A nationwide walkout to protest the Trump Administration began on Tuesday afternoon.
Nearly 50,000 people were expected to participate in hundreds of protests across the country, according to the organizers. Dubbed the “Free America Walkout,” the protest is taking place on the anniversary of President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. The movement is protesting the actions Trump has taken since returning to office, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, National Guard deployments, and threats to transgender rights.
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“One year into Trump’s second regime, we face an escalating fascist threat,” the Free America website reads. “It is time for our communities to escalate as well. On January 20 at 2 PM local time, we will walk out of work, school, and commerce. We will withhold our labor, our participation, and our consent. A free America begins the moment we refuse to cooperate. This is not a request. This is a rupture. This is a protest and a promise. In the face of fascism, we will be ungovernable.”
The Women’s March, one of the organizing partners behind the walkout, shared a video on X of the protest beginning in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday afternoon, as well as photos of a similar demonstration in Brooklyn, New York, in which protesters can be seen holding “Free America” signs.
“This is what democracy looks like,” the Women’s March wrote on X. “This is what fighting fascism looks like.”
Walkouts are planned in cities including Raleigh, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Miami, and Atlanta, among many others.