demonstrations

Rights groups say at least 60 people were killed last year by security forces in weeks of youth-led protests against planned tax rises.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Kenya to mark a year since people stormed parliament at the peak of antigovernment demonstrations, despite fears that they would be met by state-backed gangs and police violence.

At least 60 people were killed last year by security forces in weeks of protests over tax rises and the dire economic situation for young Kenyans, rights groups say. On Wednesday, activists and families of victims called for peaceful demonstrations to mark the anniversary of the deadliest day of unrest.

Police blocked main roads leading into the capital’s central business district, while government buildings were barricaded with razor wire.

Thousands of protesters, mostly young men, waved Kenyan flags and placards with pictures of demonstrators killed last year and chanted “Ruto must go”, referring to President William Ruto, whose proposed tax hikes triggered last year’s youth-led protests.

“I’ve come here as a Kenyan youth to protest, it is our right for the sake of our fellow Kenyans who were killed last year. The police are here … they are supposed to protect us, but they kill us,” Eve, a 24-year-old woman, told the AFP news agency.

“It is extremely important that the young people mark June 25th because they lost people who look like them, who speak like them… who are fighting for good governance,” Angel Mbuthia, chair of the youth league for the opposition Jubilee Party, added.

Police brutality

The anniversary comes amid soaring anger over police brutality, particularly after 31-year-old blogger and teacher, Albert Ojwang, was killed in custody earlier this month following his arrest for criticising a senior officer.

Six people, including three police officers, were charged with murder on Tuesday over Ojwang’s killing. They have all pleaded not guilty.

Police have said protests are permitted as long as they are “peaceful and unarmed”.

But a group of peaceful protesters were attacked last week by a large gang of motorbike-riding “goons”, as they are known in Kenya, armed with whips and clubs and working in tandem with the police.

On Tuesday, the embassies of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other Western nations released a joint statement on X urging all involved to “facilitate peaceful demonstrations and to refrain from violence”.

“The use of plain clothed officers in unmarked vehicles erodes public trust,” the statement said. Rights campaigners condemned the presence of unidentified police officers at protests last year.

Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement late on Tuesday that any policing violations would be addressed through government institutions, including the parliament and the judiciary.

“The ministry reminds all that diplomatic partnerships flourish best in mutual respect, open channels and a recognition of each other’s unique governance contexts,” it said.

There is also growing resentment among young people towards Ruto, who came to power in 2022 promising rapid economic progress.

Many have been disillusioned by continued stagnation, corruption and high taxes, even after last year’s protests forced Ruto to cancel an unpopular finance bill. His government has been at pains to avoid direct tax rises this year.

But the frequent disappearances of government critics – rights groups have counted more than 80 since last year’s protests, with dozens still missing – have led many to accuse Ruto of returning Kenya to the dark days of its dictatorship in the 1980s and 90s.

Ruto previously promised an end to abductions but was unapologetic in a speech on Tuesday, pledging to “stand by” the police.

“You cannot use force against the police or insult, or threaten the police. You are threatening our nation,” he warned protesters.

April 18 (UPI) — More than 400 demonstrations are planned nationwide on Saturday against President Donald Trump and his policies.

The same grass-roots group 505051 that organized “Hands Off” demonstration that drew millions of people on April 5 is planning another one event called “A Day of Action.” The website lists demonstrations’ locations, including some outside the United States.

“Coming off a historic day where an estimated 5.2 million of you all showed up to join us to declare that We the People reject the Trump/Musk administration’s war on our freedoms and future the 50501 movement has declared Saturday, April 19th a nationwide day of action!” the group posted on Instagram.

The group’s name stands for 50 States, 50 Protests, 1 movement, which is a “decentralized, people-powered network of resistance and resilience.”

“The 50501 movement has called for a National Day of Action, also known as a National Day of Community Action, not a National Day of Protest,” Hunter Dunn, national press coordinator for the organization, told Newsweek. “There are plenty of demonstrations happening around the country as part of the day of action, but the primary focus of the day of action is speaking to the needs of your community.”

The 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in 1775 is Saturday.

The protests are a response “to authoritarian threats, political overreach, and the erosion of democracy,” according to organizers.

The movement is against a “billionaire takeover,” including by Trump and Elon Musk who are “consolidating power, buying politicians, rigging the system, and silencing the people to serve their own interests,” according to its website.

Also, they are fighting “an economy rigged against the People.” They say “while billionaires amass historic wealth, working Americans are crushed by skyrocketing costs, union-busting, and poverty wages.”

The group is responding to “Trump’s Defiance of the Law” that includes ignoring court rulings against purged federal agencies and targeted political foes by declaring he is above the law.

And they are upset about “the Erosion of freedom.” They include “state-sanctioned kidnappings of students and immigrants deported without due process to attacks on voting rights, reproductive healthcare, workers’ rights, and free elections, oligarchs are dismantling the foundations of our country.”

The group said it represents a cross-section of people racially, ethnically, generationally, economically and political parties.

They say they are led by people who believe in nonviolence, mutual care, and democratic values.”

Demonstrations include marches and rallies. There will be diaper drives, skill sharing, free community meals and teach-ins.

“April 19 is just one day of action,” according to the website. “The 50501 Movement will continue to organize, resist, and build together as long as it takes.”

We the People Dissent, a 50501 affiliate, lists more than 525 broader events Saturday.

About 100 protesters showed up at a Tesla service center in the Boston suburb of Watertown, Mass., and two were injured when struck by the side mirror on a passing pickup truck, the Boston Herald reported.

“Officers who already were on the scene quickly assisted the injured parties and identified the suspect,” Watertown Police Chief Justin Hanrahan said in a news release that was posted on Facebook.

“Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported,” Hanrahan said. “Both victims refused medical treatment at the scene.”

He said police are investigating the matter and will not release additional information at this time.

Counter-protests amid global day of action

Further south in Paramus, N. J., Tesla protesters were outnumbered by pro-Musk counter-protesters.

About 60 showed up to protest against Tesla and Musk, but about 80 counter-protesters also showed up to support Musk and Tesla, according to local media.

Local police told media the Paramus protest has been peaceful and there has been no interaction between the Tesla Takedown protesters and the pro-Musk counter-protesters.

A much larger crowd showed up to protest in the Windy City.

A “few hundred” protesters gathered in downtown Chicago mostly to oppose Musk’s actions as the DOGE director, WLS-TV reported.

“Elon is not an elected person, and he has no authority to dismantle our government and programs that help us American people,”protester and Chicago resident Tina Smothers told WLS.

Vicky Weidenkeller, also of Chicago, wondered how Musk can be an influential member of the Trump cabinet.

“He’s not an elected official,” she told WLS. “What business does he have taking over our government?”

In the United Kingdom, protests were held in London, Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow, The Standard reported.

The London protest began at 11 a.m. local time outside the Park Royal Tesla dealership in West London.

Protesters there accused Musk of trying to “destroy democracy” and “shred public services” and carried placards saying, “Don’t buy Nazi cars” and “Don’t fund fascists,” The Standard reported.

About 50 protests were scheduled in California, including in Santa Clara, where an out-of-state visitor told KTVU she knows people who will be affected by DOGE actions.

“We are in the biggest lie any of us have ever been in,” Cory Haynes told KTVU. “I have friends and family that are going to be impacted if any of these things that they are trying to do get enacted.”

Attorney general warns against ‘domestic terrorism’

The “global day of action” protests against Tesla and Musk come after many have been arrested and charged for vandalism, arson,firearms offenses and other serious crimes.

Attorney General Pam Bondi on March 20 called such actions “domestic terrorism” and announced federal charges against three people.

One is accused of carrying a suppressed AR-15 rifle and throwing about eight Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership near Salem, Ore.

Another is accused to trying to set several Tesla vehicles on fire with Molotov cocktails in Loveland, Colo., and the third is accused of vandalism and setting Tesla charging stations on fire in Charleston, S.C.

Each faces federal felony charges, each of which carry minimum penalties of between five and 20 years imprisonment, but is presumed innocent unless found guilty.

“The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended,” Bondi said. “It you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars.”

Demonstrators have flooded the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City, in a show of solidarity with student protest leader Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent resident of the United States.

Thursday’s protest is the latest in a string of demonstrations after immigration authorities arrested Khalil on Saturday evening.

The administration of President Donald Trump has said it intends to deport Khalil, who is Palestinian and married to a US citizen, over his role in pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University.

Khalil’s lawyers and supporters, however, believe the Trump administration is wilfully conflating criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza with support for “terrorism”. The arrest has been roundly condemned by civil liberty groups, who have called Khalil a “political prisoner”.

The leaders of Thursday’s demonstration said they chose Trump Tower to send a message to the president. The high-rise houses both the Trump Organization and Trump’s personal New York residence.

“As Jews, we are taking over the Trump Tower to register our mass refusal,” Jewish Voice for Peace, which organised the protest, wrote in a post on the social media platform X.

“We will not stand by as this fascist regime attempts to criminalise Palestinians and all those calling for an end to the Israeli government’s US-funded genocide of the Palestinian people. And we will never stop fighting for a free Palestine.”

Among the protesters was actress Deborah Winger, who told The Associated Press news agency she was “standing up for my rights”.

“I’m standing up for Mahmoud Khalil, who has been abducted illegally and taken to an undisclosed location,” she added. “Does that sound like America to you?”

Reporting from New York, Al Jazeera’s Kristen Saloomey said there were several “dramatic moments” as police arrested 98 of the protesters while clearing the lobby.

“The demonstrators basically went in nonchalantly, dressed as normal tourists,” Saloomey said. “Then they took off their jackets, wearing red T-shirts that represented their cause. On behalf of Mahmoud Khalil, they said, ‘Not in our name’.”

“Ninety-eight of them who were dragged out in handcuffs are being processed and charged with misdemeanour crimes.”

Detention continues

While a federal judge has blocked Khalil from being removed from the US, pending a legal challenge, he remains in detention in Louisiana.

His lawyers have requested he be moved to New York for the proceedings and to be closer to his wife, who is eight months pregnant.

Speaking during a court hearing yesterday, Khalil’s lawyer Ramzi Kassem said he was “identified, targeted, detained and is being processed for deportation on account of his advocacy for Palestinian rights”.

For its part, the Trump administration has remained defiant in its efforts to expel Khalil.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt has told reporters Khalil was subject to removal under a law that allows for the deportation of green-card holders deemed by the US secretary of state to be “adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests” of the country.

She repeated the claim that Khalil supported “terrorists”, without offering any evidence.

Trump, meanwhile, has said Khalil’s arrest is the “first of many to come”.

In a separate court proceeding on Thursday, eight Columbia students – including Khalil – were named as plaintiffs in a petition seeking to bar the university from complying with an order to share student disciplinary records with the government.

The House Committee on Education and Labor has sought records for students involved in pro-Palestine protests, as part of its attempts to crack down on anti-Semitism on campus.

The students said the congressional committee’s request violated the First Amendment and their privacy rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a US law that governs how universities handle student information.

“Entities like the university feel pressure to cooperate with the government in its efforts to chill and punish protected speech,” the lawsuit stated.