See below for some photos and video of today’s “Hands Off” rallies in Virginia, and also in DC (since a bunch of folks from Northern Virginia – 50 or so from the Arlington Democrats, for instance – are participating in that one). Something to keep in mind are these words from former President Barack Obama yesterday:
“It is up to all of us to fix this,..It’s not going to be because somebody comes and saves you. The most important office in this democracy is the citizen, the ordinary person who says, no, that’s not right.”
Exactly!
Protesters in Winchester, Virginia are showing up at the Hands Off! protest!
— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) April 5, 2025
Around 50 Arlington Dems participating in this “Hands Off” march in DC today!
What Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw said!
https://www.threads.net/@james_walkinshaw/post/DIEy0cCyxZJ
VIDEO: Ghazala Hashmi Speech at Anti-Trump Rally in Richmond
Hashmi slams Trump’s Mockery of the Constitution to Crowd of Thousands
Richmond — Today, State Senator Ghazala Hashmi (D-SD15), Democratic primary candidate for Virginia Lieutenant Governor, delivered a speech slamming Trump’s agenda to a crowd of thousands in Richmond’s Capitol Square.
Video of selections of Hashmi’s speech to the crowd, estimated at over 5,000, is available here and here. Unedited video is available upon request.
“Virginians have a responsibility, more than anyone else in this country, to live up to the values that we inscribe in the Declaration of Independence, in the Constitution of the United States, and in the Constitution of this Commonwealth. Now we are in a moment of historical crisis. We have a criminal in the White House…
…The people who are afraid of pronouns will not determine the future of this country. Let’s remind those people the very first word our constitution begins with a pronoun. And that pronoun is we. We the people,” pronounced Senator Hashmi.
Sen. Hashmi has the momentum in the Lieutenant Governor’s race, leading the polls and having outraised her next two opponents combined in the most recent campaign finance reporting period. Her long list of endorsements includes UNITE HERE (Hashmi is the only labor-endorsed candidate in the race, EMILYs List, Indian American Impact, former Rep. Leslie Byrne, Rep. Ro Khanna, and dozens of state and local elected leaders across the Commonwealth.
ABOUT SEN. GHAZALA HASHMI
Senator Ghazala Hashmi, PhD, serves in the Virginia General Assembly and represents the 15th Senatorial District which includes parts of Richmond City and Chesterfield County. She first ran for office in 2019, defeating a Republican incumbent in a long-held red seat. Her successful campaign secured a one-seat Democratic majority in the Virginia Senate and also secured a Democratic trifecta for the next two years. After winning her second term in office in November 2023, Senator Hashmi now serves as Chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee. She also sits on the following Senate Committees: Finance and Appropriations; Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources; Transportation; and Rules. Hashmi has been recognized by REPRO Rising, the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, and the Virginia Education Association for her work. Senator Hashmi has also been appointed, for the past four years, to numerous boards and commissions; additionally, she was elected in 2023 to serve as Vice Chair for the Education Committee of the Council of State Governments – Southern Region. Prior to her first election in November 2019, Senator Hashmi had a long career in higher education in Virginia.
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