Human chain protest targets Kennedy Center closure vote
Demonstrators gathered around Washington DC’s Kennedy Center after its Trump-appointed board voted to close the arts institution for repairs lasting up to two years.
Thousands of demonstrators formed a human chain around Washington DC’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in protest against a board decision to close the institution for repairs expected to last up to two years.
The “Hands Around the Kennedy Center” rally drew protesters into the Foggy Bottom neighbourhood and halted traffic, according to reporting by Al Jazeera Global News. Demonstrators opposed Donald Trump’s control of the institution and expressed concern that he could pursue its demolition.
The protest followed a vote by the board, which Trump replaced with his own appointees before installing himself as chairman. Trump has declined to rule out demolishing the building, while a court has ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days’ notice before major structural changes.
The institution has also been at the centre of a legal dispute over attempts to add Trump’s name to its facade. Courts have ruled that the board lacked authority to rename the building without congressional approval.
Congress designated the Kennedy Center as a memorial to President John F Kennedy. The proposed closure concerns planned repairs, and the scope and duration of that work remain subject to the board’s plans.
