“No Ban, No Wall, New York is For All” – Protesters Take to Washington Square Park

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WSP last night
WSP last night

Last night, thousands of people gathered amidst Washington Square Parks Fountain Plaza with the majestic Arch as backdrop at an emergency protest called by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and joined by members of the New York City Council and other city officials calling for “No ban! No Wall, New York is for All!” The rally came about after President Trump signed two executive orders putting “sanctuary cities” like New York City at risk as well as immigrants and others living in the United States. The rally was live streamed by Al Jazeera’s AJ+ and The New York Times.

From The New York Post, Hundreds gather for ‘emergency’ anti-Trump protest:

Hundreds of New Yorkers rallied in Washington Square Park on Wednesday night to protest against President Trump and the two executive orders he signed earlier in the day.

“No ban! No wall! This is our New York!” the crowd chanted, just hours after Trump ordered the building of his signature Mexican border wall and removal of funds from “sanctuary cities” like the Big Apple.

“Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are here to stay!” they shouted. “No hate! No fear! Immigrants are welcome here!”

The “emergency” protest — quickly organized by the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) — lasted less than 3 hours and appeared to remain peaceful the entire time. City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and city Comptroller Scott Stringer attended the demonstration, along with several other city officials.

“Are we going to go back? Hell, no!” fumed Mark-Viverito, a Puerto Rico native.

“[Trump] continues to scapegoat all of us, and we’re pushing back on all of that and we need to continue to channel this energy in a positive way,” she said. “He is highly insecure — tweeting about the size of his hands, visibly angry because of all the millions of people that came out to reject him. Someone like him can be a lethal combination. We need to reject this man who lost the popular vote by more than 10 million votes. Let’s continue to defy this administration.”

On Wednesday morning, after months and months of vowing to build a wall on the southern border, Trump signed the executive order calling for federal funds to be directed to its construction.

“A nation without borders is not a nation,” the president said. “We are going to restore the rule of law in the United States. Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders.”

Al Jazeera’s AJ+ live streamed the rally.

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Other coverage:

‘Sanctuary City’ Mayors Vow to Defy Trump’s Immigration Order New York Times

Protesters Decry Trump Immigration Orders at Washington Square Park Rally DNAinfo

Washington Square Park Rally: 1000s Protest Trump’s Anti-Immigrant, Anti-Refugee Orders Patch

Top photo: Christopher Lee/The New York Times
Second photo: Getty Images
Bottom photo: Hilary Farr News via Twitter

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