Anti-government rallies in US
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With the slogan “No Kings”, massive protest rallies involving millions of people were held in major US cities on Saturday, October 18. These rallies did not only take place in urban centres but also created huge waves in the capitals ruled by autocrats. In these massive rallies against Trump’s unilateral authoritarian ambitions, which trampled the US Constitution and the will of the people, Democrats and liberals, along with Republicans opposing Trump’s “monarchical rule,” stood together. Organisers planned over 2,700 events across ten states, including the capital Washington, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. The organisers claimed that, despite being protests, the events were peaceful carnivals. Even though Republican officials in various states tried to ‘curb’ the rallies by declaring them acts of sedition, public participation remained unaffected. Even as the country plunges toward an economic crisis, Trump seems more interested in moves that consolidate a racially entrenched dictatorship rather than stabilising it. The Trump administration has been unable to reach an agreement with the Democrats on passing bills to allocate funds for government services beyond October. Although the Republican Party holds a majority in both houses of the US Congress, it falls short by sixty votes to pass the bills. Trump’s refusal to restore financial aid for healthcare, which provides ordinary citizens access to medical services and was cut as part of cost-reduction measures, is cited by the Democrats as the reason for their non-cooperation.
As a result of this budget dispute, for the past three weeks the US government has been implementing layoffs, mandatory unpaid leave, and shutdowns across various service sectors. 1.4 million government employees have been placed on unpaid leave or are working without pay. While budget disputes have been common even during previous administrations, it is uncertain what “extremes” a vindictive Trump might pursue. When a court issued a ruling against the collective dismissal of 4,000 employees, he opted to move forward by filing an appeal, threatening further shutdowns. Thousands of airline services have been affected by this threat. Even payment of salaries of US military personnel has become uncertain. Payments to contractors working for government agencies have been withheld. The National Institutes of Health, disease prevention centres in the healthcare sector, and government food distribution programmes have all been disrupted.
While service channels for ordinary citizens are being shut down, border protection agencies, immigration and customs enforcement agencies, and hospital healthcare departments continue to operate as before. Trump’s administrative reform, carried out with cold-heartedness, fuels racial hatred and expels immigrants and undocumented workers from the country. These are the departments that remain unaffected. Thus, while the nation and its people face hardships in essential services, instead of addressing them, Trump is pursuing a political strategy that scapegoats immigrants as the sole target for everything. Trump’s move to coronate himself as the nation’s emperor is part of implementing a far-right agenda rooted in American white supremacy. He is pursuing monarchical methods to advance his own interests, disregarding democracy and the Constitution. On June 14, Trump celebrated the 250th anniversary of the US military as his 79th birthday. It was on that day that the nationwide protest “No Kings” began. Thousands of participants in those rallies overshadowed the glory of Trump’s birthday celebrations. This was followed by the more extensive “No Kings” rallies held on Saturday.
The protests by various sections of the population are rising against racial violence targeting immigrants, election fraud, cuts in spending on basic needs such as healthcare, education, and environmental protection, and anti-people policy programmes aimed at supporting collusions with billionaires and corporate capital.
In the new world order, where democracy gives way to majoritarianism and dictatorship, the slogans that there is no need for crowns, kings or thrones, rising against far-right, racially extremist, and exploitative capitalist forces are not only a warning to Trump but also a message of warning to all the Trumpists who seek to become fans or imitators of this dictatorship.
