Large “Hands Off” crowd protests in Athens

A crowd of nearly 1,000 people gathered in Athens from across Congressional District 10 on Saturday to protest the deep cuts the Republican administration is making in federal services and agencies.

Protesters carried signs with slogans such as “Hands Off our Constitution,” “Hands Off Our Veterans,” Hands Off Social Security,” “Hands Off Our National Parks,” and “Hands Off Cancer Research.”

As the rally got under way, the crowd swelled to where it forced the police to close College Avenue to traffic in front of City Hall as a safety precaution.

The protest was a means for voicing anger and concern about radical changes made by the Trump administration and Elon Musk.

“We came here today to say “Hands Off! But we need to be hands on from now on,” said Barbara Burt, co-leader of Indivisible GA 10, told the crowd at the start of the event. “Many beats money, and we are the many.”

Mokah Jasmine Johnson, co-founder of Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement served as master of ceremonies for the protest,

“We must fight, not with our fists, but with our voices,” Johnson told the crowd. “We need you to show up, if you want things to change. You need to not just show up today, you need to show up every day.”

The protest in Athens was part of a nationwide mobilization that brought an estimated 5 million Americans into the streets in cities around the nation Saturday afternoon, with additional protests held in such capital cities as London and Berlin.

The Athens Hands Off rally was organized by a coalition of Indivisible GA 10, and the Athens and Oconee Democratic Party committees.