Old Town rally for Muslims, refugees to occur Tuesday

Erin Douglas

February 6, 2017

*Editor’s note: A previous version of this article did not list the time of the rally. The Collegian regrets this error.

Fort Collins For Progress will host a rally from 12 to 1 p.m. today in the Old Town Square as part of #ResistTrumpTuesday following executive orders that left some stranded abroad, and others unsure of entry to the U.S.

The rally will show support for Muslims, refugees and immigrants who the group say are targeted by President Donald Trump’s executive orders. The demonstration will also protest the border wall and the use of local police departments as immigration officers.

The hashtag #ResistTrumpTuesday has shown up nationwide as liberal groups have organized weekly protests in response to Trump’s inauguration. This demonstration comes after several solidarity events for Muslim and immigrant communities in Fort Collins and Colorado – one last Tuesday hosted by Fort Collins For Progress attracted 2,000 participants, and another in Denver last Saturday had a crowd of nearly 10,000 people.

Speakers at the rally Tuesday will discuss the “unconstitutional actions” by Trump’s administration, and will request that Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo) hosts a town hall meeting in Fort Collins during his upcoming recess.

Gardner has recently been criticized by the group for insisting that the people calling his office to voice their concerns about Washington are out-of-state or paid protesters.

In addition to the demonstration in Old Town, Fort Collins For Progress has created a petition to ask local representatives to, “protect Immigrants and Muslims,” by publicly denouncing and voting against efforts to restrict entry of immigrants based on Muslim faith. The petition also asks local representatives to vote for several different pieces of legislation that attempt to combat Trump’s executive orders regarding immigrants and undocumented students.

“These unprecedented and unconstitutional actions violate the very essence of who we are as a nation of inclusion,” stated the Fort Collins For Progress press release.

Collegian News Editor Erin Douglas can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @erinmdouglas23.

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