Thousands of people are expected to take to the streets in towns and cities across 34 states on Saturday in a national day of protest against Republican redistricting efforts in Texas and other states.
The demonstrations, under the banner “Fight the Trump Takeover”, will be centred in Austin, Texas, with further gatherings organised across the country.
Organisers say the protests are in response to Republican plans in Texas to introduce a mid-decade redistricting map at the request of Donald Trump, a move that could create five additional Republican seats in the House of Representatives. In a bid to block the proposals, Democratic lawmakers have left the state, denying the legislature the quorum required to proceed.
“Though this fight started in Texas, it doesn’t end here,” said Drucilla Tigner, executive director of Texas For All. “This isn’t just about redistricting or one state’s politics. It’s about the future of our democracy.”
On Thursday, California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, said his state would press ahead with a new redistricting plan in response, though the measure would only take effect if Texas and other Republican-controlled states pursued their own partisan maps.
Texas Democrats indicated they would be prepared to return home after nearly two weeks away if certain conditions were met, including the end of the special legislative session and the introduction of California’s map, which would add five Democratic seats to counterbalance Texas’s proposals.
“The incredible support we’re seeing, not just back home in Texas, but from Democrats, Republicans and independents across the country proves this fight is bigger than any one state,” said Gene Wu, chair of the Texas House Democrats. “We’re defending our entire country from the Trump takeover, and I’m honoured to stand with every patriotic American who refuses to let extremists rig the system.”
Protests planned for September
National organisations including Indivisible, MoveOn and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) are backing the demonstrations. DNC chair Ken Martin said: “Trump knows the only way he can hold the majority after his budget betrayal is by changing the rules in the middle of the game to avoid accountability for ripping healthcare and food away from millions of Americans.”
Further nationwide protests are already being planned for Labour Day on 1 September.
