Anti-Trump Protesters Gather at Princeton University

Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election sparked protests at Princeton University Wednesday, with a crowd gathering in front of Nassau Hall in the downpour to disavow the president-elect and his political agenda.

More than 200 community members and Princeton University students attended a “DumpTrump” rally Wednesday night. Demonstrators stood in front of the FitzRandolph gate holding signs with slogans that included “#MyBodyMyChoice,” “No human being is illegal,”  “#NotMyPresident,” and “My humanity is not up for debate.”

Protesters marched through Princeton’s campus and down Nassau Street chanting “Love Trumps Hate.”

The event was organized by Unidad Latina en Accion.

“This is something that we didn’t believe was going to happen — but it did,” Unidad Latina en Accion  Executive Director Jorge Torres said of Trump’s election. “We organized this protest, and the one yesterday around three o’clock in the morning, to show students and community members that we are against racism, against hate, and against what it means to live under fear.”

Many of those who attended the rally said they hoped to foster strength through solidarity, raise awareness of their opposition to Trump’s platform, and not be passive about the consequences of the election.

“It’s important for us to stand up, and not become disillusioned,” graduate student Iwan-Nicholas Cisneros said. “If we have to protest for four years and if we have to become a roadblock to legislation coming in, then it will be our responsibility as citizens and non-citizens alike to do so.”

“If we deny our civic duty in this moment, we sign off to our own political euthanasia,” said junior Reva Abrol who read a poem she wrote.

Sophomore Joshua Faires said the outcome of the election was particularly difficult for him to cope with as someone who identifies
as both gay and LatinX, yet who’s entire family in Southern Florida voted for Trump. Faires stood in front of the crowd and urged his peers to make those around them aware of how Trump’s platform directly and negatively affects their lives in order to sensitize them to the consequences of the situation.

“Whether someone voted for Trump because they were racist, or whether they had absolutely no intention of bringing someone down, they did not realize that their vote nevertheless helped validate people who are racist, xenophobic or homophobic by showing them that they can win leadership positions in this country on those grounds,” he said. “That is incredibly dangerous and has to be fought back no matter how small or great it is at the current moment.”

Unidad Latina en Accion, a group based in Central New Jersey, is working on a plan of action for the coming weeks.

Trump’s win has sparked protests across the country, with tens of thousands of people in more than 25 U.S cities holding rallies and vigils on Wednesday. Many of the demonstrations continued early Thursday morning and led to dozens of arrests. In New York, officials said that more than 5,000 protested Trump’s victory outside Trump Tower. More than a dozen protesters were arrested Wednesday night for disorderly conduct, according to a NYPD spokesman.

High school and college students across the country also staged walkouts on Wednesday to protest the election results.

3 Comments

  1. “Elections have consequences, we won” Barack Obama.
    It’s over, grow up and move on.

    1. Elections have consequences. Yes, we have a vicious lying demagogue for a president who gives phony concern for the racists and bigots that he encouraged during his campaign. Don’t complain when Trump and the GOP kill off Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

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