Protestas contra el presidente

Aviones militares cerca del Monumento a Washington, en una celebración en la capital de EE.UU. Foto: AP

Una protesta contra Donald Trump en Los Angeles, este sábado. Foto: EFE

Ataques armados contra legisladores

Thousands converged on downtown Alexandria, Virginia, to protest President Donald Trump and the parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, while security kept things under wraps across the river in the District of Columbia ahead of the parade.

The loosely constructed «No Kings» movement, notably supported by Walmart heiress Chrissy Walton, planned to hold dozens of protests across the country. And, so far, the protest just out of sight of the White House appeared to be generating a lot of interest.

Reports of crowds from 1,000 to 5,000 people, assembled in Market Square in Alexandria, Virginia, to protest the idea that Trump would hold a military parade on what is also his 79th birthday, according to X accounts.

Independent Women’s Forum official Julie Gunlock shared an accounting of events Saturday, posting a collage on X that featured people waving signs that said «I like my ICE crushed,» «King of Farts» and «Happy Obama Appreciation Day.»

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY’S ‘NO KINGS’ ANTI-TRUMP RALLIES ACROSS THE US

Another X snippet showed a growing crowd in Market Square as the closing bars of the «Star-Spangled Banner» played from a boombox. One protester noted that Alexandria, Virginia, is where Vice President JD Vance’s recent private residence was. 

With US Highway 1 divided into the major north-south streets «Patrick» and «Henry» through downtown and its history as the closest city to George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, references made online described how Alexandria was a fitting place to oppose a supposed king.

GOVERNORS WARN ANTI-TRUMP ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTERS AGAINST BECOMING VIOLENT: ‘YOU’RE GOING TO GET ARRESTED’

Accounts described the crowd as largely «elderly» while others contended there were attendees of all ages.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin warned potential troublemakers statewide Friday he had «integrated» the Virginia National Guard with the Virginia State Police to protect life, property and egress on the Commonwealth’s roadways.

«We cannot allow people to put people’s lives in jeopardy by disrupting traffic or anything along those lines,» Youngkin told reporters.

«And so, if you break the law, you’re going to get arrested,» he said. «I will protect everybody’s constitutional right, but if you break the law, you’re going to get arrested.»

Protests also cropped up Saturday afternoon in Hampton Roads, Virginia, as Trump’s parade took shape just across the Potomac River from another counterprotest scheduled in the wealthy liberal enclave of Falls Church, Virginia. 

The co-organizer of the Norfolk, Virginia, «No Kings» protest said of Trump, «This is not his kingdom. We are not his subjects,» in comments to The Virginian-Pilot.

«This isn’t about politics. This is about honor,» another demonstrator told the paper.

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In Washington, thousands also converged ahead of the parade, wearing patriotic or pro-Trump gear and MAGA hats.

Paradegoers who spoke to Fox News Digital overwhelmingly reported that they did not expect violence in Washington Saturday, citing the tight security.

«There’s security everywhere,» one paradegoer said. «I would say, you know, it’s a big event with everything that’s been going on.

«I haven’t seen many protesters, but I’ve seen a couple of signs.»

Another attendee in Washington said the event felt «family-oriented» and safe.

Security Saturday included the Secret Service, police officers and military members stationed along entry checkpoints and walking among the throngs of paradegoers. Trump’s parade kicked off early, just before 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, with law enforcement vetting people attending with metal detectors and pat-downs. 

Streets surrounding historic spots near the parade route, like the White House and Washington Monument, were shut down and barricaded to bolster safety.

Fox News Digital spotted a handful of protesters carrying signs denouncing Trump as a dictator and Black Lives Matter signs and other messages calling for equality, but crowds surrounding the entry points for the parade were primarily comprised of Trump supporters, veterans, families and others who came out for the patriotic parade.

Officials from Walmart reportedly said advertisements from Walton are «in no way connected to or endorsed by Walmart.»

Just hours following Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military facilities, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a direct appeal to the Iranian people and said: «This is your opportunity to stand up [to the regime].»

The regime’s standing not only with the international community, amid its vast support of state-sponsored terrorism, which has impacted neighboring nations from Syria and Yemen to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, coupled with years of internal unrest, could mean regime change is on the horizon.

«We are in the midst of one of the greatest military operations in history,» Netanyahu said Friday. «The Islamic regime, which has oppressed you for almost 50 years, threatens to destroy our country.»

ISRAEL’S ACTIONS AGAINST IRAN CREATE STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITY FOR US IN NUCLEAR TALKS, EXPERTS SAY

The Israeli leader said Jerusalem’s goal in hitting Iran’s top military targets is to thwart the nuclear and missile threats that Iran poses towards the Jewish nation, which he argued weakens the regime and poses a unique opportunity for dissidents within. 

Minority groups make up some 50% of the Iranian population, and some Iranian specialists have argued that if the minority groups, which are frequent targets of oppression in Iran, were to unite against the regime, they could play a critical role in toppling the regime.

Iran has faced increasing opposition since the death of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman, who in September 2022 was arrested by Iran’s morality police and later died in a hospital due to her injuries.

In this photo taken by an individual not employed by the Associated Press and obtained by the AP outside Iran, Iranians protests the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by the morality police, in Tehran, Oct. 1, 2022.  (The Associated Press)

ISRAEL STRIKES AT THE HEART OF IRAN’S NUCLEAR AMBITIONS IN ISFAHAN OFFENSIVE

Amini’s death sparked mass protests across the country, which Iran brutally clapped back at and continues to execute those arrested during the demonstrations. 

Fox News Digital was told by Yigal Carmon, President of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), that members of the Ahwazis, a minority group in south-western Iran, which make up 6-8% of the population, have already been arrested by the regime amid its fears another internal rebellion could brew alongside war with Israel.

It is unclear if any demonstrations have yet begun or if their arrests were pre-emptively carried out. 

«A regime change will be supported by many,» Carmon said. «The fact is that only the minorities can bring a regime change because they are militarily organized.»

«A coalition of non-Persian ethnic groups could topple the regime in a few months,» he said. «Unlike the Persian anti-regime population, the non-Persian anti-regime population is militarily organized.»

People light a fire during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic Republic’s «morality police», in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 21, 2022. (West Asia News Agency)

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Other minority groups, like the Kurds, who make up 10%-15% of Iran’s population and who live primarily in the northwestern border areas near Iraq and Turkey, as well as the Baloch people, who encompass another 5% of the population and live along Iran’s southeast border with Pakistan, also have a long history of opposing the regime, though they have also suffered brutal consequences. 

«It has never been weaker. This is your opportunity to stand up and let your voices be heard. Woman, Life, Freedom Zan, Zendegi, Azadi,» Netanyahu said.  «As I said yesterday and many times before, Israel’s fight is not against the Iranian people. 

«Our fight is against the murderous Islamic regime that oppresses and impoverishes you,» he added.