I lived through the Civil Rights and Vietnam eras in the 1960-70s when hundreds of thousands of people protested racism and the war with marches and speeches. We came away thinking that our protests made an impact that encouraged a positive response to ending racial policies and the termination of this terrible war. I never dreamed we would see protests of the size and urgency we experienced then, but we did on April 5, 2025. People are angry, frightened, and traumatized by what has happened so quickly in the last two months. The hope is that these new protests send a strong message that will eventually impact the Government. The current Administration is causing chaos felt across the world.
According to PBS News, “More than 1,200 ‘Hands Off’ demonstrations were planned by more than 150 groups including civil rights organizations, labour unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and elections activists. The protest sites included the National Mall in Washington, DC, state capitols, and other locations in all 50 states.”
The media is inundated with photos taken showing the huge turnouts of millions of people even in places where the weather is still harsh with rains, wind and snow. Marches took place in Washington, D.C.; Boston; San Francisco, and New York City, but they also happened in small communities like Rutland, Montpelier, Burlington, Brattleboro, and Barton, Vermont. National headlines like the one from the Washington Post dated April 5, 2025 at 2:04 p.m. ET proclaimed, “Thousands rally in D.C. as Trump protesters gather across the U.S.”. CBS headline, “NYC protests held today as part of national ‘Hands Off!’ movement against Trump Administration actions.” and Vermont Digger, “Thousands of people protest Trump presidency at rallies around Vermont.
The PBS report continued, “Protesters assailed the Trump Administration’s moves to fire thousands of federal workers, close social security administration field offices, effectively shutter entire agencies, deport immigrants, scale back protections for transgender people and cut federal funding for health programmes.”
The immigrant population is being hit hard with hundreds of people being sent back to their country of origin. College and university students on alert out of fear that their visas will be reneged. The media have published stories of those that have been captured from campuses, detained and threatened with deportation because they shared their views publicly on controversial issues like the war in Gaza. Voices are being quashed in an undemocratic effort to silence opposition to the Government’s agenda.
Diversity, equity and inclusion policies have been abandoned forcefully across the nation and schools forbidden from promoting equality. Entire government departments that have supported the oneness of humanity are being defunded and shuttered.
The country is reeling from executive orders that are rocking the very fabric of our society, our economy and our sense of self-respect.
Countries across the globe are paying attention and rebelling against the drastic threats and real consequences of outbursts coming from leadership. Of immediate impact has been cuts to programmes like USAID and World Health Organization (WHO) that offer aid to people across the world. Reports are that a minimum of 20 projects have been closed.
The State Department has terminated at least 10,000 contracts or grants to non-governmental agencies that support people with life-saving activities across the globe, according to The International Rescue Committee. USAID cuts are already hitting countries around the world. The Associated Press confirmed that tens of millions of people who receive humanitarian aid in Africa, the Middle East, South America, the Caribbean and Asia are affected by the loss of funding. Nearly every continent in the world has been affected.
Unrealistic claims of power are affecting all of humanity with statements and actions that provoke fear. Will the United States attempt to take Greenland or Panama as threatened? Is it serious about making Canada a 51st state or renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of the United States as proposed? Will it continue to impose atrocious tariffs on countries that are competitive with the U.S. like China, Canada, and Mexico? The stock market already seems to indicate that these steps are already devastating to the U.S. economy.
Internal trauma is being caused as programmes that support the health and welfare of many citizens are being thwarted by cuts in services and employment. States with government officials who speak out against the new policies are being targeted more severally with cuts to vital programmes. Retaliation against these state leaders, entire communities, and individuals has been reported. These acts of retaliation no doubt contributed significantly to the eruption of vast protests that were highlighted on April 5 in a campaign to send the message, “Hands off”.
According to a post on Facebook from PBS, Kelley Robinson, the president of the Human Rights Campaign advocacy group who was at the Washington protest, spoke and said, “The attacks that we’re seeing, they’re not just political. They are personal…”
Lives are being disrupted. The consequences of current actions hit closer to home when I learn about people close to me who are losing their jobs or funding, when offices are being closed and services abruptly halted.
It seems that nowhere in the world are people unaffected by the new regime.
