WATCH: Anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ Protesters Chanting ’86-47′ Flood Streets Around White House
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Scores of demonstrators marched through downtown Washington, DC, on Saturday, chanting anti-Trump slogans and carrying signs that read “No Kings” and “86-47,” just hours before former President Donald Trump’s planned military-style parade.
The protest was part of a nationwide “No Kings” demonstration aimed at denouncing what organizers have declared authoritarian policies by Trump. According to organizers, coordinated events took place in thousands of communities across the country.
Crowds gathered near the White House, in Lafayette Square, and along Pennsylvania Avenue, waving banners and chanting calls to “protect democracy,” “defend immigrants,” and “86-47.”
The phrase “86” is a slang term meaning to remove or eliminate, with “47” referring to Trump’s presidential number. Some have interpreted it as a veiled threat.
Videos posted on X showed demonstrators in black T-shirts shouting “Trump must go now!” and holding signs:
Some claimed Trump is “facilitating a violent ethnic cleansing in Palestine.”
The protests coincided with heightened security across the capital as Trump supporters gathered separately to celebrate Trump’s birthday parade – a day he shares with the US Army.
Former FBI Director James Comey sparked controversy last month after posting a photo of an “86-47” arrangement of seashells at a beach on social media.
Comey later claimed he stumbled upon them and had no idea what they meant.
