Organizers with the “No Kings” movement are planning some 1,500 demonstrations across the country to protest the upcoming military parade Saturday.
One notable location, however, is missing from that list: Washington, D.C., where the military parade will take place.
Protest organizers have framed the move as a rejection of the spectacle, which will mark the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army as well as the 79th birthday of President Trump.
“Instead of allowing this birthday parade to be the center of gravity, we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day: people coming together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption,” organizers wrote.
They instead encouraged those in D.C. to join the flagship march in Philadelphia or one of the local protests in Virginia or Maryland. Organizers are also marketing DC Joy Day starting at 3 p.m. EDT in Anacostia Park, which will have music, grilling, activities for children and a grocery distribution.
The planned protests come after Trump lashed out at potential protesters at an Oval Office appearance Tuesday, saying they would be met with “very big force.”