Thousands gather in U.S. cities for 4th day of anti-Trump protests

Demonstrators were gathering again Saturday in cities across the United States to protest against president-elect Donald Trump, who they say will threaten their civil and human rights.

Rallies were scheduled throughout the day in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, where organizers said they hoped to continue the momentum after several nights of demonstrations triggered by the real-estate mogul's surprise win in Tuesday's presidential election.

"We must unite despite our differences to stop HATE from ruling the land," organizers in New York wrote in a Facebook post announcing a rally at noon local time in Union Square and then a march to Trump Tower, the president-elect's skyscraper home on Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan.

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Hours before Saturday's demonstrations were set to begin, a protester in Portland was shot as he took part in a march across the Morrison Bridge. He is expected to live, but police said the suspect, who apparently fled in his vehicle, remains at large.

Since Trump's victory, demonstrators in several cities have decried the Republican's campaign promises to restrict immigration and register Muslims, as well as allegations that the former reality-TV star sexually abused women.

"It is our time as a movement to unite and fight back against Donald Trump and what he wants to do to this country," organizers said on Facebook in announcing a rally in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles on Saturday.

As of early on Saturday morning, some 100,000 people had indicated on Facebook that they were planning to attend or were interested in the anti-Trump rallies in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, where organizers told protesters that violence and vandalism will not be tolerated.

Demonstrations mostly peaceful

The demonstrations so far have been largely peaceful, although in Portland, protesters have smashed store windows, sprayed graffiti and damaged cars as they clashed with police who used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds.

And Friday evening marches disrupted traffic in Miami and Atlanta. Trump supporter Nicolas Quirico was travelling from South Beach, Fla., to Miami. His car was among hundreds stopped when protesters blocked Interstate 395.

"Trump will be our president. There is no way around that, and the sooner people grasp that, the better off we will be," he said. "There is a difference between a peaceful protest and standing in a major highway backing up traffic for five miles. This is wrong."

Trump changes course on protests

The demonstrations since the election have been impromptu affairs, quickly organized by young Americans with a diverse array of backgrounds and agendas.

But as activists look to the next four years with Trump in the White House while his party controls both houses of Congress, some are preparing for what they hope will be the nation's most enduring demonstrations since the Occupy Wall Street movement.

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Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said on Friday that protesters have to accept the election results.

Trump initially denounced the protests and said they were "incited" by the media, but then reversed course on Friday and praised the demonstrators' "passion for our great country."

Protests in Mexico

Some Mexicans protested at a statue representing independence in their country's capital city, holding placards and banners against Trump's policy statements.

A group gathered at Mexico City's Independence monument, expressing concern about a possible wave of deportations.

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School teacher Armando Osorio said Mexico simply is not prepared to receive a large number of deported migrants. He said the structural and labour conditions do not exist.

He said it would add to the "unrest" that's already in Mexico.

Trump meets with lead Brexit campaigner

Meanwhile, leading Brexit campaigner and U.K. Independence Party leader Nigel Farage visited Trump at his home in New York City for a meeting,which a Trump aide said was"very productive."

"I think they enjoy each other's company, and they actually had a chance to talk about freedom and winning and what this all means for the world," said Kellyanne Conway, manager of Trump's election campaign.

Farage has told the BBC he is willing to help British Prime Minister TheresaMay's government build bridges with the U.S. president-elect, and one UKIP official has suggested Farage be the next British ambassador to the U.S.

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Farage, who spoke at a Trump rally during the election campaign, had predicted the former reality TV host would tap into the same dissatisfaction among voters that led to Britain deciding on June 23 to leave the EU, or Brexit.

Trump made repeated references to Brexit during his campaign, saying it had highlighted the desire for change among voters frustrated with traditional politics.