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As Trump Takes Office Nationwide Protests Erupt

© REUTERS / Stephanie KeithA woman holds an anti-Trump sign during inauguration protests in New York City.
A woman holds an anti-Trump sign during inauguration protests in New York City. - Sputnik International
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Although all the world’s eyes are on the nation’s capital, Washington DC is not the only American city seeing large protests against the new president. Cities such as New York and San Francisco are seeing demonstrations against Donald Trump, although none have matched the violence and havoc of the DC marches.

The New York City protests were the biggest event in celebrity culture since the Golden Globes, with stars like Robert De Niro, Alec Baldwin, and Mark Ruffalo cooperating with city mayor Bill de Blasio, civil rights activist Al Sharpton, and documentarian Michael Moore, protesting what many have noted is the most unpopular incoming US president in history.

Other attending celebrities included Sally Field, Cher, and Marisa Tomei. The protest speeches ranged from comedic (Baldwin broke out his dead-on Saturday Night Live impression of Trump) to hopeful (Al Sharpton and Ruffalo called for unity and optimism) to grave (Michael Moore: "as bad as you think it's going to be, it's going to be worse".

​A handful of arrests were made in front of the NYC Trump Tower, as some protesters blocked traffic. The most high-profile of the arrests were two Democratic New York City Councillors Carlos Menchaca and Jumaane Williams.

Further New York protests are planned, primarily a Friday evening event organized by several far-left groups, including the Democratic Socialists of America, and a highly-anticipated NYC Women's March for Saturday morning.

In San Francisco, thousands of protesters chanted anti-Trump slogans. San Francisco, an acknowledged bastion of liberalism, saw organizations such as the Arab Resource and Organizing Center, the Chinese Progressive Association, and Bridges Academy (an elementary school) organizing marches and protests throughout the city. A group called Bridge Together Golden Gate organized some 2,000 people to link arms along the iconic structure.

"We have all watched in horror as Trump selects a cast of racists, anti-LGBT bigots, and climate change deniers for his cabinet of billionaires and generals," according to a statement from Stanford University for Community Action, who organized a student walk-out.

Uber, a transportation company whose CEO has joined Trump's economic advisory team, saw their building blockaded by protesters chanting "stop Trump, stop the hate, Uber don't collaborate." 

Police chased some protesters off, but others chained themselves to the building's front door. The use of the word "collaborate" in American politics is typically used to invoke local residents who aided Nazi invaders in committing atrocities during World War II.

Protests are planned for nearly every major city in the United States, as well as abroad. For the most part, they have remained peaceful, with few arrests, although unidentified assailants attempted to destroy a Boston police car with a propane tank, according to the Boston PD.

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