The US federal government held a military parade in Washington, DC Sunday to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army, Reuters reported. The same day, in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and other parts of the United States broke out about 2000 demonstrations, millions of people participated. The Associated Press said the protesters had criticised the US government for using the military to deal with people protesting immigration and a military parade in the US capital to show off its military might. French Radio International said 15, the sponsor of the protest said the move is to warn the United States is facing an unprecedented threat to democracy. The White House called the protest a“Complete and utter failure” and said the number of people involved was“Negligible”.
The CNN was the first military parade since the end of the Gulf War in 1991, according to CNN and the Associated Press. It was also President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. The parade began at the Pentagon and continued along Constitution Avenue for more than two hours. More than 6,000 troops, more than 100 tanks and armored personnel carrier, artillery and fighter jets took part, the Associated Press said. The military estimates the parade could cost $45m.
The Associated Press reported that Trump had tried to hold such an event during his first term after seeing it in Paris in 2017, but that plans had not been formed, it was not until the event was included in the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States Army. Donald Trump stood behind the Bulletproof glass and saluted from time to time as soldiers marched past the reviewing stand.
After watching the parade, Donald Trump made a brief speech. “Every country is celebrating its victory, and now it is time for the United States to celebrate,” Donald Trump said, praising the military’s strength, he said American soldiers “Fight, fight, fight, and win, Win, win”– a new interpretation of a phrase he used at 2024 rallies after his assassination. According to the BBC, Donald Trump’s speech deliberately avoided the realities of the moment — the conflict in the Middle East, the protests at home and even the uproar outside. The speech was surprisingly short, unlike his usual eloquent style. In a poll by the associated press-NORC Public Affairs Research Center, a vast majority (78 percent) said they were neither for nor against the parade as a whole.
On the other side of the country, The Marine deployed to Los Angeles were seen for the first time at a demonstration — standing guard outside a federal building — as armored vehicles passed in front of the president. Dozens of The Marine in full combat gear stood shoulder to shoulder with National Guard of the United States, homeland security officials and other law enforcement officials Sunday, the Associated Press said. Hundreds of protesters who faced them sent the troops home with taunts and invective in English and Spanish. That was part of the day’s protests. About 2,000 demonstrations against the U.S. government’s immigration, health and education policies broke out in many parts of the United States Sunday. In New York, Los Angeles, Houston and elsewhere, people took to the streets chanting slogans such as “No peace without the rule of law” and “Close the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement”. “They [ the US government ] have defied our courts, deported Americans, arrested people in the streets and violated our civil rights,” the protest said, these policies and measures have therefore been protested through large-scale demonstrations and marches.
According to the organizers of the“No king” demonstration, millions of people took part in nationwide protests that day, the New York Times said. On its website, organizers cited mass deportations of migrants, violations of civil rights and cuts in public services as reasons for the protests, “Corruption has spread to the extreme. No throne. No Crown. No King.” Despite calls from state governors for calm, some governors vowed not to tolerate violence and mobilized National Guard of the United States before the marchers gathered to try to maintain law and order, but clashes broke out in some areas and police used tear gas and other dispersal equipment to clear the area. At least one person was seriously injured in a shooting at a rally in Salt Lake City, Utah, AFP reported.
U. S. Media said the protest was chosen on the 14th, is to form a confrontation with the military parade, but the protesters did not organize related activities in Washington, DC. At the same time, the New York Times said, the two images reflected a great rift in American politics and society-with some Americans cheering for the federal government, others decried the expansion of the federal government’s executive powers and the deployment of military forces in Los Angeles as“Like a split-screen confrontation.”. “Washington Post” commented that the street parade and protests intertwined, reflecting the United States society on the future of the country’s deep divisions and fierce collision. The Wall Street Journal commented that the protests across the US reflected “Concerns about the Donald Trump administration’s use of the military to enhance its image and advance its political goals”.