Liberal activists plan a massive demonstration in New York City Thursday night to protest Donald Trump’s appearance at the New York State Republican Committee’s annual gala.
The immigrant advocacy group Make the Road Action, along with several others, are calling on New Yorkers who find themselves at odds with the Republican presidential front-runner to gather outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel Thursday evening where the state GOP plans to host all three Republican hopefuls for a black tie fundraiser that costs $1,000 to attend.
“A collection of organizations and independent New Yorkers are mobilizing to shut down Trump and oppose creeping Trumpism under the banner #HateFreeNY,” the group wrote in a press release sent Wednesday.
Nine other groups, including the Muslim Democratic Club of New York and United We Dream Action, joined Make the Road Action in organizing the anti-Trump protests.
“The Republican hate train is coming to NYC. Donald Trump is the conductor and Ted Cruz is masquerading as the friendly ticket taker,” Antonio Alarcon, a spokesperson for Make the Road Action, said in the press release.
“New Yorkers reject the policies that these two men are proposing, and call for security, unity, and opportunity for all New Yorkers,” Alarcon added.
In addition to the formal press release, multiple Facebook groups have surfaced in the last week that have thousands of people committed to protesting Trump at the New York GOP gala.
“The billionaire bigot is scheduled to speak at the New York State Republican Gala on April 14. Let’s shut him down in NYC,” reads the description of one “Stop Trump” Facebook event.
While New York GOP Chairman Ed Cox has laughed off the protests, New York’s commuter population may not be so amused.
ThinkProgress reporter Emily Atkin pointed out last week that the venue for the gala is located near Grand Central Terminal, one of the most-visited tourist attractions in the world and a massive transportation hub for New Yorkers.
“The protest is also not taking place in one designated area, but just generally around Grand Central Terminal at around 5:30 p.m., the peak of rush hour traffic at arguably the most congested public transportation spot in Manhattan,” Atkin noted. “So while protesters may not feel the pressure of Trump supporters, they could clash with commuters and residents trying to get to their trains.”
Spokespersons for the New York GOP and the Trump campaign did not return the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
Updated April 14, 2016: An earlier version of this article misstated that MoveOn.org was among the organizations claiming responsibility for the upcoming protests in New York City, based on a press release from Make the Road Action. MoveOn.org has denied any involvement and a spokesperson for Make the Road Action has since issued a corrected press release.
