Hundreds arrested as rallies continue nationwide

Activists who are organizing a protest against Saturday’s U.S. military parade gathered in front of the White House on Thursday, calling on Americans to protest en masse.

The parade will mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and will coincide with Trump’s 79th birthday. In unprecedented fashion, it is expected to feature tanks and hundreds of other military vehicles and aircraft.

The group of advocates, Refuse Fascism, called on supporters to protest peacefully.

“By marching here, where the eyes of the world will be on Saturday, by standing up where the political battle lines have been drawn, by defying Trump’s illegal, unconstitutional, fascist threat of violence against us, we aim to give strength and courage to the decent people of this country, the tens of millions of people who did not vote for Donald Trump, who do not want the nightmare that he is bringing,” Sunsara Taylor, a spokesperson for the group, said.

Trump warned on Tuesday that protesters will be met with “very heavy force.”

When asked about Trump’s comments, Taylor said Saturday’s protest will be a “test.”

“The fact that we have to be having that conversation itself should make everybody recognize the stakes of standing up now before we lose these rights, before it is too late,” she said.

“Are we going to voluntarily give up our First Amendment right, or are we going to come out with whatever courage it takes and whatever sacrifice it may entail to stand up for the basic rights that should be guaranteed in this country and for the future of humanity against this fascist regime?” she added.

Taylor said she did not have an estimate of how many people were expected to gather for the rally.

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