The protests against Trump’s Muslim ban and the conflict within the state
31 January 2017
Across the United States and internationally, tens of thousands of people are participating in protests to denounce the brutal and illegal anti-Muslim policies imposed over the weekend by the Trump administration. On Monday, the protests spread to the United Kingdom, where many thousands marched in scores of cities and towns to denounce both Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May. Protests erupted as well in Mexico and Canada.
Those marching in opposition to Trump are motivated by genuine outrage and sympathy for the men, women and children caught up in Washington’s anti-immigrant dragnet.
At the same time, Trump’s ban on travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries and on refugees from all countries has provoked a bitter political conflict within the US state. This internal struggle escalated Monday night when Trump fired the acting attorney general, Sally Yates, a holdover from the Obama administration, after she announced that she would not defend Trump’s anti-immigrant executive order in court.
Internal opposition within the American state has been further inflamed by Trump’s unprecedented reshuffling of the National Security Council (NSC). On Saturday, Trump signed an executive order elevating to the NSC’s Principals Committee his chief strategist, the fascist former head of the “white nationalist” Internet outlet Breitbart News, Stephen K. Bannon. He simultaneously downgraded the role in the NSC of the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Dozens of US diplomats are circulating a statement denouncing Trump’s immigrant ban. Asked about this opposition at a Monday press briefing, Trump’s press secretary, Sean…