Massive anti-Trump protest planned in New York City Thursday evening
Protesters are planning to demonstrate against Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in Manhattan on Thursday, and it could be yuuuge.
Organizers told Yahoo News they expect at least 10,000 people to show up for the protest. It is being held in front of the annual New York State Republican Party gala, where Trump and the other GOP primary candidates are scheduled to speak. The demonstration is being organized by many of the same groups that were involved in a protest against Trump in Chicago that drew thousands and led the candidate to cancel one of his planned appearances.
Political consultant Aaron Black, a veteran of the original Occupy Wall Street protest, told Yahoo News he is working with grassroots activists and over 30 progressive groups to organize the protest in Midtown Manhattan.
“It’s going to be way bigger than Chicago,” Black said.
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The protest will begin at approximately 5:30 p.m. in front of the black-tie fundraiser at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Manhattan where Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich are scheduled to speak. The event will start at around the same time as media will be arriving across the East River in Brooklyn at a debate between the Democratic presidential candidates.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump smiles as protesters hold up a sign during a campaign rally in Portland, Maine, on March 3. (Photo: Joel Page/Reuters)
Black said the protest initially began on a Facebook page where over 1,000 people indicated they plan to attend. It spread to other social media pages and now has the backing of a variety of progressive organizations.
The demonstration is also expected to include a substantial labor contingent. Prior to the protest, several unions will be holding strikes and a rally of their own calling for a $15 minimum wage. Black said many of the union workers will be heading to the Trump protest following their rallies.
According to Black, the protest will be focused on declaring that “Trump doesn’t speak for New York.” He said there will be thousands of people carrying signs based on the “I Love New York” logo that instead declare love for various minority groups, including Muslims, immigrants, refugees, African-Americans, gays and Jews.
Correction: An earlier version of this story linked to an article published by the Washington Examiner that claimed MoveOn was among the organizations sponsoring the protest. The Examiner article was incorrect and the reference to it was removed from this story.
