Americans living in Portugal protested in Lisbon yesterday against President Donald Trump’s policies, and to show the world that the United States “has no kings.”

The gathering took place next to the statue of D. José I, where more than a hundred US expats held up signs and chanted in unison: “No kings, no crowns”.

Slogans on banners read: “America needs what Portugal knows – Fight for true liberation”, “Stand up, fight back when fascists attack”, “Bring back democracy” and “No Trump/No KKK [Klu Klux Klan]/No fascists in USA”, “Fight ignorants, not immigrants”, and much more.

“We are here to stand in solidarity with American citizens who disagree with Trump’s policies, even though some consider us terrorists,” said one of the speakers, from the group Americans in Portugal United in Protest – AMPT.

Gerry Walkney, 71, had traveled from Setúbal, where he has lived for almost two years. He told Lusa that in his opinion Donald Trump is “terrible in his job and has only harmed the country and the world.”

“Congress needs to do something to impeach this President, which hasn’t happened, since Congress hasn’t done anything,” he added.

Richard Emerson, a septuagenarian who has lived in Lisbon for 30 years, told Lusa that he joined the protest because the country where he was born “cannot continue to be in the hands of a fascist.”

“Democracy in America is at very serious risk and the policies of ‘King’ Trump can only be defeated with a mass protest movement at the national and international level.”

It’s the “only way,” just like when the Vietnam War ended,” he said.

With a banner reading “A Cowering Congress Tolerates Tyrannical King Trump” and topped by two small American flags, Emerson argued for the need for continued protests like these in the country and around the world to depose a man who is a “source of hatred for the entire world.”

Chris Dee, a native of Philadelphia – where the US Constitution was written – has lived in Lisbon for two and a half years and was one of the speakers at the protest.

Speaking to Lusa, she expressed concern for her 21-year-old son, who is a university student in Hawaii.

“Like me, my son has dark skin, and I fear for him every day. Because Trump only loves white supremacy,” she said, adding that she would not like her son and any grandchildren to “live under fascism in one of the countries with the greatest democratic traditions in the world.”

Leslie Sisman, one of the organizers and speakers at the protest, highlighted “the incompetence” of the current US President, convinced that he suffers from “dementia”. Besides being “crazy, he has surrounded himself with criminals to be able to implement his unspeakable policies (…) It’s important to remember that it’s not just the United States that is at risk under Trump’s rule. Because this President affects the entire world,” she said.

When asked whether the number of protesters met the organisation’s expectations, Sisman said yes, it did.

“I know of many Americans who were not present because they travel to the country frequently and fear reprisals (…) Many did not come for fear of what might happen to them. Since I do not intend to return to the country, I will continue to fight for the return of freedom and democracy to the United States,” she concluded.

Yesterday’s protest took place as millions took to the streets in America itself, and thousands of others protested throughout Europe.