[translated from German using Google Translate]

David S. Meyer, 66, is a professor of sociology at the University of California, Irvine. Meyer has been researching civil resistance and social movements for over three decades. In his book "How Social Movements (Sometimes) Matter," he analyzes the most important US protest movements of the last few decades.

SPIEGEL: Anyone who sees how US President Donald Trump is cutting funding and jobs for authorities and many research institutions in the country asks themselves: Where are the mass demonstrations?

Meyer: There are demonstrations in Washington, D.C., and also in other places in the country. But it is true that the groups are still small. It is important to know that protests do not form spontaneously or happen by themselves. They have to be organized. For large events, groups are needed to plan and coordinate them.

SPIEGEL: In 2017, during Trump's first term, half a million people came to Washington, D.C. for the "Women's March" to demonstrate for equal rights. Why did that work?

Meyer: At the time, Trump still seemed like an anomaly, a strange blip in history. That surprised some people so much that they felt they had to do something about it. So large organizations like Planned Parenthood, which advocates for sexual education and women's health, and the environmental organization Greenpeace invested in the protest, throwing their money and organizational power into the mix. It was the largest one-day demonstration in American history.

Continue reading: https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/mensch/usa-wo-sind-die-grossen-demos-gegen-donald-trump-a-6f617bce-d0d1-4ece-9d32-3ddca3f3577c?giftToken=1aa4bc0e-e6ba-4fb0-a21e-2413c01ac106