Thousands of New Yorkers have taken to the streets to join the nationwide anti-Trump protests.
Chanting “Not my president!” and “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, Donald Trump has got to go, hey hey,” New Yorkers marched from Union Square, holding signs and dressed in American flags, to their final destination — the president-elect’s Trump Tower in Midtown. Many also shouted “F— Donald Trump!” and “F— the wall” as they headed toward Trump’s main residence and campaign headquarters in Manhattan.
Facebook events for demonstrations in both Union Square and Columbus Circle were posted on Wednesday morning, with the group Socialist Alternative NYC sharing the start time of the rally at 6 p.m. in Union Square and the anti-racism group Answer Coalition posting about Columbus Circle.
More than 10,000 Facebook users responded that they would attend.
By 7 p.m., the droves of protesters moved from the sidewalk and into the streets, causing a traffic jam at the busy 23rd Street intersection with Broadway and Fifth Avenue. The light rain didn’t deter the crowd, who grew louder and louder with their chants as they began to stop traffic. Bystanders stopped to film and take pictures of the protesters as they walked by. At the time, the protests appeared to be peaceful.
#NotMyPresident march moves from the sidewalks into the streets as thousands chant and march from Union Square up to Trump Tower in NYC pic.twitter.com/KfDTrbvE6K
— Jackie Strause (@jackiedstrause) November 10, 2016
“Build a movement to fight racism, sexism, and Islamophobia!” read the Socialist Alternative NYC Facebook invite, which listed the following issues: “No Border Wall! Stop the deportations of undocumented immigrants! – Black Lives Matter! Stop the Dakota Access Pipeline — Green Jobs now! — #NoDAPL. Fight sexism, rape culture, and all attacks on women! Tax the super rich like Trump! Fund healthcare for all! Make college free!”
The post continued, “The Democratic Party has proven they are incapable of stopping Trump. The Democratic Party has failed. This is the result of the Democratic Party leadership backing Hillary Clinton instead of Bernie Sanders. It is time to build a new party of the 99 percent.”
The page encouraged smaller protests to contact them so they could link up throughout their march.
Watch a live feed of the protest below.
Anti-Trump Protests In New York City
Anti-Trump protests are happening now in the streets of New York City.
Posted by BuzzFeed News on Wednesday, November 9, 2016
