WASHINGTON — Thousands of protesters on gathered Saturday in cities across the United States to pressure President Donald Trump to release his tax returns, a move of transparency he has repeatedly refused.
The demonstrations were timed to coincide with the traditional April 15 deadline for annual tax filings, a massive date on the calendar for US households, and resulted in dozens of arrests.
For decades, US presidents and presidential candidates have released their returns voluntarily, although there is no legal obligation to do so.
Trump, a billionaire property tycoon, released a financial statement but has kept his tax returns private, both during the election campaign and since taking office in January.
“Until he does, we’ll never know what he’s hiding or who his policies are designed to benefit,” said organizers of the “Tax March” demonstrations on its website.
“We need a president who works for all Americans — and a tax system that does, too,” it added.
In Washington, several thousand protesters of all ages gathered in front of the Capitol building housing Congress, holding signs such as “What is he hiding?” and “Real men pay their taxes.”
A huge inflatable chicken with an orange-gold beak and a swirl of hair resembling Trump’s mane was displayed on the sidelines of the Washington protest, and at other venues.
In New York, thousands also marched, and demonstrations were held from Boston and Philadelphia on the East Coast to Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles out West, and cities and towns in between.
Meanwhile in an unrelated incident, a melee erupted on Saturday in a Berkeley, California park where supporters and opponents of President Donald Trump were holding competing rallies, resulting in at least 20 arrests as police struggled to keep the two camps apart.
As fistfights broke out between the two sides and people threw bottles and cans over a barricade separating them, police resorted to using to an explosive device at one point in a bid to restore order.
Several people were observed by a reporter with bloodied faces and minor injuries, but there was no official word on casualties from authorities. Media, citing police, reported that at least 11 people were injured.
Police said more arrests could follow after video shot during the melee was reviewed.
The trouble unfolded when hundreds of Trump opponents stageda counter-rally alongside an event billed as a “Patriots Day” free-speech rally and picnic, organized by mostly Trump supporters.
Between 500 and 1,000 people were in the park as the rallies peaked, according to an estimate by a reporter.
Among the Trump opponents were some counter-protesters dressed in black and wearing masks. The other side included self-described “patriots” and “nationalists,” Trump supporters, free speech advocates, and other groups. — Agencies
