Four hours after the inauguration of Donald Trump, around 120 people assembled in Point State Park to protest.

The protesters, consisting mostly of members of various socialist groups, called for a break from the Democratic and Republican parties, and form a new party that represents the working people.

Before everyone started marching, several people spoke to the group. An Iraq war veteran said that the US “is addicted to war. The US is not the good guys anymore.” Most of the speakers praised socialism and stated that it was the only solution to Trump.

Jose Manuel, a member of the International Marxist Student Union and one of the protesters, said that none of the tall buildings we see would be there if it wasn’t for the working class. “Nothing happens without the kind permission of workers…We should take the Fortune 500 companies and place them under Democratic workers’ control.”

Manuel hopes that, with time, Americans would be willing to accept a socialist lifestyle.

“There will be a time when people are in economic crisis, and all their assumptions won’t hold. All the people they listen to- they won’t believe them anymore. You’re already seeing that with the discrediting of the establishment. I think our ideas are very attractive to people right now. Our organization is growing!”

“We supported Sanders. Our position was that he needed to break from the Democratic party and run as a socialist independent… That would shake this country to its foundation. ‘I think socialism could beat Donald Trump.”

After the speakers, the protesters took to the streets. Their first stop was the intersection of 6th and Liberty. A traffic jam ensued, and cops quickly arrived on scene to make sure everyone was behaving. Eventually, everyone started marching again, and ended back at Point State Park to disband.

Organizers said that there will be more events like this one, and that they will only be bigger.

A link to highlights of the protest can be found below.

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