A friend sent me a photo of Saturday's demonstration in Plaça Sant Jaume, with a sign that read "In the face of tyranny, resistance." A quick clarification in case you think I missed something: my friend is American, and he took to the streets of Barcelona, just like thousands of his fellow countrymen did in the United States, to demonstrate against Trump under the slogan "No kings".
At least half of Americans are alarmed by the autocratic drift of the current presidency. Therefore, a demonstration against Trump is a demonstration in favor of democracy, with its distribution of power between different branches to avoid dictators.
Another thing is that American democracy does not function well due to the overwhelming dominance of thebig moneyand the military-industrial complex, which has turned political parties into instruments of particular interests. If half the country has ended up preferring Trump, it's because the traditional two-party system has forgotten the common good. To put it simply, it's unacceptable that a wealthy nation like America hasn't provided its citizens with a public health system. But without democracy, the ultimate dignity of freedom doesn't exist, and it's comforting to see thousands of people taking to the streets to defend it.
It's interesting to note that in American political culture king and democracy They are opposing concepts. Even though Europe has compromised on a parliamentary monarchy, it is increasingly rare for someone to become head of state simply because they are the son of the previous head of state. The continued existence of the monarchy hides a set of opaque interests and expresses a fear of real democracy, infantilized by the "they can't be left alone" mentality.
