Trump Travel Ban Sparks Protests In SF, D.C., London, Paris, Berlin, Sydney
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Demonstrations against the Trump administration's travel ban affecting seven Muslim countries took place in San Francisco and around the world on Saturday.
More than 10,000 protesters gathered at City Hall in San Francisco. The rally was peaceful, but anger over the ban's execution remains steady.
The ban affects immigrants from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. A U.S. federal judge halted the ban on Friday, but the White House vowed to fight it. Late Saturday, the Department of Justice filed an appeal in San Francisco's 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asking to lift the judge's stay. Such uncertainty has caused chaos and confusion for travelers around the world.
In Washington D.C., demonstrators marched peacefully from the White House to the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court.
Similar scenes played out in cities across the country, and worldwide as demonstrators spoke out against the ban, and Trump's proposed wall on the border with Mexico.
In London, tens of thousands packed the streets, some carrying signs that read, "Fight ignorance, not immigrants."
In Paris, demonstrators protested near the Eiffel Tower denouncing Trump's immigration policies as "frightening" and a betrayal of American values.
Around 1,200 people demonstrated outside the Brandenburg Gate and U.S. embassy in Berlin. Protesters held signs reading "We in Berlin know walls don't work" and "Why can't my girlfriend come to the U.S. with me, Trump?"
"I think it's scary what's happening in America now. I think we must somehow get off the sofa," a protester named Patricia Schon said.
"I'm an American, I live here, I think all Americans here in Berlin are shocked by what's happening and saddened by what's happening, and we feel we have to show what we believe in and we have to show that we resist," said Ann Wertheimer, the chair of advocacy organisation American Voices Abroad.
In Sydney, Australia, demonstrators called on prime minister Malcolm Turnbull to stand up to the U.S. president, referring to a recent phone call between the two leaders that ended badly.
The United States previously promised Australia to resettle an undisclosed number of refugees among more than 1,200 asylum seekers - mostly Muslims from Africa, the Middle East and Asia, but Trump took to Twitter on Thursday to call the agreement with Australia a "dumb deal."
Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop issued assurances Saturday, saying the agreement is still going forward.
Meantime, at San Francisco International Airport, things remained calm compared to last weekend's protests. Immigration lawyers like Chelsea Haleynelson from Oakland were on hand to help.
"Volunteers behind me are calling all the airlines to make sure they know what's going on and getting their position, their statement. Like, are they allowing individual travelers to board plane that might have been affected by the executive order," said Nelson.
