Protests occurred in Hartford, New Haven and many other towns across Connecticut as a counter to the president’s plans in D.C.
Opponents of President Donald Trump’s administration rallied in hundreds of cities during the military parade in Washington for the Army’s 250th anniversary — which coincides with Trump’s birthday.
The “No Kings” protests took place to counter what organizers say are Trump’s plans to feed his ego on what is also his 79th birthday and Flag Day.
Stream Connecticut News for free, 24/7, wherever you are.
Many people flocked to Hartford for a protest outside the state capitol building. It started around 11 a.m. and lasted several hours.
Get top local Connecticut stories delivered to you every morning with the News Headlines newsletter.
At one point, Capitol police estimated that nearly 10,000 people were protesting.
Another protest took place at the New Haven Green. Around 3,000 protesters were in attendance, police said.
Many protesters left the green and started marching in the streets before dissipating at 3 p.m.
Local
During the protest, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz asked for a moment of silence to honor a Minnesota state lawmaker and her spouse who were killed in a "politically motivated" shooting Saturday morning.
"In Washington, we have a leader, we have a leader who had chaos, he's created confusion and he's unleashed cruelty," Bysiewicz said.
Some Connecticut Republicans say Democrats are the ones acting like "kings." Sen. Rob Sampson took to Facebook to criticize their handling of COVID-19, as well as policies of gun control, immigration and a bloated bureaucracy.
He said, "If the 'No Kings' crowd truly believes in freedom, then join me in standing up to the real authoritarians - the ones writing mandates, silencing dissent and ruling by decree."
But protesters objected to a range of Trump's policies, including his budget proposal.
"Let me be clear, these attacks on immigrants are not just racist or xenophobic, they are anti-American," Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center, said.
"It's not right that the president is trying to cut all these funding with Medicaid, food stamps, Section 8," Georgina Fuentes, of Hartford, said.
Click here to see the full list of "No Kings" protests in Connecticut.
