Protests demand Trump tax returns

WASHINGTON - Demonstrators in major cities across the United States marched on Saturday to demand that US President Donald Trump release his tax returns. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Washington around noon on the West Front Lawn of the US Capitol and marched toward the Lincoln Memorial.

In other major US cities and towns, including New York, Chicago and Palm Beach, where Trump was spending Easter Weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort, demonstrations also took place and some were joined by thousands of people.

The crowd in New York City stretched for blocks as speakers stood next to a giant inflatable rooster, bearing Trump's golden hairdo, on a stage in Bryant Park on Saturday afternoon.

In Chicago, the protest started at Daley Square in downtown. It was more like an outdoor gathering: an orchestra band playing at intervals, many protesters dancing to the tune of the music, toddlers sitting in strollers, and infants carried in parents' arms.

"We are not reporters, but we care," said a protester, referring to Trump's remarks that only reporters care about his tax returns.

After the organizers took turns to give speeches, the protesters marched northward and stopped on the bank of the Chicago River across from the Trump Tower.

At least 20 people were arrested after violence broke out on Saturday between groups of supporters and detractors of Trump holding rallies in downtown Berkeley, authorities said.

About 200 people were at Berkeley's Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park when several fights broke out. Dozens of police officers in riot gear standing nearby quickly arrested one man. Others were arrested after several skirmishes.

Trump supporters announced earlier in the week that they were holding a "Patriot Day" at the park at noon that would feature speeches by members of the alt-right, an amorphous fringe movement that uses internet memes, message boards and social media to spread a hodgepodge of racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny and xenophobia. Counter-demonstrators then said they would hold a rally at the same place at 10 am.

The tax marches, also seen in Philadelphia and dozens of other US cities, coincided with the April 18 deadline for tax returns in 2017.

During his campaign and after the election victory, the Trump camp repeatedly refused to release Trump's tax returns, saying Trump's tax returns were under audit.