reductions in the federal workforce, which organisers believe are part of a broader effort to dismantle public services, including Social Security, Medicaid, and public education.
According to Yahoo News, the protests were organised by a coalition of over 150 organisations, including Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Service Employees International Union, and the American Civil Liberties Union.