By Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart and Jeff Mason
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Nationwide protests against President Donald Trump, tensions in the Middle East amid Israel’s strikes on Iran and expected rainy weather in Washington on Saturday could dampen spirits at a military parade on the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary, set to feature tanks on the streets and aircraft flying overhead.
Trump, whose 79th birthday is also on Saturday, will preside over the parade.
Week-long protests in Los Angeles against Trump’s immigration crackdown have spread to multiple cities including Chicago, New York, San Antonio, Texas, and Washington.
The Republican president has ordered National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles, a heavily Democratic city – a deployment that California Governor Gavin Newsom has challenged in court.
Anti-Trump groups are planning to hold nearly 2,000 demonstrations of varying sizes across the country to coincide with the parade. Many are taking place under the theme “No Kings,” asserting that no individual is above the law.
The protests, if they go as planned, would represent one of the biggest public displays of opposition to Trump since he returned to power in January.
Parade goers in Washington will encounter a massive security presence, with some 18.5 miles (30 km) of 8-foot (2.4 m)-high black fencing, much of it reinforced with concrete traffic barriers, cordoning off streets and surrounding landmarks including the Washington Monument.
The celebrations will cost the U.S. Army between $25 million and $45 million, U.S. officials have told Reuters. That includes the parade itself as well as the cost of moving equipment and housing and feeding the troops.
Critics have called the parade an authoritarian display of power that is wasteful, especially given Trump has said he wants to slash costs throughout the federal government.
“You’re not doing it to celebrate the Army’s birthday. You’re doing it to stroke Donald Trump’s ego,” Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, an Army combat veteran who lost two legs in the Iraq war, said at a hearing this month.
“If you want to celebrate the Army’s birthday by spending $30 million I would recommend you think about something along the lines of maybe spending that money on childcare for military families, perhaps tuition reimbursement for military families.”
‘I DON’T FEEL LIKE A KING’
At least one organization, RefuseFascism.org, has a permit to hold a march in central Washington that will culminate in a rally opposite the White House. Trump has warned people against protesting at the parade itself, saying that “they’re going to be met with very big force.”
The protests, and any response by law enforcement agencies, will form a contrasting backdrop to the day-long celebration of the U.S. Army’s history, which will seek to honor different eras of military history with uniforms and military weaponry from those periods.
“I don’t feel like a king, I have to go through hell to get stuff approved,” Trump told reporters on Thursday. “We’re not a king, we’re not a king at all.”
While the Army has said the parade will take place come rain or shine, weather forecasts for Saturday evening show the potential for heavy thunderstorms in the Washington area.
Defenders of the plans say the Army’s 250th anniversary is a unique event that deserves an outsized celebration.
The display of U.S. military hardware will take place shortly after one of the nation’s closest allies, Israel, launched a barrage of strikes across Iran, which has threatened a harsh response.
RARE SPECTACLE
Military parades in the United States are rare. Other countries usually stage them to celebrate victories in battle or showcase military might.
In 1991, tanks and thousands of troops paraded through Washington to celebrate the ousting of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s forces from Kuwait in the Gulf War.
Law enforcement agencies are preparing for hundreds of thousands of people to attend Saturday’s parade.
Thousands of agents, officers and specialists will be deployed from law enforcement agencies from across the country and drones operated by the Secret Service will keep watch overhead.
The Federal Aviation Administration will close down arrivals and departures at Washington’s Reagan National Airport during the peak of the celebration.
While the Army has said it has no plans to recognize Trump’s birthday, the president will play a major role in the celebrations.
The U.S. Army has brought nearly 7,000 troops into Washington, along with 150 vehicles, including more than 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored vehicles, four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles, and artillery pieces including the M777 and M119.
The flyover will include Apache and Black Hawk helicopters along with Chinooks. Older aircraft like the World War Two-era B-25 bomber and P-51 Mustang will also take part.
The military has taken steps to protect the streets of the capital from any potential damage caused by heavy tanks, including laying down metal plates in some areas.
The Army has said it will pay for any unexpected repairs if needed and has set aside several million dollars in case of damage, although it has said it expects little impact.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Jeff Mason and Tim Reid in Washington, editing by Ross Colvin, Scott Malone and Howard Goller)
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