CHARLOTTE — Hundreds of people gathered in Uptown Saturday, all part of a much larger movement happening across the county.
“No ICE, no wars, no kings,” one demonstrator said.
From First Ward Park out into the streets of Uptown, protestors marched, chanted, and made their voices heard.
“I’m really scared of the direction the county is going in,” protestor Michael Wald said.
This is one of more than a dozen rallies held across the Charlotte area. Thousands are also happening in cities nationwide.
“I’m afraid of authoritarianism,” said Wald. “I’m seeing a lot of corruption and a lot of people who are seizing power and taking things in a direction that aren’t for the good of regular people.”
Deputy Director of Indivisible Charlotte Ava Williamson says these protests are meant to push back against the Trump administration, including immigration and foreign policies and concerns about executive power.
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“I’m standing up for my neighbor, I’m standing up for people that I know and work and live with everyday and together we can fight this,” Williamson said.
For many at the protest, their reason for showing up is personal.
“Democracy is still alive in our country,” demonstrator Don Barrier said. “People still have a right to speak. There is a chance that maybe we can make something good out of this.”
“I hope that it energizes people to get out in the midterms to try and stir things in a much better direction,” said Wald.
Organizers say the goal is to keep people engaged on issues impacting their communities.
“This is bigger than politics. This is about the future of our country, our families, the kids, our communities,” Williamson said. “It doesn’t matter what you’re upset about and what you want to see change. Showing up, we can complete this together.”
This marks the third round of protests since President Trump returned to office.
In Charlotte, organizers say Saturday’s rallies were peaceful.
GOP officials dismissive of protests
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson called them the product of “leftist funding networks” with little real public support.
The “only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them,” Jackson said in a statement.
The National Republican Congressional Committee was also sharply critical.
“These Hate America Rallies are where the far-left’s most violent, deranged fantasies get a microphone,” spokesperson Maureen O’Toole said.
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