Around 1,000 people marched through Center City Wednesday night in protest after Donald Trump’s stunning presidential win.
Members of Socialist Alternative Philadelphia, 15 Now Philadelphia, 15 Now Temple University, Movement for the 99% and other local groups and residents gathered at Thomas Paine Plaza on 1401 JFK Boulevard around 7 p.m. They then marched down Broad Street before ending their rally at Broad and Cecil B. Moore on Temple University's campus.
Organizers said they were rallying because of “massive feelings of anger, unrest and disgust at the outcome of last night’s presidential election.” [[400668011, C]]
“Trump ran on a right populist platform propped up by racism, xenophobia, sexism, and anti-LGBTQ sentiments, but the Democratic Party clearly showed that it could not provide solutions for the problems facing the country,” an event organizer wrote. “This event calls for a united movement of the 99% to defeat the right and build real working class power. Joined together we can show that these racist, sexist, oppressive ideas have no place in our society.”
The organizers also heavily criticized Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party. Organizers said they believed Bernie Sanders, who lost in the Democratic primary to Clinton, could have “united voters on class interests, cutting across artificially created partisan ties,” if he was a presidential candidate.
“Clinton is part of the corporate-controlled establishment Trump spent his entire campaign railing against,” organizers wrote. “The rigged democratic primary was used to place Clinton as the Democratic Party’s candidate, alienated working class voters, and drove them ever further into the bigoted hands of Donald Trump.”
The event organizers said hatred for Clinton is what fueled Trump’s victory. [[400628631, C]]
“Trump succeeded because his criticism of Clinton and the Washington establishment resonates so strongly with large segments of the working class,” an organizer wrote. “But instead of rallying this energy against the ruling class leaders, Trump uses this power to divide the working class against itself. We need a true alternative. America needs working class politics now more than ever. United we can empower all of the beautiful communities and people that make this country great. Through class unity we will truly make America great.”
Philadelphia Police say the protest was peaceful. No arrests were made and no incidents occurred.
The protest was one of several that have occurred in cities across the country in the aftermath of Trump’s presidential victory, including Oakland and New York.
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