August 19, 2017

Tens of Thousands of People Just Showed Nazis (and Donald Trump) What Really Makes America Great

This is what democracy looks like.

Michael Dwyer/AP

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One week after a bitterly violent protest in Charlottesville, Va., that left one woman dead and 19 injured, tens of thousands of counter-protesters marched in at least 30 cities, including New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. to demonstrate their opposition to white nationalism. The largest protest by far was in Boston, where an estimated 30,000-40,000 counter-protesters showed up, according to the Boston Globe. Only a handful of people attended the planned “Free Speech” protest, and they were quickly overwhelmed.

The fight over symbolism that pays homage to the Confederacy gained increasing momentum over the week after President Donald Trump criticized protesters “on both sides” of the battle,” all but defending the white nationalists who have vowed to, as they shouted in Charlottesville, “unite the Right.”

His statement was greeted with criticism from both parties, and demonstrations today were organized in anticipation of still more protests by white nationalists emboldened by his remarks. But if there were any Nazis planning to demonstrate, they were outnumbered by thousands of peaceful counter-protesters.

Here is a glimpse of what went on today, starting with Boston:

https://twitter.com/waqasahmi/status/898939138103234560

Demonstrators lined up in Chicago at the statue of a slave holder:

Here are some images from Detroit:

And from California:

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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