Hordes of anti-Trump protesters from various groups marched Friday afternoon in front of the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Waikiki to express their opposition to Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.
“No Trump! No KKK! No Fascist USA!” the crowd chanted loudly, beating instruments and waving signs.
“Tell me what democracy looks like! This is what democracy looks like!” shouted the voices from a variety of faces, young and old and a mix of ethnicities.
The peaceful march stood in stark contrast to the violent protests in the nation’s capital.
Police wearing aloha shirts stood along Saratoga Road in front of the Trump Hotel. Dozens of bicycle officers wearing shorts controlled the mass of protesters, keeping them on the sidewalks and off the grass of the hotel grounds.
Visitors and residents watched the spectacle, taking cellphone video and photos.
“If I am American, maybe I agree with them,” Japanese visitor Kazuhisa Fukatsu, 39, said, pointing to the protesters. He and his family are guests at the Trump Hotel.
“I personally think this is awesome because people come out and speak their truth,” said Marilyn Kennedy from Vancouver, B.C. “We’re sick and tired of all the dishonesty and the harshness and rudeness he’s displayed. This makes me proud to be Canadian.”
Trump voter Whitney Spooner, 46, an Air Force wife, said, “I think it’s funny. … Why were they not protesting when he was being inaugurated? I think they have freedom of speech, and they’re doing it in a quiet and peaceful way.”
Waikiki resident Saw Ching, 69, said, “I’m anti-
Trump. I think it’s good to express yourself. His whole personality doesn’t qualify him for the position. Trump is a disgrace to the whole world.”
She added, “He’s always anti-everybody, calling journalists scum. A lot of things he says is negative, and he’s a psychological liar. I don’t know how people can vote for him.”
A group of University of Hawaii students, faculty and staff calling themselves Hawaii’s J20 organized the Day of Resistance and united with a diverse coalition from the community, including the Young Progressives Demanding Action and the Hawaii Democratic Party.
It began at 7 a.m. Friday at UH Manoa, where teach-ins and workshops were held. Feeder marches across
Honolulu converged at the Trump Hotel, and the day ended at the Power to the Positive: A Night of Unity concert at the Waikiki Shell.
Protester Sheila Sanchez, 72, of Hawaii Kai said, “He’s gotten away with conning the American people. He’s a very good salesman. He’s only in it for himself.”
UH-Manoa French-language professor Nathalie Segeral, who was pushing a stroller with her 18-month-old twin boys in the march, said, “We’re concerned because he’s apparently planning to cancel cultural funding for our research. We are all against his immigration policies, his sexism, all manner of going backwards instead of forwards.”
The signs told much of the story:
“Refugees Are Welcome Here”
“Climate Change Is Real”
“Love Trumps Hate”
“Make America Great Again, Dump Trump/Pence.”
