About a thousand people staged violent demonstrations against Donald Trump and his party in the streets outside as the Republican National Convention opened in Milwaukee on Monday.
The Republican National Committee parade gathered in a park a few blocks from the Fiserv Forum, where Trump was officially nominated as the Republican presidential nominee.
Armed with pro-Palestinian flags, anti-Trump posters and even a ventriloquist puppet of Trump, a coalition of progressive groups marched through downtown Milwaukee, blocking traffic and chanting “Free Palestine” as they walked.
The group has begun holding rallies at Red Arrow Park, with RNC March Alliance co-chair Omar Flores among the speakers.
“Today’s mission is to tell Republicans that they are not welcome in our cities, they are not welcome anywhere, everywhere, and we will demonstrate our opposition to their ideas,” Flores told the Guardian.
Flores, who led a similar march at the 2020 Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, said demonstrations can achieve real results.
“It means we’re able to address some of the issues that we’ve been hoping to bring national attention to. At the DNC, we have a dozen families who have lost loved ones to police crimes, and we’re able to publish their names and we’re able to provide them with what they need. Help,” he said.
On a sweltering day in Milwaukee, with many attendees sheltering from the sun under trees and overhangs, speakers discussed U.S. aid to Palestine, access to abortion and the importance of labor unions.
“Basically, the whole Republican platform this year is they want to increase border restrictions, they want to deport immigrants, they attack LGBTQ rights, they stand with Israel, but we don’t support any of that. That’s why we’re marching today, said student Emily Chu, 22, who took the bus from Minneapolis.
Sasmit Rahman, who traveled to Milwaukee with Chu, said:
“Republicans know their policies are unpopular. You can see it visibly: They’ve been withdrawing their overt anti-abortion sentiments because they know abortion is unpopular. That doesn’t change the fact that they’re still going to implement it, But they fear how people will react when they implement unpopular policies.
As the marchers made their way about a mile through the city, they were followed by a small group of police officers with police boats stationed on the Milwaukee River. Despite hopes that the rally would draw attention to some of the Republican Party’s most objectionable policies, some in the crowd have come to terms with Trump’s victory in November.
At a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, almost no one talked about the assassination of Trump. But when asked, some believed the shooting that killed one rally attendee and wounded two others could have sealed a victory for Trump.
“I feel like it’s inevitable at this point,” said Neville, who asked that his last name not be used.
“As we saw in the debate, Biden is fading, he’s deteriorating. He’s saying all these incoherent things and, you know, he clearly has no chance in the debate – not that Trump was in the debate Well done; rather he was great in the debate – but then mixed in with what happened over the past few days. [with the assassination attempt on Trump]as if we already knew what was going to happen.
