US democracy at a crossroad
"I’m so happy to see all of you here today rallying for democracy and standing up for a democratic USA.
"My name is Bill Borden. As vice chair of Democrats Abroad in Sweden, I represent nealy 4,000 Americans in Sweden. So why are we protesting today? Here are some of the reasons.
"Stop ICE detentions and ICE murders! Stop the destruction of American democracy! End this illegal war! Take down the tyrant Donald Trump and his henchmen! Take back our democracy!
"We are not alone. We will be joined later today by millions of Americans gathered in more than 3,100 protests in the USA along with other Americans living abroad all around the globe. This is indeed a mass movement.
"Together, we will stop this nightmare perpetuated by Trump and his greedy billionaire collaborators. They do not represent America. We do!
"Our protests make us part of a great cause. They empower us. Americans are resisting tyranny more than ever. But protests alone will not be enough to reach our goals.
"We need to be active, engaged and doing the ongoing work of resistance. Groundbreaking Harvard University research reveals that when 3½% of the adult population actively resist without violence, tyrants can be peacefully overthrown.
"Examples are the victories against dictatorships in the Phillipine islands in 1986, in Czeckoslovakia in 1989, in the country of Georgia in 2003, in Poland in 2023, and hopefully in Hungary in elections in two weeks.
"So, the best thing that we Americans in Stockholm can do is join Democrats Abroad, become active and be the democratic change we are fighting for.
"We activists must find as many Americans in Sweden as possible and help them to easily request their ballots online and vote.
"Tell all the Americans you know to join us and vote.
"Do become active. Sign up with Carolyn or Zoe. It’s our resistance that can stop the destruction of American democracy. Our votes will bring down the wannabe tyrant King Donald Trump.
"If we vote, we win. We can win the House, the Senate, governorships and state legislatures.
"We can defeat the tryant Trump and his oligarchs! Together, we will win!"