'No Kings Rally': Trump protests planned for Berlin and Hamburg
Cities across the United States, are expected to see thousands of protests on Saturday as part of a broad action collectively titled the "No Kings Day of Defiance".
The movement has also reached across the Atlantic, with at least two related protests to take place in Germany in Hamburg and Berlin.
The demonstration in Berlin is due to take place in the Tiergarten (behind the US Embassy) on the corner of Ebertstraße / Behrenstraße from 2 pm.
In Hamburg, protestors will gather outside the Körber Stiftung on Kehrwieder at 3 pm before marching to the US consulate.
More than 1,800 rallies across North America and Europe will be part of the "No Kings" action on Saturday, according to media reports.
The rallies, on June 14th, are set to coincide with Flag Day in the US, which also marks the 250th birthday of the US Army.
The date is also marks President Trump's 79th birthday, and he has organised a massive, and unprecedented, military parade in Washington D.C. for the occasion.
What are the protests about?
The "No Kings" movement can be seen as a direct reaction to the Trump administration. The US President has previously
referred to himself as a king
in posts on his social media platform.
On the "No Kings"
website
, organisers of the movement write, "In America, we don't do kings."
They also accuse the Trump administration of defying the courts, deporting Americans, disappearing people off of streets, attacking civil rights and slashing services.
Screenshot of a map of 'No Kings' rallies on Saturday. Image from NOKINGS.ORG
The Trump administration and Germany
Under Trump's leadership, US officials have made a number of decisions that have put a strain on relations between the US and Germany.
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Among them: an announcement by the US state department that it
planned to close consulates
in Düsseldorf, Leipzig, and Hamburg, provocations by US politicians who have
accused Germany of censorship
and depending too greatly on the US army, and, of course,
Trump's tariffs
.
READ ALSO:
Will German consumers join the growing boycott of US-made goods?
Anyone planning to visit the German capital on Saturday afternoon should be prepared for crowds.
In addition to the "No Kings" rally, competing pro-Palestine and pro-Israel demonstrations have been organised simultaneously on nearby Strasse des 17. Juni.
With reporting by Paul Krantz.
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