NYC ‘No Kings’ protest gets underway in Times Square, throughout the boroughs

The ‘No Kings’ demonstration is underway in Manhattan and across the country, with millions expected to turn out coast to coast in protest of President Donald Trump and the authoritarian rule that critics say is the hallmark of his presidency.

The biggest crowd in New York City is convening in the Times Square area and plans to march south from there, but smaller groups are joining in throughout the five boroughs.

By 11:30 a.m thousands of protesters carrying signs that read “resist the fascists traitors” and “No crowns, No kings” were spilling into the street amid Broadway’s Saturday matinee crowd.

The public demonstration comes at a time of heightening anxiety as the president has dispatched the National Guard and federal agents to cities across the U.S., ostensibly to combat crime.

So far the president’s hometown has been spared that attention, but the biggest city in America is also one of the most liberal and tens of thousands of New Yorkers are expected to turn out to protest the Trump administration Saturday.

City officials announced shortly after 11 a.m. that police and emergency personnel would be dispatched along 7th Avenue between Times Square and 14th Street. They encouraged anyone not involved in the demonstration to avoid the area.

Organizers in New York promised a peaceful protest, but said they’re preparing for the possibility that participants will encounter federal agents, according to Ellen Flenniken at the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU has trained more than 20,000 people on their protest rights ahead of Saturday’s protests, Flenniken said.

“The response that we have seen all across the country is that folks are eager to proudly, peacefully and lawfully exercise their First Amendment rights,” she said.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement that the agency would “enforce the laws of our nation,” but did not say if agents from the department would be sent to the demonstrations. The FBI did not respond to a request for comment.

Ben Feuerherd contributed reporting.