ISTANBUL

Hundreds of thousands of Americans took to the streets across the country on Saturday to protest President Donald Trump's policies and business magnate Elon Musk, who serves as senior advisor and led the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been instrumental in the significant downsizing of the federal government, using the rallying cry "Hands Off."

The nationwide protests, occurring in nearly 1,000 locations, including major cities like Washington, DC, New York City, and Boston along with others, have attracted hundreds of thousands, according to the organizer.

Demonstrators carried signs with messages including "Fascism has no place here," "USA has no King," and "Hands off of our democracy."

Many protesters explicitly targeted both Trump and Musk, with signs reading "Nobody elected Elon Musk" and "No Kings, No Autocrats, No Fascists, No Muskrat."

The demonstrations were organized by the 50501 movement, named for its goal of "50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement." The group called for action through social media: "Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. They're taking everything they can get their hands on and daring the world to stop them."

"If we don't fight now, there won't be anything left to save," the group warned in promotional materials.

Signs at the protests addressed diverse concerns, including "Hands off social security, Medicare, our schools, and our allies" and "Hands off Ukraine, Sudan, Palestine, DRC, and Haiti."

Maryland representative Jamie Raskin, speaking at a rally in the US capital, also called on the Trump government to "hand off" Canada, Greenland, and Panama, as they are independent countries.

"The press has the right to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of Mexico," he added, criticizing the administration's move to change its name to Gulf of America and forcing the media to follow it.

This marks the fourth major nationwide demonstration organized by the 50501 movement, which previously held protests on Feb. 5, Feb. 17, and March 4.

According to organizer Kay Evert, the movement originated on Reddit before gaining support from established activist organizations. The r/50501 subreddit now claims more than 246,000 members.