LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – As President Donald Trump prepares to celebrate Flag Day and the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday with a military-style parade in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, June 14, a coalition of progressive organizations is planning coast-to-coast protests under the banner of a NO KINGS Nationwide Day of Defiance.
Patriotism and protests.
Trump’s June 14th parade, which includes military tributes and patriotic displays, is expected to feature tanks, troops, and veterans in a show of national pride. However, progressive organizers – including Indivisible, Black Voters Matter, the American Federation of Teachers, and others – have scheduled defiant protests across the country, including a six-hour demonstration at the Michigan State Capitol, in direct opposition to the military parade. In addition to Lansing, there are about 68 other protests planned in the state including on Beaver Island.
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Their message? A full rejection of what they call “strongman politics.” The coalition’s official website, NoKings.org, claims the Trump administration “defied courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked civil rights, and slashed services.” Their goal, as stated on the site: “No thrones. No crowns. No kings.”
The No Kings campaign, which was officially launched on May 5, and scheduled purposely to coincide with the Army celebration, frames June 14th not as a day to honor the military, but as a chance to “rise up” everywhere else and resist what they describe as authoritarianism.
Trump: Protestors who cause problems will be met with “very heavy force.”
Organizers insist the events are part of a peaceful, pro-democracy movement. But given past incidents involving affiliated groups, and the current state of affairs in Los Angeles, law enforcement and observers are likely to be on high alert. The No Kings protests are set to pile on top of whatever ongoing anti-ICE protests the left already has simmering across the country.
If any protesters decide to show up at the parade and cause problems, Trump says they will be met with “very heavy force.”
As Trump honors military service on Flag Day, Americans may see a divided nation: one side with patriotic marches and waving American flags, the other with protest signs and burning American flags. Whether this weekend brings patriotism or pandemonium may depend on which gatherings draws more attention – and how both sides choose to express their values.
