A powerful speech from a protestor on the streets of Los Angeles has captured the internet’s attention after Donald Trump deployed thousands of military personnel to crack down on immigration protests across the city.
🪖 Marines and guardsmen flood LA streets
Roughly 700 US Marines were en route to Los Angeles on Tuesday after Trump mobilised them to respond to widespread demonstrations against ICE raids.
In addition, the president has ordered control of 2,000 more California National Guardsmen, effectively placing 4,000 armed personnel in the city. The goal? To “restore order” – but critics say it’s a gross overreach.
Despite a heavy military presence, teargas, and crowd control munitions, demonstrators continued to rally across Los Angeles, with similar protests taking place in New York, Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco.
🔊 “You should be standing here with us…”
The moment that’s gone viral? A protestor standing in front of armed soldiers, delivering a searing message:
“You’re on the wrong side of history. You should be standing here with us…
You took an oath to the constitution, not the fascists in the White House — he’s laughing at you.
You’re tough behind your masks and fatigues, but how do you feel on the inside?”
The clip has been shared millions of times online, with social media users praising the protestor’s courage and clarity under pressure.
⚠️ ‘Authoritarianism in plain sight’
Meanwhile, Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan has sparked even more outrage by threatening to arrest California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass — a threat Newsom called “an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism”.
The governor warned that deploying the military against peaceful protestors, and threatening elected officials, “takes us closer to a government by force, not consent”.
🔊 Watch
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Related: Watch: Trump falls up the stairs – and everyone’s making the same joke
