Strange parade, protests and a "Russian trace": Donald Trump celebrated his birthday

A military parade dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the US Army took place in Washington. It was hosted by President Donald Trump, who turned 79 that day. He arrived at the event together with his wife Melania.

The parade involved about 6,600 servicemen, 150 units of equipment, 50 aircraft and helicopters. The last time a similar event was held was in 1991 and was associated with the end of the first Gulf War.

The parade featured modern military equipment and historical weapons, as well as robot dogs and drones. The event cost the budget $25-50 million.

The military parade was criticized by American politicians and caused discontent among activists, who considered it a dangerous politicization of the American army. The event itself also caused many complaints, including due to poor organization and preparation.

The Pentagon's congratulations on Flag Day also caused discontent. Many noticed two Russian flags on the postcard on social networks. Incidentally, Vladimir Putin called Trump on June 14. During the conversation, the Russian leader congratulated his colleague on his birthday.

Upon closer inspection, the reason for the violent reaction on social media becomes clear: poor design.

Trump threatened activists who were going to protest during a military parade that they would be met by a “very large force.” The threats did not help — many cities saw thousands of people demonstrate as part of the “No Kings” campaign. According to the organizers, the head of the White House intends to rule as a willful autocrat who ignores the laws of the country.

The tradition of holding military parades is preserved in many countries of the world. Thus, on May 9, Russia and some CIS countries celebrate Victory Day, and on the last Sunday of July - Russian Navy Day. Military parades are also held in France, China, North Korea, Iran, India, Singapore, Chile, Venezuela. In some countries, military parades are held periodically, which is usually associated with the anniversaries of historical events.

The organizers designated Philadelphia as the main city of the action, where about 80 thousand people came out for the demonstration. The action was peaceful, but business representatives barricaded their shop windows in advance.

In Minnesota, all protests were cancelled on the morning of June 14. The reason for this decision by the authorities was the murder of the leader of the Democratic Party in the state House of Representatives, Melissa Hortman, along with her husband. State Senator John Hoffman and his wife were seriously injured in the attack. A list of other targets and leaflets "No Kings" were found in the shooter's car. The FBI was involved in the investigation.

In Virginia, an SUV drove into protesters after a march ended. The driver was detained. According to police, he deliberately drove into the crowd. One person was injured.

In Salt Lake City, about 10,000 people took to the streets. During the demonstration, shots were fired, and one person was seriously injured and taken to the hospital in critical condition.

In New York, more than 50,000 people came out to protest, and more than 34,000 police officers were involved in maintaining order. The demonstration was peaceful, but security forces detained eight protesters.

Clashes with police occurred in Oregon and Texas .

Tens of thousands of people supported the "No Kings" protest in Los Angeles. Let us recall that protests continue in the city over Trump's tough immigration policy. The protest was calm, but shortly before the curfew, a group of aggressive protesters clashed with the police. The former used stones, concrete and firecrackers, while the latter fought back with rubber bullets, flash-bang grenades and tear gas. Seven police officers and several demonstrators were injured in the clashes.

"Thirty thousand people came out today across the city to exercise their constitutional right to peacefully protest - that's powerful," said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass .

Recall that due to the unrest, Trump sent 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. For the first time since 1965, this happened without a request from the governor. It is worth noting that the leadership of the state, which is considered a stronghold of the Democratic Party, is resisting the actions of the president and often speaks out in support of the protesters.