Crowds gathered across the United States and in several European cities on Saturday for large-scale "No Kings" protests against the war in Iran and President Donald Trump's recent actions, with organisers claiming millions were expected to take part, reports the Associated Press.
Minnesota emerged as the symbolic centre of the demonstrations, with the main rally took place at the State Capitol in St Paul. Thousands of protesters packed the Capitol lawn and nearby streets, many standing shoulder-to-shoulder and waving upside-down American flags, a historic sign of distress.
Organisers selected Minnesota as the flagship location following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents during protests linked to the Trump administration's hard-line immigration enforcement. The unrest in the state over recent months has become a rallying point for wider opposition to the administration.
Musician Bruce Springsteen was on the forefront of the Minnesota event, performing Streets of Minneapolis, a song written in response to the shootings and in tribute to demonstrators who had taken to the streets over the winter. Addressing the crowd before the performance, Springsteen mourned the deaths of Good and Pretti and praised local resistance to immigration raids. He said Minnesota's determination had given hope to people across the country.
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The protests stretched from major cities such as New York to small towns including Driggs, Idaho. Organisers said more than 3,100 events had been registered across all 50 states, around 500 more than during similar demonstrations in October. Earlier "No Kings" rallies reportedly drew more than five million people in June and seven million in October, while organisers said they were hoping for as many as nine million participants this weekend.
In Topeka, Kansas, demonstrators staged a colourful rally outside the Statehouse, with some dressed as a frog king and as a baby version of Trump.
The protests also spread overseas. In Rome, marchers denounced both the conflict in Iran and threats to judicial independence in Italy. In London, banners read "Stop the far right" and "Stand up to Racism", while in Paris, Americans living in France joined labour unions and human rights groups at Bastille to condemn what they described as Trump's "illegal, immoral" wars.
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