Nearly 2,000 events across the country protesting President Donald Trump are planned for this Saturday and central Pennsylvania will be a hotbed of activity.
The “nationwide day of defiance” by the No Kings movement dovetails with Trump’s military parade in Washington, D.C., ostensibly to honor the Army’s 250th birthday and Flag Day.
Critics, though, have mocked the event as a self-indulgent extravagance because it falls on Trump’s 79th birthday.
No Kings said in a news release that it is committed to non-violence and is working with local organizers to ensure the events remain peaceful, a nod toward ongoing protests against ICE in Los Angeles that prompted Trump to deploy federal troops.
Army officials have estimated that the parade and related activities will cost between $25 million and $45 million, CBS News reported, as the Trump administration has slashed funding for myriad federal social programs.
At least one Republican lawmaker, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky compared the parade to what North Korea might do, telling Fox News that he has “never been a big fan of goose-stepping soldiers in big tanks and missiles rolling down the street. So, if you ask me, I wouldn’t have done it,” according to the Independent.
A coalition of progressive groups has planned more than 1,800 protests, but organizers said they are purposely avoiding Washington, D.C. Information on events and links to RSVP are available here.
“Donald Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday. A spectacle meant to look like strength. But real power isn’t staged in Washington. It rises up everywhere else,” No Kings says on its website.
“Instead of allowing this birthday parade to be the center of gravity,” the group says, “we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day: people coming together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption.”
The “major flagship march and rally” will occur in Philadelphia, said No Kings, “to draw a clear contrast between our people-powered movement and the costly, wasteful, and un-American birthday parade in Washington.”
In central Pennsylvania, a number of protests are planned.
A map of events across the state is available here. This is a list of events in the region:
- Harrisburg, 4:30 p.m. march from City Island and 5 p.m. rally at South Riverfront Park.
- Lancaster, 11 a.m. to noon, at Binns Park
- York, 10 a.m. to noon, at York Square.
- Gettysburg, Noon to 1 p.m., at Lincoln Square.
- Carlisle, 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Carlisle Square.
- Hershey, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., at Chocolate and Cocoa avenues.
- Chambersburg, noon to 1 p.m., at Franklin County Court Administration building.
- Mifflintown, 9:30 a.m. to noon, at the Juniata County Courthouse.
Lancaster event organizers said that more than 1,700 people have registered for that event on Saturday.