Hundreds of Washington, D.C. residents gathered in Dupont Circle on Saturday to protest the President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of local policing, marching 1.5 miles to the White House behind banners reading “No fascist takeover of D.C.” and “No military occupation.”

The protest was organized by Refuse Fascism, a nationwide coalition of people from many different backgrounds and perspectives to mobilize nonviolent mass resistance against the Trump administration.

Why It Matters

Trump’s intervention represents an unprecedented federal overreach into local governance of the District of Columbia, using emergency powers to justify what city officials and protesters view as a political power play.

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A White House spokesperson told Newsweek on Saturday: “As part of President Trump’s ongoing effort to make DC safe and beautiful, additional National Guard troops will be called in to Washington DC — the National Guard’s role has not changed. The National Guard will protect federal assets, create a safe environment for law enforcement officials to carry out their duties when required, and provide a visible presence to deter crime.”

Refuse Fascism statement reads in part: “Fascism is not a looming threat. It is upon us now. Humanity’s only hope is for the decent people of this country to rise in our millions. We cannot wait for future and rigged elections. We must drive the Trump Fascist Regime from power. Beginning November 5, the one-year anniversary of Trump’s election, flood DC in nonviolent protest. Surround the White House. Surround the Capitol. Surround the illegitimate fascist-packed Supreme Court. Come back again and again. Across the country, refuse to comply. Every person of conscience, millions of us together, grind the machinery of the fascist regime to a halt. Don’t stop until Trump is removed.”

“The Trump Fascist Regime is illegitimate. What it is demanding we become is unconscionable. At every level of society, in every institution, tens of millions of us know this in our bones. If we dare, we can defeat a horror that threatens humanity’s very survival. If we fail to even try, future generations — if they exist — will never forgive us.”

Source: Adeola Adeosun, newsweek.com/dc-residents-protest-trumps-federal-police-takeover-plan-2114563