Trump Election Win Prompts Protests Across US

WASHINGTON, , (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Nov, 2016 ) - Protesters burned an orange-haired Donald Trump head in effigy, lit bonfires and blocked traffic late Wednesday as anger over the billionaire's election to the presidency spilled onto the streets of major cities.

From New York to Los Angeles, thousands of people marched, rallied and chanted in around 10 cities against the billionaire president-elect a day after his stunning upset win, some carrying signs with slogans such as "Not our President" and "love trumps hate." Most of the rallies were peaceful.

Protesters carrying signs reading "Dump Trump" gathered outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, where the president elect lives. Police said they had arrested 15 people, the New York Times reported.

In Washington, several hundred gathered in front of the White House for a candlelight vigil on a damp, chilly evening, criticizing what they called Trump's racism, and xenophobia, and carrying signs reading "We have a voice!" and "education for all!" One of the organizers, Ben Wikler, Washington director of the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org, told the crowd that others were coming together in hundreds of communities around the country.

"People are justly frightened," he said. "We are here because in these darkest moments, we are not alone," he added, before leading chants of "We are not alone!" Protests were also held in Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Portland and other cities.

In Oakland, California, protesters lit fires in the street and stood around them chanting, news reports said. Some threw bottles and firecrackers at police, KPIX tv reported. In Los Angeles, demonstrators outside City Hall held aloft a burning, box-shaped likeness of Trump's head, topped with bright orange hair.

Ethan Miller of the workers' rights group Jobs with Justice said organizers held the Washington vigil to show that civil society was resilient. "It's a hard time for a lot of Americans," he told AFP.

"We saw a campaign that was filled with racism and misogyny and whole host of other terrible tactics that ultimately were successful for winning the electoral college." "But we're not going to let a Donald Trump presidency stop the progress in this country," he added.