How the anti-Trump protests broke out

Most of the people participating in the protests in the US against President-elect Donald Trump feel anxious about an uncertain future.

Protesters take part in a demonstration in Portland, Oregon, on the night of November 10. Photo: Reuters

A call for protests against Donald Trump appeared in Portland, Oregon, on November 10, attracting thousands of people to the streets, according to the Washington Post.

“It’s now or never,” Portland’s Resistance wrote on Facebook. “We need to fight Trump’s agenda!”

This was one of the sparks that helped ignite the wave of protests against President-elect Trump that spread across the United States.

These protests, most of which were peaceful and orderly, clearly reflect the confusion, anger and fear of a segment of the American people in the face of the unexpected presidential election results, experts said.

On the evening of November 11, people began marching in Miami and Washington. Some groups also planned protests throughout the weekend, scattered in many American cities.

According to police, the protest in Portland on the night of November 10 turned violent after a group of people smashed car windows and became agitated.

Anxiety

Protesters in Chicago on November 10. Photo: AP

In Portland and cities like Oakland, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, protesters cited a variety of reasons for taking to the streets. Some said they wanted to express their displeasure with Trump and his proposals. Others said they wanted to be led by a like-minded leader.

“This is a way for people to come together and feel like they can protect each other against whatever policies the president-elect is planning to enact that will put pressure on women, Muslims, immigrants, people of color, basically marginalized groups,” said Janette Chien while participating in a march in Philadelphia.

Environmental, human rights, immigration, labor law, LGBT activists... say that taking to the streets to protest is just the first step to expressing a stance of opposition.

"Protests will certainly grow in the future as social movement groups begin to join in opposing the new administration's policies that threaten those discriminated against by Mr. Trump," commented professor TV Reed from the University of Washington.

"Blocking roads or whatever tactics are used, this is a way for protesters to say that the policies of the new administration will be strongly and massively opposed if they want to institutionalize the proposals that they consider bigoted, racist, xenophobic and hateful that appeared rampant in the Trump campaign," Professor Reed emphasized.

Some protesters were inspired by social media or word of mouth, according to the Washington Post. Others joined protest groups in New York and Los Angeles because they saw the demonstrations in person or online and wanted to be a part of it.

But there have been some well-organized protests. MoveOn, a liberal group, called on people to gather on November 9 to protest the president-elect. Ben Wikler, president of MoveOn in Washington, said members of the group have organized events in 275 cities and communities across the country. But he noted that some of the events were candlelight vigils or panel discussions, not full-blown marches.

“Just knowing that you are not alone in this land is a great comfort,” Wikler said on November 10.

In Portland, the first two nights of protests were relatively peaceful. But on the third night, things spiraled out of control and turned violent. Police announced on the night of November 10 that the protests were "now being classified as riots."

Authorities said “anarchist groups” emerged from the crowd, inciting peaceful protesters to smash furniture with baseball bats and spray paint buildings, forcing police to use tear gas and smoke grenades.

According to Gregory McKelvey, who organizes Black Lives Matter events in Portland, his group is not affiliated with violent protesters.

Teressa Raiford, a community organizer in Portland, asserted that the violent protesters "didn't come to show solidarity, they came because they knew the crowd would be big."

"I am saddened that our public spaces and local businesses were destroyed by rioters," Portland Mayor Charlie Hales said, adding that it was anarchists who incited peaceful protesters by spreading violence and fear.

"What they want is to use legitimate protesters to destroy property and infrastructure and emphasize anarchy," said David Gomez, a former counterterrorism official at the FBI.

In the city of Santa Ana, stateCalifornia,Naui Huitzilopochtli said he was “wired up” after the election. The Mexican-American rights activist thought he couldn’t live in peace if the New York tycoon became president, since Trump had vowed to deport millions of people from the United States if elected. So Huitzilopochtli posted a Facebook post calling for protests.

Initially, only a few dozen people attended the event, which took place on the afternoon of November 10. As time went on, more and more people showed up. About 650 protesters eventually clashed with police, resulting in 10 arrests.

"Our population is growing. We are a giant sleeping community. We just need to wake up and then Donald Trump can't do anything," Huitzilopochtli asserted. "This is the Mexican community," he added.

A 15-year-old protester said she was scared because Trump wanted to deport immigrants. Next to her, her younger sister held a sign that read: "Stop White Privilege."

“This could be the beginning of a revolution,” said 19-year-old Johnathan Hahn, who attended a protest in Chicago on the evening of November 10. “Nobody knows what the future holds. But we need to come together to spread love, sharing, equality and harmony, which is what makes Trump uncomfortable.”

According to VNE