LAS VEGAS, NV — Hundreds of people marched up the Las Vegas Strip and gathered in Downtown Las Vegas on April 5th, carrying signs, chanting calls to stop President Donald Trump’s recent actions in the US government and cheering as passing cars honked in support.
The demonstrations in Las Vegas were part of the national “Hands Off!” protests that brought millions of people to the streets across the country to speak out against the Trump regime.
Protestors in Las Vegas bore many different messages, including calls for freedom of speech, women’s rights, racial equality, among many other causes.
But the attendees all united with one message: The people need to stop President Donald Trump, his regime, and his billionaire allies who benefit from the damage that they are reaping.
‘An awful lot of stuff is repeating here, and it’s frightening’
Many demonstrators made historical comparisons between the Trump regime and other governments throughout history, with a lot of demonstrators comparing Trump and his biggest donor-turned-political-appointee, Elon Musk, to the Nazis.
“I’m very concerned. I studied a lot of European history, especially the history of fascism in Spain, in Germany, in Italy. An awful lot of stuff is repeating here, and it’s frightening.” Barbara Hopkins said.
Hopkins was in Las Vegas on business but decided to join the protest regardless when she heard about it.
Christian, a 28-year-old who voted for Trump in 2016, also said the regime’s actions echo the fascists from 1930’s Europe.
Both Christian and Hopkins encourage people to study the history of totalitarian regimes like Nazi Germany to properly understand their concerns.
Kelly Hernandez was also worried about the Trump regime’s efforts to replay evils of history. But the focus of her concerns was the racial hardships that plagued her family history.
“So my grandparents were very much traumatized. They sat at the back of the bus, they couldn’t drink from certain water pumps, and I’ll be damned if I stand around and let us all go backwards,” Hernandez said. “It’s not just for myself, but it’s for everyone.”
‘These conditions are created by capitalism and created by the U.S. Empire’
Other protesters included Denise Michaels, who said she was protesting because American citizens’ rights are at risk due to the Trump regime.
Ron Burnette, a veteran who said he served for over 12 years in the US Navy. Burnette said that his main concern is veterans’ benefits, which have been diminishing due to Trump’s cuts to Veterans Affairs.
Organizers of the Youth Revolutionary Front said the common denominator is not just Trump or the oligarchs who back his regime, but the system of capitalism itself.
“I believe that has to do with everything. It’s not just about the tariffs. It’s not just about Trump. It’s about the US imperialist system in general,” Neza, an organizer for the Youth Revolutionary Front, said at the protest. “The reason we’re here is anti-capitalist. We believe that people who are here are also for anti-capitalism, whether they know it or not. But we have to accept that these conditions are created by capitalism and created by the U.S. Empire.”
King, a 36-year-old street performer on the Las Vegas Strip, echoed that the primary struggle in the US is one of the rich ruling class vs the rest of us in the poor and middle class.
“Our voice has to be heard,” King said after performing to his fellow protestors. “Nobody’s going to change this thing for us, bro. We have to use our amendment one right, exercise our freedom of speech, exercise our freedom of thought and liberty to make change in this country.”
