The realization that Donald Trump will (most likely) be the Republican candidate for President has sparked two distinct movements across the country. Trump has run on a platform of hate, divisiveness and fear. His rallies encourage hate speech, fear mongering and bullying of any and all who question him. He calls out protesters in the audience, ridicules them as they are being escorted out and has offered to pay legal bills of the supporters who assault protesters in the name of Trump. He has even started requesting that his supporters take a pledge, right arm extended, Heil Hitler style. Fantastic!
One horrifying result of his rise to fame in the GOP is the feeling that those who had previously hidden their hate of other races and religions now have a face for their bigotry. Their racism and xenophobia has been legitimized. They can come out of the shadows and join with other racists at rallies where the N-word and racist slang is screamed with impunity at anyone with a touch of melanin in their skin or a turban on their head. This group is growing, terrifyingly and publicly, and very little has been done to stop them.
Another group that has come out is the outspoken protesters. This group is a collective of people who actively fight hate and racism, welcome unity and equality. Some Black Lives Matters activists have been targeted, but in reality the Anti-Trump collective is so much more. Main stream media has not covered their protests very much, so journalists and protesters themselves have taken to capturing short videos and self publishing so that the public can see what they are seeing on the ground.
There was a large Anti-Trump rally this past Saturday in New York City's Columbus Circle. A video was uploaded by Luke Rudkowski of WeAreChange that shows police attempting to secure the protesters behind barricades. Chants of "F*ck Trump” can be heard in the background. Eventually, the police had to resort to using pepper spray to calm the group of protesters.
Note: This video contains excessive profanity and is not safe for work or for young ears.
