While Saturday marked Pres. Donald Trump’s 79th birthday, Flag Day and the 250th birthday of the United States Army, it also marked a day of nationwide, left-wing protests against the duly-elected U.S. president.
In Washington, DC, Pres. Trump held a military parade celebrating the anniversary of the establishment of the U.S. Army by the Second Continental Congress in 1775, which would ultimately be mobilized to defend the new nation’s independence from a king.
Yet, to some the parade was worth protesting. An organization named No Kings, came forward and missed the mark with their claim that “On June 14—Flag Day—President Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday. A spectacle meant to look like strength.” The protesters came out to declare June 14th “No Kings Day,” in order to portray the president as a tyrant wielding unchecked power defying Congress and the courts.
No Kings claims a commitment to nonviolence. However, a number of the protests remained protests in name only, turning violent in several locations.
In Portland, Oregon, a dramatic turn of events led to protestors storming an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. The attack on the facility led to the injury of four officers after violent rioters began hurling fireworks, smoke grenades, and rocks, betraying the group’s nonviolent pledge.
Similarly in Los Angeles, Saturday’s No Kings protest featured protesters throwing rocks, bottles, and fireworks at officers, as well as at the officers’ horses. There were no reported injuries, but the continued chaos caused the local police department to declare the protest an unlawful assembly. A curfew was even put into place again that night to help calm the situation.
Tragically, during Salt Lake City’s No Kings protest, an innocent bystander was shot and killed by a man who was a part of the events peacekeeping team. The tragedy took place after several peacekeepers saw one man step out of the crowd, retrieve a rifle, and step into firing position.
The peacekeepers confronted the individual before he rushed into the crowd, leading to a peacekeeper to fire at the individual several times as he ran. One of the stray bullets fatally hit a bystander, prompting widespread chaos and disrupting the protest.
Aside from violence and tragedy, the No Kings protests also involved children in a number of ways inappropriate for their ages.
In Los Angeles, a child can be seen on video smashing a Trump-themed piñata to the cheer of a crowd. And in another instance, a young child grabbed a microphone and said “F--k Trump” - to which the crowd around him laughed and cheered.
Thus, the No Kings Day protests, though largely peaceful and presumably intended to resist perceived tyranny, often faltered by resorting to violence and vulgarity, sometimes involving children.