A federal judge has imposed an immediate procedural barrier to any abrupt alteration of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, ordering the centre to give 30 days' notice before making major physical changes, including demolition. The ruling came as thousands of people gathered on Friday evening outside the landmark in Washington to protest its indefinite closure and to voice alarm about plans linked to President Donald Trump.
Protesters filled streets in the Foggy Bottom neighbourhood and shut down traffic as they encircled the Kennedy Center in an event billed as "Hands Around the Kennedy Center." Many carried signs and wore costumes, and several booed when Mr Trump’s name came up during the programme. Organisers said they wanted to demonstrate public resistance to the president’s moves to reshape the institution.
The demonstration followed a week of legal and administrative moves. The Kennedy Center board, described in reporting as aligned with the president, voted to close the centre indefinitely for repairs just hours after US District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked the board’s attempt to restore Mr Trump’s name to the building. Earlier court rulings found the addition of Trump’s name to the centre was unlawful and ordered it removed.
Friday’s rally was also fuelled by a widely circulated photograph taken on Air Force One by AFP photographer Brendan Smialowski, which showed Mr Trump holding a placard with red lettering that read, in part, "Kennedy Center DEMOLIS..." The image intensified fears among activists that plans to alter or even tear down the facility could proceed without adequate notice.
Among the crowd were people in inflatable animal costumes, a man wearing a golden Trump mask with a sign mocking the board, and others holding baby Trump balloons. Protesters chanted, beat drums and held placards reading slogans such as "Keep your tiny hands off our Kennedy Center" and "Hands off the arts."
The protests come amid broader legal battles over several projects championed by the administration, including plans described as a triumphal arch and moves to take over East Potomac Golf Links and the US Institute of Peace. Speaking from the Oval Office this week, Mr Trump said he was willing to save the centre, insisting it was losing money and that his administration should receive recognition for any rescue effort.
The 30-day notice requirement creates a new layer of court oversight, but litigation over the centre and related projects is ongoing. Activists say their mobilisation aims to ensure the building’s future is decided publicly rather than by unilateral executive actions.
