Al -Jazeera Net Correspondents
Washington- The American capital, Washington, has been living for days for extensive preparations to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the American army, scheduled to be organized, on Saturday, amid an unprecedented security alert that included the closure of dozens of streets, vital bridges and the erection of huge security barriers that spanned vast areas in the city center.
A comprehensive military parade is expected to be organized in which units of various branches of the American army are expected to participate, as well as combat vehicles and air shows, in Mashhad, the largest of its kind in decades, according to the US Department of Defense (Pentagon).
A number of streets appeared Washington The Great, which is usually filled with cars, is deserted except from the police and huge black fences that block the vision, and extend long distances in the vicinity White House And a building Capitol. The signs of the “road closed” and “prohibited entry” are also spread at each intersection, and security vehicles are distributed on the outskirts of public squares, which caused confusion in the movement of transport inside and its surroundings.
Preparations
According to the police data, preparations extended to the authorities of the authorities more than 18 miles of metal barriers to surround the vicinity of the US military’s celebrations, and the establishment of 175 electronic checkpoints to control the entry movement to the security zone. It has also completely closed vital bridges linking the capital, Washington, Virginia, in exceptional procedures that started from Thursday morning and will continue until dawn next Monday.
The huge military celebration comes in a highly tense political moment within the United States, as it coincides with the 78th anniversary of the birth of the president Donald TrumpWho seeks through the occasion to “highlight the strength and prestige of the state.” But this message is not the same welcome to all Americans, especially those affected by the reducing federal spending and the high cost of living.
In this context, a number of residents of the capital expressed their annoyance with the strict security measures that imposed restrictions on movement and movement, while others described what is happening as an “unjustified waste” of public money at a time when poverty rates are increasing even among the workers in the government sector.
Criticism
Vanessa, an employee of a government institution in Washington, says that she had to work from home this week because all the roads leading to her office are closed, and she criticized the organization of the celebration in an interview with Al Jazeera Net saying, “I see no benefit from this military parade, the army did not ask this, Trump only wants to use them as a gauge tool to satisfy his arrogance.”
For his part, Alex, who is an old warrior and lives on the outskirts of Washington, described the celebration of “unjustified extravagance money money”, and said in a statement to Al -Jazeera Net that “Trump contradicts himself when he adopts a sharp reduction in the budget of the most important federal agencies and causes damage to broad groups of American society, and at the same time organizes a silly celebration to celebrate far away His birth. “
Although the authorities have not officially announced the total cost of the event, unofficial estimates talked about millions of dollars spent on the security structure, traffic transfers, and logistical transportation of military vehicles.
Tension indicators
The occasion is not without tension indicators, especially in light of the escalation of events in other states such as California, which has been living in widespread protests for days. Trump warned of a “strong response” if protesters tried to disrupt the concert, stressing that “the force will be present to prevent any violations.”
On the other hand, civil organizations called for the organization of concurrent protests under the slogan “No Kings in America”, and plans for more than two thousand protest sites across the American states, with the aim of expressing what it describes as “the increasing authoritarianism” of the Trump administration.
The Associated Press quoted security officials in the capital, as saying that the authorities are closely monitoring invitations to the “No Kings” protests, confirming that they had put plans to deal with any peaceful gatherings within the legal framework.