‘Workers over billionaires’: Thousands take to the streets at anti-Trump rallies across the country
Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of America’s cities over the Labor Day weekend to protest against Donald Trump’s administration and demand tighter protections for U.S. workers.
More than 1,000 demonstrations were held across all 50 states, with many people coming together under the banner of “Workers Over Billionaires” to draw attention to the polarisation of wealth embodied by super-rich individuals like Trump and his erstwhile ally Elon Musk.
Other appeals made by activists across the weekend were calls for an end to federal overreach, prejudice against minority communities and corporate corruption and more funding for schools, healthcare and affordable housing.
In New York, demonstrators gathered outside Trump Tower in Manhattan once again, calling the president a “fascist” and demanding his resignation while a marching band played.
Fairer wages were also on the minds of many. “Service workers in New York City are the backbone of this city,” restaurant worker Giovanni Urbie told Al Jazeera at a One Fair Wage gathering.
“The National Restaurant Association is our number one opponent that’s fighting to keep subminimum wage intact so they don’t have to pay their workers their full minimum wage to survive. So we’re just asking for a livable wage.”
“This is the city that will defend the country,” Mayor Brandon Johnson told a crowd brandishing flags expressing local pride. “We’re going to defend our democracy… we’re going to protect the humanity of every single person in the city of Chicago.”
Trump has insisted violent crime is a major problem in the Windy City, which he has branded “a mess”, “a hellhole,” and a “killing field.”
Many locals taking part in the demonstrations on Monday did not dispute that crime was an issue but feared that sending in the Guard or more ICE agents was only likely to inflame the situation on the ground, chanting “No troops in Chicago” at Johnson’s rally.
“Do we feel there’s gonna be trouble? Yes,” Filiberto Ramirez, 72, told Al Jazeera. “I hope nobody gets hurt.”
“The National Guard is supposed to fight for us, not against us,” added Yvonne Spears, 67.
Activists also gathered outside of the president’s Trump Tower complex in Chicago, some of whom bore signs branding him “Donald the Disaster.”
Major demonstrations also took place in cities like Houston, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles as well as smaller cities like Cleveland, Ohio, and Greensboro, North Carolina.
The May Day Strong coalition of labor unions organized Monday’s events, with help from the AFL-CIO, One Fair Wage and other workers’ rights organizations.
Matt Duss, a former adviser to Vermont Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders and now executive vice-president at the Center for International Policy, said of the nationwide protests: “I think there are a set of shared concerns: the cost of living, the cost of housing, the cost of basic goods, groceries, the cost of education, the overall sense that people in the United States have lost control of their economic and political lives and their futures.”
