Thousands gather in Battery Park to protest Trump’s most recent executive orders

Over ten thousand protestors congregated in Battery Park on Sunday to make it clear that the executive orders President Donald Trump issued this week, including his “Muslim Ban” and plans to build on the Mexican/U.S. border, will not go down without a fight.

Worldwide, people have been in a state of disbelief since President Trump’s proposed “Muslim Ban”, once just a campaign tactic employed to appeal to xenophobic voters, came to fruition on Thursday, leaving the personal and professional lives of many Muslims who have taken up residence in the U.S.  in limbo. The ban applies specifically to seven majority Muslim countries:  Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Libya and Yemen. Despite having legitimate visas and green cards, many have been detained at airports either in or en route to the U.S.; barred from seeing their families, and from living their lives.

The demonstration in the park followed in the wake of protests at John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens, prominent from its large number of detainees, as well as other airports across the country. It was a galvanizing event, peppered with speeches by a number of esteemed elected Democratic officials, such New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“We came to this country for freedom. We came to this country because it is a beacon, said Mayor de Blasio. “We will not let this beacon be put out by Donald Trump.”

Their appearance and dedication to the cause is physical proof that Donald Trump’s presidency does not speak for the entire American government, with Schumer and de Blasio labelling the ban as “unconstitutional.” Members of the ACLU also spoke, as well as several former refugees who shared their stories of how America had served as a safe haven for them, one that permitted them to seek opportunities and rebuild the lives that had been under constant threat in their homelands.

The general public were also quite keen to voice their condemnation of the ban. Many highlighted the parallels between the ban and the Nazis’ persecution of Jews during World War II, some having written poignant signs conveying how their own family members were among those fortunate enough to be able to seek refuge in the United States, despite many Jews being turned away at the time.

“My mother-in-law was on the Kindertransport,” said a Jewish woman from Riverdale, Bronx, who had brought along three of her sons to the protest. “Why are we pretending this isn’t the same thing happening again?”

These New Yorkers also expressed their discontent with the political moment, claiming that “Lady Liberty is crying”. Despite this, they also said that it felt “good to be [there], with all of New York supporting.

Fadumo Osman – an NYU junior who was also at the rally – summed up some her feelings quite clearly in her sign.

Even this terrier had a few choice words about the President.

When Mayor de Blasio gave his speech, he took a moment to thank the New York Police Department for providing protection during the event.

“…Let’s also take a moment to thank the people who protect us and work to make sure these rallies are peaceful for all. Let us thank the officers of the NYPD.”

He used this moment to draw back to the purpose of the rally in stating just how compatible Muslim and American values are.

“One example we have to remind them (President Trump) of is 900 New York City police officers protect us all and are proud Muslim Americans. That is the example of the American dream in action, American values in action, but the President’s executive order is fundamentally unAmerican, it’s as simple that.”