Originally reported: Carrie Shepherd | https://www.axios.com/
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Photo rights: Protestors march during a “No Kings Day” demonstration on June 14 in downtown Los Angeles. Photo: Jay L Clendenin/Getty Images
Organizers of last weekend’s “No Kings” protests are celebrating the event as the one of the largest mass demonstrations in U.S. history, and already have another rally on the books.
Why it matters: Building off the success of Saturday’s rallies, Transformative Justice Coalition announced Monday the next protests are planned for July 17 in honor of Civil Rights activist and lawmaker John Lewis who died on that date in 2020.
- The June 14 protests were scheduled to counter President Trump’s military parade in Washington, D.C., as a public rebuke to what organizers say is Trump’s authoritarian policies.
By the numbers: More than 2,100 No Kings events took place across 20 countries on Saturday, according to Ezra Levin from Indivisible.
- Levin added that about 5 million people participated across the globe.
What they’re saying: “We’re going to center three things,” Transformative Justice Coalition’s Barbara Arnwine said about the upcoming July 17 protests.
- “We’re going to center racial justice, because this country will never be right until it’s racially just … we’re going to center voting rights for all, because voter suppression has no, no right to be in this country. We’re going to talk about our continued and united fight for a just, inclusive and strong democracy that is our goal, that is our obligation in these times.”
Zoom out: While Saturday’s protests were largely peaceful, they were not completely without incident.
- 39-year-old Arthur Folasa Ah Loo died after being shot at Salt Lake City’s No Kings protest.
- The host of Monday’s call, Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, shared a GoFundMe link to support Folasa Ah Loo’s family.
- Erbes said after speaking with local law enforcement they decided to move forward with the rally.
- “We realized very quickly that we had to honor Melissa and her husband,” Erbes said through tears. “We also didn’t want to give the murderer what he wanted, and that was to upset these events all over the country, and that if we canceled, we were we were giving in to him.”
- Erbes and Larson estimated about 80,000 showed up to Saturday’s protest.
What’s next: July 17 rallies are currently being planned across the country.