(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Hundreds of protesters rallied at Manhattan‘s Washington Square Park around a mock cardboard black casket that symbolically contained “The American Presidency”.
The dates for the ‘birth and death’ of the presidency were printed on the casket as April 30, 1789, when George Washington was inaugurated as the country’s first president, and January 20, 2017, when Trump was sworn in.
Many protesters were dressed in black mourning clothes; some were dressed as historical U.S. presidents including Abraham Lincoln; others were dressed in black costumes representing a mourning Statue of Liberty and Lady Justice.
“We wanted to plan a funeral on (in) honor of Presidents’ Day. Every single one of these presidents you see passing before you, they all had problems. But nothing like what we’re seeing from this presidency or this administration,” said organizer Christina Chapman from the anti-Trump protest group Rise and Resist.
Activists led protesters in a series of mourning ‘hymnals’ sung to the tune of iconic songs such as “Somewhere Over the rainbow” and “Amazing Grace,” but with completely revised lyrics that denounced Trump and his administration.
“Somewhere over the rainbow, Kellyann — Steve and Don are in prison, preferably in Iran,” sang protesters, in reference to Trump and his key advisors, Kellyann Conway and Steve Bannon.
Protesters then led the casket around the park with jazz and marching band music much like traditional New Orleans funerals.
Since his Jan. 20 inauguration, Trump has faced a steady stream of protests and marches, highlighted by mass rallies focused on women’s rights that drew millions of people around the globe on the day after he was sworn in.
But on Friday, a second consecutive day of protests against Trump’s month-old administration appeared to lose momentum, with rallies in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York attracting small yet enthusiastic crowds.
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