Global 'Hands Off' protests surge against Trump policies
Throughout all the U.S. states and around the world, "Hands Off" protests are ongoing. People have taken to the streets to express their opposition to Donald Trump's policies. Approximately 1,200 protests are planned across the United States and abroad.
What you need to know:
- Protests took place on Saturday in many U.S. cities, including Washington, New York, Atlanta, Boston, and Miami. Demonstrators expressed dissatisfaction with Trump's economic policies, including tariffs imposed on other countries.
- The protest organizers have three main demands: to end the takeover of power by billionaires, to end federal funding cuts for social programs, and to stop attacks on immigrants and other communities.
- Protests also took place outside the U.S., including in Portugal, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Canada.
On Saturday in Washington and other U.S. cities such as New York, Atlanta, Boston, and Miami, massive protests took place against President Donald Trump's policies. Thousands of people gathered to express their displeasure with his actions. In the capital, at the National Mall, demonstrators assembled around the Washington Monument, and their numbers grew throughout the day.
Protesters are expressing opposition to Trump's economic policies, including the broad tariffs imposed on other countries. "Hands off Social Security" and "Fire DOGE!" are slogans that could be seen on posters in Baltimore, where several hundred people demonstrated in front of the Social Security Administration headquarters. Job reductions affecting about 7,000 employees are the result of actions by the Government Efficiency Department led by Elon Musk.
Protest organizers state they have three demands: "an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration; an end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs working people rely on; and an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities."
First protests of this scale since the start of Trump's presidency
This is what the protests looked like in the U.S. capital.
American reporters mentioned they were unable to see how far the crowd of protesters stretched in New York.
Here's how it looked in Chicago.
And in Duluth, Minnesota, about 2,500 people gathered.
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where in November 2024 the last Donald Trump rally before the presidential election took place, there was also an attempt to attack Trump.
In Colorado, which cast its electoral votes for Kamala Harris in the presidential election, there were similar demonstrations.
"Hands Off!" protests worldwide
The protests also spread beyond the borders of the U.S. Around the world, people gathered for coordinated "Hands Off!" demonstrations. Crowds came together in places like Portugal, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Canada.
In Detroit, protesters could even wave to those demonstrating in Canada. Only a river separated them.
According to Reuters, about 200 people gathered at Trafalgar Square in London. The signs read, "Keep your tiny orange hands off the world" and "Make lying wrong again". Many of the protesters were Americans.
In Germany, in Berlin and Frankfurt, several hundred people protested. - We have to show solidarity with all the demonstrations in a thousand cities today in the USA. We have to show that we are not in agreement with what is happening - Timothy Kautz, spokesman and organizer of Democrats Abroad, told Reuters in Frankfurt.
- People in Germany, people in Europe need to know that. This is not something that is happening with our approval. And we need to get up, onto our feet and out in the streets to show that this is something that will not pass - added Kautz.
A total of around 1,200 protests were planned on Saturday across the United States and abroad. These are the first major demonstrations since Trump was sworn in as president in January this year. During this time, the president was in Florida, where he played golf, and then was supposed to return to his Mar-a-Lago residence.
Trump defends his decision
The protests are occurring after the stock market saw declines following the announcement of tariffs by Trump on April 1st. Despite the economic consequences, Trump stated on Friday: "My policies will never change."
Since the announcement of tariffs by Trump, markets worldwide have plunged into chaos. The British FTSE-100 index saw its worst one-day drop since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A spokesperson for the White House press office, Liz Huston, stated that Trump's stance "is clear" and "he will always protect" social and health benefits "for eligible beneficiaries". Huston added that Democrats are granting these benefits to "illegal aliens".
