Analysis: Anti-Donald Trump protests are nothing new in the US, but yesterday's nationwide 'No Kings' protest seemed different, writes 1News US Correspondent Logan Church.
Walking in the crowd a few blocks down from the US Capitol in Washington DC, it struck me.
There were people in inflatable costumes everywhere.
At first glance, it’s hilarious — I mean, how could anyway take these adult protestors seriously dressed up as unicorns and dinosaurs and animated characters?
But if you start talking to any of them, it’s not funny at all.
The nationwide protests came amid a federal government shutdown, and troops being deployed in cities as part of an immigration crackdown. (Source: 1News)
In fact it all stems back from a moment caught on camera in Portland, Oregon, earlier this month, where a relatively small and peaceful group of protestors were confronted with what looked like a small army worth of police and armed federal agents outside a local ICE facility.
It comes as the US President continues to target American cities — which usually lean democrat that he says are ridden with crime.
"We've launched a historic campaign to take back our nation from the gangs and the street criminals, violent repeat offenders, illegal alien lawbreakers, domestic extremists and savage, bloodthirsty cartels," the president said in the White House on October 9.
That camera moment though — which has gone viral since — was of a protestor, dressed in an inflatable frog costume, being pepper sprayed through the air vent, by law enforcement.
Take a look:
A protest symbol was born.
"The optics are that Portland is on fire and they have all these criminals - but really they are just a bunch of hippies that like to have fun," said Dominique Concepcion, one such 'frog' protestor I spoke to on the streets of Washington DC.
She said the 'Portland frog' had started a movement.
"It's really just for the optics of you know you see the big military people and you see people inflatables, and the look of it is ridiculous," she said.
I then explained my accent and where I was from (a quite regular conversation I have in the US).
"Everybody in the world send help!” said Concepcion.
"It's really that'll because we're are on the cusp of breaking down our constitution — there are already constitutional rights that have been infringed upon and there are talks about going against judges,” she said.
"Martin Luther King said 'you fight the problem, not the people'. And Trump is really fighting the people and not the problem — and that's a problem."
Not far away, Joey was wearing an inflatable shark costume.
"If there's one thing about Washingtonians is that if there is a crowd, we love being there — I had FOMO (fear of missing out) and didn't want to miss out."
"Someone said that ANTIFA are looting and rioting, but if you've ever worn one of these, you know that you don't move very fast," he said.
Joey was particularly concerned about the crackdown on vulnerable communities by heavily armed — and masked — law enforcement.
"The national guard, the way they have been getting rid of our migrant friends and even our homeless population — it’s something that’s just unprecedented. It shouldn't be happening anywhere in the world, let alone America."
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