DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION KICK OFF IN THE US

WASHINGTON, April 6 (Bernama-dpa) -- Thousands of people across the United States took part in a day of protests Saturday against President Donald Trump's policies, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.

In the US capital Washington alone, thousands of demonstrators gathered at the Washington Monument near the White House.

On placards they were carrying, demonstrators demanded that officials uphold the constitution and that Trump be removed from office.

Other signs read: "Hands off democracy" or "Stop the coup."Various organisations had jointly called for more than 1,000 gatherings – both large and small – in all 50 US states.

They had estimated in advance that there could be more than 250,000 participants nationwide. Initially, the large number of events meant that there was no reliable data on the total number of participants.

In New York, thousands demonstrated against Trump and his close adviser Elon Musk, the multi-billionaire and head of the electric car company Tesla.

In Bryant Park, they held up signs with messages such as "Unplug Elon" or "I can only write this because there used to be a Department of Education."

There were also major protests in other cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Miami and Charlotte.

Since taking office, Trump has begun to radically restructure the state apparatus with Musk's help, firing federal employees on a large scale and completely dismantling several agencies, including the Department of Education.

He has caused a stir and outrage with many highly controversial decisions and initiatives, both domestically and internationally. Democrats and experts view his course as a great danger to democracy.

-- BERNAMA-dpa