Anti-Trump group Refuse Facism calls for nationwide protests on Saturday as chaotic summer grinds on
The anti-Trump group Refuse Fascism staged a series of protests across the United States on Saturday, as America's chaotic and turbulent summer continued.
Over two dozen protests were scheduled, with large gatherings happening in Los Angeles and New York.
Holding aloft orange placards and banners reading 'Trump/Pence out now', they marched through cities across the U.S.
In New York City's Union Square, one protester hoisted a giant image of Trump as a devil on his shoulders.
The New York City march then wove through Manhattan, heading up towards Times Square.
A giant effigy of Trump as a devil, with his hand on the Bible - a pose he struck for the cameras on June 1
Demonstrators in New York City marched for the defunding of the police and to say that Black Lives Matter
Activists raised their fists as they marched through Times Square on Saturday, calling for an end to police brutality
The anti-Trump crowd marched through Times Square on Saturday, holding placards saying: 'No justice, no peace'
The activists had gathered in Union Square, in central Manhattan, before processing through the city
In New York City the Refuse Fascism crowd blocked avenues in central Manhattan as they wound their way through
Demonstrators in New York City with the distinctive signs marched through Manhattan on Saturday against Trump
In Washington DC, protesters took to the streets on skateboards, on bicycles and on foot, heading for Lafayette Square and the White House.
President Donald Trump spent Saturday playing golf at his course in Sterling, Virginia, and so was not home for their noisy demonstration.
The crowd held aloft the orange placards, and posed for photos in front of the White House.
Some had hand-made signs demanding the defunding of police, and an end to police brutality.
Outside Trump's golf course, meanwhile, rival pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators waved their flags.
Some brandished Biden-Harris banners, while others held flags in support of the president.
Demonstrators organized by Refuse Fascism marched through Lafayette Park, in front of the White House, on Saturday
A woman on her bicycle is caught in the middle of an anti-Trump protest held in Washington DC on Saturday
Protesters on skateboards on Saturday took to the streets of Washington DC demanding the defunding of the police
Speakers rally protesters to their cause in Washington DC on Saturday at an anti-Trump march organized by Refuse Fascism
A man holds up his fist in protest against the Trump presidency in Washington DC on Saturday
Protesters carrying a 'Trump/Pence #OutNow' banner march through Lafayette Park in Washington DC on Saturday
Rival Trump and Biden supporters are pictured outside Trump's Virginia golf course, where he played on Saturday
Supporters and critics of the president are pictured by the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, on Saturday
In Kentucky, armed supporters of the police and anti-racism protesters squared off near the famed Kentucky Derby horse race on Saturday, as dueling demonstrations over racial justice and policing continued to grind on across U.S. cities.
As the afternoon wore on, a large group of protesters marched toward the Churchill Downs track chanting 'No Justice, No Derby' - a nod to an earlier call by activists for the historic race in Louisville, Kentucky, to be canceled.
The race was being held without spectators to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Earlier on Saturday, some of the counter-protesters outside Churchill Downs, brandishing pistols and long guns, squared off with a group of Black Lives Matter protesters and got into shoving matches.
People on both sides screamed, faces inches apart. After about 45 minutes, police cleared the people from the park, but the protests outside Churchill Downs continued.
The counter-protesters included about 250 pro-police demonstrators called 'The Angry Vikings,' who were armed and dressed in tactical gear.
Demonstrations against racism and police brutality have swept the United States since May 25 when George Floyd, a Black man, died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Protester in Louisville, Kentucky, challenge members of a pro-Trump militia on Saturday - Derby Day for the city
Heavily-armed and, in some cases, entirely masked gunmen are pictured speaking to the media in Louisville on Saturday
Members of a pro-Trump militia attend the 'Patriot Gathering' on Derby Day in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday
A member of a militia wears a mask bearing the slogan 'We the people' at a rally in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday
Cox Park in Louisville, Kentucky was the site of the Patriot Gathering, held to coincide with the Kentucky Derby
Trump supporters are photographed in Cox Park in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday - Derby Day in the city
Members of militias from around the country responded to a call for a 'Patriot Gathering' in Louisville, Kentucky
Members of the Three Percenters and other militia armed with assault rifles march towards Jefferson Square Park in Louisville
Protesters face off with the Angry Viking, right, in Jefferson Square Park, dubbed by protesters 'Injustice Square Park'
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Meanwhile, a group of about 200 members of NFAC — a black militia group which has protested against police killings of black people — had gathered at a park just outside Churchill Downs and were inspecting their weapons, with the Derby preliminaries well underway inside.
Most of the NFAC militia members came from Georgia, according to a local reporter, Travis Ragsdale
NFAC, which stands for 'Not F***ing Around Coalition,' was in the city in July protesting injustice in the Breonna Taylor case.
Organizers said they would return if Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron didn't complete the investigation into Breonna Taylor's death.
Louisville has emerged as one flashpoint in a summer of unrest due to the death of Taylor, a black 26-year-old woman who was killed when the city's police burst into her apartment with a 'no-knock' arrest warrant in March.
'When they start the race, ain't nobody going to be enjoying themselves,' NFAC leader John 'Grandmaster Jay' Johnson said.
'You see, they're looking at us right now. They really don't give a damn about no race.
'Louisville, y'all brought this on yourself.'
Johnson then led the group back to G.G. Moore Park, where the NFAC's march began, shortly before the running of the Derby.
As the NFAC did a 'weapons check' before the start of the march at G.G. Moore Park, WDRB reported that one of the leaders only wanted people with long weapons.
'If you're only carrying a pistol, you will not be allowed in this formation,' he reportedly said.
Kentucky has no restrictions on the open carrying of firearms by anyone over the age of 18
Hundreds of heavily-armed protesters descended on Louisville to demand justice for Breonna Taylor on Derby Day
In Louisville, Kentucky, Derby Day saw members of the NFAC militia protest in the city against Breonna Taylor's killing
Members of a black militia group NFAC march in protest over the police killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville