US protesters mark May Day with hundreds of anti-Trump rallies

WASHINGTON: Demonstrators across the United States gathered on Thursday for May Day rallies against Donald Trump, protesting his administration´s policies and attempts to push the limits of presidential power.

The protests are being organised by a network of left-leaning activist groups, which say the rallies will take place in more than 1,000 locations. High-profile demonstrations have been planned in major US cities such as Chicago, New York and Seattle, as well as in numerous smaller towns. Anti-Trump themes were also visible at May Day rallies across the globe, from France to the Philippines.

In Washington, where an entire day of marches is scheduled, some protesters set up large tents on the National Mall in the morning, calling for the Republican leader´s impeachment.

To date, there has been little effective response from Democratic elected officials against Trump´s far-reaching shake-up, and minimal mass mobilization by opposition protesters.

Elected Democrats “are falling down on the job, and they´re not doing what´s necessary to be done,” Peter, a retiree who did not want to give his full name, told AFP.

May Day, which is celebrated in many countries as International Workers Day, is not a public holiday in the United States, which celebrates its Labor Day in September.

The chief organiser of Thursday´s protests was the group 50501 -- whose name is meant to represent 50 protests in 50 states and one movement -- which has been behind previous calls to demonstrate. A rally in Philadelphia organized by the AFL-CIO, America´s largest union federation, will be headlined by leftist Senator Bernie Sanders, who has been touring the country for weeks to mobilize opposition.

The demonstration, titled “For the Workers, Not the Billionaires,” refers to the exceedingly wealthy individuals who are part of Trump´s administration, including Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk, who heads the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” cost-cutting effort.