Protesters in Washington D.C. joined the "Free America" walkout on Tuesday to rally against U.S. government policies, coinciding with the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's second term.
The Washington demonstration was part of more than 800 walkouts staged across the United States and in countries including Canada, France and Italy.
Organisers urged participants to leave work and school and avoid shopping, aiming to disrupt daily routines, draw attention online, and flood social media with images of the protest.
Many demonstrators voiced deep anxiety about the country's trajectory.
"I'm worried about the future of this country. I mean, we're on a path that is just unbelievable," said a protester.
"Utter disregard for the constitution. I mean, we don't even have a president. A president of the United States would abide by the U.S. Constitution," said another protester.
The protest focused on a wide range of grievances, specifically the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, the deployment of the National Guard to U.S. cities, and what demonstrators perceive as an erosion of constitutional rights.
On January 7, Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis during a federal enforcement operation.
"All immigration policy, the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis. I mean, I get a visceral feeling when I see stuff like that. And I just don't know how to respond. And this is one way that I can do. It may not have much of an effect, but at least I feel like I'm doing something," said a protester.
"Work and school can wait, but right now, we need to protect our America," said another protester.
Broader social demands, including a guaranteed living wage and universal health care, were also highlighted.
Organisers hope the walkouts will set the stage for what they call "Bigger Fights Ahead."
While the White House maintains it holds a mandate from voters to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, the tactical implementation of this policy is facing stiff resistance. Recent polling indicates that a majority of Americans now disapprove of the use of force by officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), particularly as operations increasingly impact mixed-status families and citizens.
It comes as President Trump prepares to face global leaders in Davos amid diplomatic feuds with NATO and Canada. However, his administration is confronting a deepening crisis on the home front
Detention centre deaths mount
Grassroots organisations, including Indivisible and local labour unions, have focused their ire on the conditions within the expanding network of holding facilities. Organisers highlighted the grim situation in El Paso, Texas, where federal authorities confirmed that three detainees have died in custody over the last six weeks.
The rallies attracted significant youth participation. University students in Cleveland, Ohio, mobilised under the banner "No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here," while high school students in Santa Fe, New Mexico, staged walkouts to attend a "Stop ICE Terror" rally at the state capitol.
Coast-to-coast mobilisation
Dissent spread westward throughout the day on Tuesday (20 January), with major actions planned for San Francisco and Seattle. These demonstrations are occurring against a backdrop of international isolation for the Trump administration.
As citizens marched in Los Angeles, the President was en route to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, leaving behind a nation divided by his threats to NATO and trade wars with neighbours, only to face a domestic populace increasingly willing to confront federal authority on the streets.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrai...
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the ...
Indonesian rescuers are searching for 130 people after a passenger ship carrying 243 people sank in the Java Sea following bad weather, while 113 p...
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad saying the strike originated from Iraq.
Mexico and the U.S. are racing to secure a trade deal before the U.S. midterm elections in less than eight weeks, according to six sources familiar with the talks, with failed negotiations between Washington and Canada adding urgency.
Dubai’s property market has spent years climbing. Now, for the first time since 2021, prices are moving in the opposite direction.
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), adding to concerns about energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline on Saturday.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrainian Railways said that the country's railways were facing systematic attacks for a second day and warned of widespread delays.
Indonesian rescuers are searching for 130 people after a passenger ship carrying 243 people sank in the Java Sea following bad weather, while 113 people have been evacuated and six have died, the country’s search and rescue agency said on Sunday.
China will lead the creation of an open source platform among BRICS members to promote cooperation on large language models, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday.
Swedes vote in an election on Sunday (13 September) that could see the far-right enter government for the first time if the country's right-wing parties can form a majority.
Philippine rescuers recovered 41 more charred remains from a ferry fire on Saturday (12 September), taking the death toll to 76, while 13 people remained unaccounted for as forensic teams worked to identify the victims.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment