An estimated 20,000 people thronged Midtown and Downtown as part of nationwide “Hands Off” marches and rallies against the actions of the Trump administration.
The 3.5-mile march from Piedmont Park to the State Capitol snaked down Peachtree Street with shouts, “Hey, hey, ho, ho Donald Trump has got to go.” A similar refrain was aimed at Elon Musk. the tech billionaire tasked by President Trump to downsize the government through the Department of Government Efficiency.
Signs and placards demanded “hands off” of education, LGBTQ+ rights, libraries, women’s access to abortion, science, the economy, and more. At Liberty Plaza outside the Capitol, protestors heard from a slate of speakers including lawmakers, federal employees who have lost their jobs, and civil rights activists. The crowd was so large that it spilled over into the Memorial Drive Greenway linear park.
The Atlanta march was one of more than 1,200 taking places in cities across the country on April 5.
The protests come on the heels of Trump’s announcement of tariffs that rocked the stock market and touched off fears of a global recession.
