Hundreds of people braved rainfall in Daley Plaza on Tuesday afternoon for a pro-democracy rally and march, chanting, “Trump isn’t America, we are America” in one of several planned protests ahead of President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night.
Many people held signs at the protest that read “Power to the people,” “Save the civil service” and “It’s so bad even the introverts are here.” Some people also held Ukrainian flags to show support for Ukraine the day after Trump announced he would halt military aid to the country following a tense meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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“When I see each one of you standing here today in this cold, rainy weather, my hope goes just beyond work,” Litcy Kurisinkal, co-president of Illinois Democratic Women of Cook County, said to the crowd. “My dear friends, when you stand here, you are the defenders of democracy. We are the warriors.”
Organizers led the crowd in songs at various points in the rally, singing everything from the national anthem to an American version of the anti-fascist song “Bella Ciao,” which was sung for the Italian resistance movement during World War II.
“We the people, the U.S. people, we are one, we are one, one, one,” the crowd sang.
“The foundation of our government is being tested by those who seek to concentrate power in the hands of the gluttonous few instead of the will of the many,” said Maggie O’Keefe, a community organizer and voting rights activist. “I ask you today: Will you stand by and watch as executive power expand unchecked?’”
“No!” the crowd of protesters roared back.
Protesters also gathered in Connecticut, Utah and Alabama, according to organizers. The nationwide protests, named the March 4th for Democracy protests, were organized by the national 50501 Movement, a grassroots movement dedicated to pushing back against the actions of the second Trump administration.
The first protests held by the 50501 Movement took place across the nation on Feb. 5. Shortly thereafter, the organization held a “No Kings on Presidents Day” protest on Feb. 17.
Since taking office, Trump has taken numerous sweeping actions that have challenged constitutional and federal law, including signing an executive order to end birthright citizenship, freezing trillions of dollars on federal spending, firing National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox and 18 inspector generals from various federal agencies, among other actions.
Protesters also condemned the firing of hundreds of federal workers across agencies by the Department of Government Efficiency, including firings at the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Veteran Affairs and the Department of Health and Human Services.
“He’s stomping all over Congress. He’s stomping all over the judiciary. He’s stomping all over immigrant rights. He’s stomping all over union rights, environmental protection, international rights, Constitution, the rule of law, parliamentarism — you name it,” Paul Street, an activist and historian who has taught at DePaul University.
Following the rally, protesters marched through downtown, chanting, “In the name of humanity, we refuse a fascist America” and “We say humanity first, Trump says America first.”
