10,000 stand up in New Orleans to say, ‘No Trump, no troops, no kings!’

New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, October 18, more than 10,000 people rallied on the Lafitte Greenway’s Great Lawn to protest Trump’s agenda. Saturday’s protest was one of 2700 actions planned for No Kings day across the United States.

The rally was one of New Orleans’ largest ever, with the people chanting “No kings, no Trump!” Indivisible also added the demand for “No troops” into the branding of the event, to fight back against Trump and Landry’s plan to send the National Guard to cities across Louisiana including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport and Alexandria.

Before the action, Indivisible organizers encouraged demonstrators to descend down to the Great Lawn from every direction, taking the Greenway as a chance to march in contingents and affiliate groups. Students for a Democratic Society chapters from Tulane and Loyola Universities led a student contingent of 30 people to the rally, carrying a banner that read, “Dare to struggle, dare to win!” A Palestine contingent stood together waving flags. Some contingents showed up in costume. A group of women showed up in hairnetted wigs and red aprons labeled “Aunt Tifa” and various inflatable costumes from frogs to crawfish littered the crowd.

Grassroots organizations tabled around the perimeter to get attendees involved in the broader movement.

Speakers included immigrant rights activists and ACLU representatives, in addition to cultural performances. Notably, among policing and attacks on democracy, Palestine was one of the issues in the forefront. Hakm Murad of the Palestinian Youth Movement challenged the crowd, saying the resistance against Donald Trump needs to stand in solidarity with people across the world oppressed by U.S. intervention.

“Palestine is a litmus test for all of us! Our enemy is not just one president, we need to take down the whole empire,” Murad said to applause.

As the program for the rally ended, many in the crowd wanted to keep the action going. Activists in the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) led chants and slowly exited the field, drawing a crowd of about 150 people back down the Greenway chanting, “Trump says get back, we say fight back!” and “Hands off Palestine, hands off Venezuela!”

The impromptu march landed under the North Claiborne bridge, where the architecture amplified the chants of the crowd and the speakers.

“Trump is a good-for-nothing billionaire that gets rich off of our exploitation. Being president is the most lucrative gig he’s had yet. Trump has no business running this country and no business telling us what the hell to do. We run this, not Trump,” declared Toni Mar, member of the FRSO.

“Because of the steadfast resistance of the Palestinian people and their supporters, the tide is turning against Israel, and more importantly against all U.S. imperialism,” stated Cristine Farah, member of New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP). Farah called on those who stuck around for the march to join NOSHIP’s campaign to kick Chevron, Israel’s number one supplier of fuel, out of sponsoring the New Orleans French Quarter Festival.

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