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up front Saturday 18 January 2020

Anti-Trump protests have shrunk. What's it mean for 2020?

Continued from Front

Organizers expect about
100,000 people across the
country to participate in
this year's Women's March,
which is scheduled for Sat-
urday in over 180 cities.
They say up to 10,000 peo-
ple are expected at the
march in Washington, far
fewer than the turnout last
year, when about 100,000
people held a rally east of
the White House. Instead
of a single big event, the
group has been holding
actions in a run-up to the
march this week around
three key issues: climate
change, immigration and
reproductive rights.
The week reflects that the
movement is "moving into
the next stage," said direc- In this Jan. 20, 2018, file photo, participants in the Women's March gather near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.
tor Caitlin Breedlove. Associated Press
Leaders of MoveOn.org,
which organized some of ferent campaigns. There's fessor at the University of first took office and again to come out ... is continued
the anti-Iran war protests, more to do," Alexander Illinois at Chicago, said all in early 2017 when he an- organizing going on in be-
agreed. Mobilization man- said. "I don't believe peo- social movements evolve nounced his first travel ban tween these events," he
ager Kate Alexander said ple are tuning out. I think over time. He noted the affecting people from sev- said.
the group and its members people are lying in wait." Trump resistance move- eral predominantly Muslim He said there have been
pulled together over 370 While waiting, many have ment is global and will con- countries. numerous smaller protests
protests in 46 states in less passed on some major tinue regardless of whether Roughly 1,000 people he's been involved with,
than 48 hours to show resist- moments in Trump's presi- Trump is reelected. mobilized in Chicago im- including protesting U.S.
ance to Trump's actions. The dency. Resistance groups "Movements always rise mediately after Trump au- foreign policy in Venezue-
president ordered airstrikes rallied on the eve of the and decline in terms of thorized the attack on the la and Syria, and they've
that killed Gen. Qassem So- House vote for impeach- numbers on the ground," Iranian leader, and then taken other forms. For in-
leimani, the head of Iran's ment, but even some of he said. the crowds subsided a few stance, he's helped plan a
Quds Force who has been those who participated Andy Koch, a 30-year-old days later after the threat teach-in on Iranian foreign
blamed for deadly attacks said they were disappoint- nurse who lives in Chicago, of war seemed to subside policy this week at UIC.
on U.S. troops and allies ed more people didn't turn has seen that ebb and flow following Trump's address Maya Wells, a 21-year-old
going back decades. Iran out. firsthand. Koch has been to the nation Jan 8. That political science senior at
pledged retribution, spark- Several organizations also active in protesting Trump's day, a few dozen — includ- the University of North Caro-
ing fears of an all-out war. said much of their organ- policies even before he ing Koch — showed up in lina at Charlotte, was a
Alexander noted that the izing is done through social took office. When Koch was 20-degree Fahrenheit (mi- speaker at a rally last week
Iran protest is just one of media or text message and a student at University of Il- nus 7 Celsius) temperatures in Charlotte. Wells, who
many issues MoveOn mem- email programs, which are linois at Chicago, Trump's outside Trump International is Persian American and
bers have organized in re- less visible but have a sig- campaign canceled a Hotel Chicago during rush has family in Iran, said she
sponse to in the past few nificant impact. In 2018, the 2016 speech at the cam- hour. doesn't look at the numbers
years. Women's March had over pus following tense student Koch understands that of people who turn out but
"It's not that there are few- 24 billion social media im- protests. masses of people won't rather at the fact that they
er people mobilizing — it's pressions, Breedlove said. Koch said the anti-Trump show up for every protest. " took time out of their day to
that they're mobilized in dif- Atef Said, a sociology pro- activism swelled when he What allows those numbers be there. q