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CLEVELAND, Ohio- "Hands off" rallies were held across the country on Sat., April 5, 2025, including in Cleveland, to protest actions by President Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk and the Trump administration, events that follow a national day of action on International Women's Day, Cleveland's International Women's Day march of March 8 of which was hosted by Women's March Cleveland and drew nearly 2,000 women and community activists.

Hundreds of “Hands off” demonstrations were planned by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and voting rights activists. Protest sites included the National Mall in Washington, D.C. where the National Women's March rallied, state capitols, and other locations in all 50 states.

Northeast Ohio had "Hands off" rallies in several cities Saturday, including Cleveland, Medina, Cuyahoga Falls, and Akron, Cleveland's event organized by volunteers of a revived Indivisible movement, Cuyahoga County Democratic Women's Caucus, Mobilize the Vote, and NEO. It was held at Market Square Park in the Ohio City neighborhood on the city's near west side where throngs of people gathered with police nearby.

Speakers included activists, Ohio 11th Congressional District Congresswoman Shontel Brown, anti-Trump advocates and women's rights organizers, including Women's March Cleveland head organizer Kathy Wray Coleman, who led chants and reminded protesters that her group will host a noon Sat., June 21, 2025 rally and march from Cleveland City Hall steps, also a national day of action. It is the weekend before the third anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's June 24, 2022 historic Dobbs decision that overturned its longstanding 1973 Roe v Wade decision that gave federal protection to women nationwide for abortion access and other reproductive rights.

Abortion in Ohio, however, is legal since voters, in 2023, approved an Issue 1 statewide ballot initiative following a campaign led by groups like Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights and grassroots activists associated with Women's March Cleveland. But activists fear that Trump and Republicans are seeking a national abortion ban and have said they will fight against any such thing.

At Cleveland's Market Square Park "Hands off" rally this weekend energized protesters carried anti-Trump and anti-Elon Musk signs as speaker after speaker demanded that the president keep his hands off DEI, healthcare, education, immigration, federal workers, social security, medicaid, reproductive rights, SNAP benefits, and a litany of other measures or programs his opponents say he has been working to either dismantle or destroy since taking office in January for a second, non-consecutive term as president.

Responding to the nationwide protests, the White House said in a statement that "President Trump's position is clear, he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries."

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com are the most-read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio. Tel. 216-659-0473. Email-editor@clevelandurban