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Several hundred protesters marched through Center City Wednesday afternoon, chanting and carrying signs in opposition to President Donald Trump’s actions in the two weeks since taking office.

Chief concerns ranged from tech magnate Elon Musk’s power over the federal government, the president’s proposal to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza, the rise of fascism in America and protecting LGBTQ, immigrants’ and workers’ rights, among others.

Wednesday’s protest was among dozens in cities across the United States, including Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. The protests were a result of a “decentralized” movement that was organized largely online and through social media under the hashtags #buildtheresistance and #50501, which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, one day. Local organizers in different states put out calls for separate actions under this same banner.

Starting at Philadelphia’s City Hall, protesters marched to Sen. Dave McCormick’s office. Then they marched down Market Street toward Sen. John Fetterman’s office in the U.S. Customs House, chanting “No more Trump or Musk!” Familiar protest chants of “The people, united, will never be defeated” were also common, as was profanity, to denounce what protesters see as the rise of fascism in America.

At both senators’ offices, longtime activist Tim Uhlman gave a short but rousing speech — met with cheers from the crowd —  condemning their lack of pushback toward Trump administration policy.

Later, speaking with WHYY, Ulman warned that President Trump and Musk are a threat to democracy.

“Donald Trump and Elon Musk need to be stopped before they completely dismantle government as we know it,” he said.

While many protesters shared an opposition to Trump and Musk’s agenda, there was political and generational diversity among the protesters. Veteran activists, first-timers, college students and retirees all joined together in the march.

Some wore a keffiyeh, the checkered scarf that is an important cultural symbol for Palestinian liberation, while others had signs supporting LGBTQ rights. Members of leftist political parties walked alongside first-time protesters. Even two tourists from Chicago were caught up in the moment, veering off the sidewalk to join.

“Stop the coup,” read one protester’s sign. “Resist the billionaire takeover,” read another.

Many others held signs targeting the power of Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and director of the newly minted Department of Government Efficiency, such as “Trump and Musk are not kings” and “Elon is not the president.” Critics say Musk’s attempts to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, and his gaining access to the Treasury Department’s payment system, are examples of executive branch overreach that may even be illegal.

Jamie Cramer was among many at the march who condemned Musk for having too much power and influence.

“Right now, we’re watching democracy be eroded in front of our very eyes, and we’re waiting for someone to do something. Democrats are trying to do something, they’re getting shut down by the GOP,” Cramer said. “Elon doesn’t have any accountability, he is supposedly reporting to Donald Trump. But what’s Trump doing?”

“This is all part of his agenda, this is Project 2025. It’s being executed in front of our eyes, and no one is doing anything,” Cramer added.

Vince Fenerty, chair of Philadelphia’s Republican City Committee, told WHYY that everyone has a right to protest orderly. He added that the president must be given a “good chance to get everything right and get American affairs back in order” and that they weren’t “over the past four years.”

Avery Dyer, a member of the leftist political group Revolutionary Communists of America, which seeks to create a worker-led government, was animated by the fact that there are a lot of people struggling in America today.

“We need to recognize that the working class — people who go out and work for a wage everyday — those are the people who are actually keeping society running, who are producing everything, and we should get a say about how [the government] is run,” Dyer said.

Retiree Rita Hojnacki, of Port Richmond, said she’s not been to many protests, but came out Wednesday because she’s scared about the state of American democracy.

“The last two weeks have been horrible. It’s like our whole democracy is crumbling before our eyes,” she said. “We the people have to stand up for our democracy or we’re not going to have it. Generations have died for us to have this.”

Another first-time protester, Temple University student and artist Saoni Lorenzo, said they protested to send a message.

“I’m Dominican, my parents were immigrants. I’m trans, I’m nonbinary, so I’m affected by a lot of the s*** that [President Trump] is pushing out and the fascist agenda he’s trying to push,” they said. “I want to do something actionable and show alongside all the other people across the country that we’re not putting up with this s***.”