Millions expected at ‘No Kings’ protests before Trump’s military parade – live updates
‘No Kings’ protests across US come after a week of unrest over anti-immigration raids; Trump’s military parade to begin at 6.30pm ET in Washington DC
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To Donald Trump, the inspiration for today’s military parade is the pomp and pageantry of Bastille Day, France’s annual celebration of the 1789 revolution.
For his critics, it is redolent of the authoritarian militarism proudly projected by autocracies like Russia, China and North Korea.
Despite its military prowess and undoubted superpowers status, overt military displays in civilian settings are the exception rather than the rule in US history.
But in bringing to the streets of Washington DC on Saturday the military parade Trump has long hankered after he – consciously or otherwise – is tapping into a tradition that harks back to antiquity.
The first known instances of victorious exhibitions of military might date back to ancient Mesopotamia, whose territory now comprises modern-day Iraq and parts of Turkey, Syria and Iran.
Mesopotamian emperors decorated their palaces and citadels with friezes portraying heroic conquests. Portraits would display a massive potentate striding ahead of his troops and crushing on his opponents’ skulls.
Away from today’s protests and there’ll be one eye on events in the Middle East as Israel and Iran continue to exchange fire following Israel’s attack on Friday.
Explosions have been reported in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Tehran today and Iran has warned the United States, United Kingdom and France that their bases and ships in the region will be targeted if they help stop Tehran’s strikes on Israel, Iran state media reported on Saturday.
The US has said it was not involved in the attack on Iran, describing the Israeli action as unilateral, and it warned Iran and its allies not to target US interests or personnel in the region.
