The biggest protests since US President Donald Trump began his second term are currently taking place in Los Angeles. For days, people in the city and its suburbs have been demonstrating against Trump's hard-line immigration policy and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Though most of the protesters are peaceful, Trump has sent in the National Guard and almost 700 Marines to the city in southern California.

On Saturday, demonstrations are expected to take place across the US. They too will slam Trump's large-scale deportation campaigns, but these will not be the main focus. The motto of the protests is: "No thrones. No crowns. No kings." They are planned in each of the US' 50 states, including Alaska and the island of Hawaii. The organizers expect almost 2,000 people in total. 

What are the 'No Kings' protests about?

As a result of Trump's decision to deploy the military against demonstrators in LA, Saturday's upcoming protests have drawn more attention. But the "No Kings" protests are supposed to be more generally against the Trump administration and not only its migration policies.

"They've defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services," is what the "No Kings" website says.

A grassroots organization called 50501 — 50 states, 50 protests, one movement — is orchestrating the protests. 

Though Trump's supporters see him as a strong president who will bring order to the US, for example by making the country more efficient by making cuts in government organizations or cracking down on undesirable immigrants, his opponents see the way that his administration tries to circumvent the courts and Congress as a threat to the democratic pillars of the US.

Counterbalancing Trump's military parade

It is not by chance that the "No Kings” protests are taking place on Saturday, June 14. That is the day that Trump is organizing a military parade in the US capital to mark the 250th anniversary of the US Army. It is also Trump's 79th birthday, though officially this is merely a coincidence.

The different eras and conflicts of US history will feature in the parade, from the Revolutionary War, to the two world wars of the 20th century, to the Vietnam War. Soldiers wearing corresponding uniforms will take part alongside members of the same unit wearing modern uniforms. Various tanks, planes and helicopters from different eras will also be displayed during the parade.

"We will celebrate a spectacular military parade in Washington, D.C., like no other," Trump has told the media, adding that the event will be "better and bigger than any parade we've ever had in this country." 

Last major parade after Gulf War in 1991

The last military parade to take place in Washington D.C. was on June 8, 1991. President George H. W. Bush organized it to celebrate the successful conclusion of Operation Desert Storm and the end of the First Gulf War.

Trump had wanted to organize a major military parade in the US capital during his first term (2017 – 2021) but the project was rejected on grounds of the high costs and the expected damage that would be caused to the roads by the heavy military vehicles.

This year's parade has met with less resistance, perhaps because the 250th anniversary of the US Army is deemed a grand occasion. Its estimated cost is $45 million (ca. €39 million), which includes $16 million to repair the roads.

The "No Kings" protests are planned all over the US, but not in the immediate vicinity of the military parade. Trump has said that counterdemonstrations will not be tolerated: "For those who want to protest, they're going to be met with very big force."

Though it is a security issue, too, the organizers of the "No Kings" protests say that they do not want the focus to be solely on Washington on Saturday. "Real power isn't staged in Washington. It rises up everywhere else," they say on their website.

Instead of the day being about Trump's birthday and his military parade, they want it to be about the rest of the US and their protests.

This article was originally written in German.