They call it #Calexit.
Interest in pushing for California’s secession from the United States has increased after Donald Trump won the presidency.
The “Yes California” campaign is backing an independence referendum in support of a constitutional exit of the state from the US. In the wake of 60% of the state’s voters supporting the presidential loser, Hillary Clinton, the movement is getting renewed interest.
“As the sixth largest economy in the world, California is more economically powerful than France and has a population larger than Poland. Point-by-point, California compares and competes with countries, not just the 49 other states,” the campaign’s website said.
The #calexit name stems from the successful “brexit” campaign in Britain to leave the European Union.
While the Yes Campaign has been considered a fringe movement in the past, it began trending on social media Wednesday night attracting more mainstream notice. Supporters are proposing a referendum on the issue in 2019.
The referendum would ask whether voters think California should become an independent country. It is mainly a way to gauge interest on whether Californians prefer statehood or want to move toward nationhood.
Of course, a secession is highly unlikely. Other politicians have talked of their states leaving the Union in the past with to no avail. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry suggested his state might leave the United States in 2009 during the rise of the tea party. That effort never gained traction.
Still, Hundreds of protesters — many of them Latino — hit Los Angeles City Hall Wednesday night chanting “¡Si se puede!” (Spanish for “yes, it’s possible” or “yes, one can” — a longtime rallying cry of the United Farm Workers).
Activists chanting #NotMyPresident in cities from coast-to-coast occupied the streets protesting the election results that made the former reality show star the next president.
Police estimated that thousands of people stood outside New York City’s Trump Tower protesting the president-elect’s positions on immigration and law enforcement.
“I came out here to let go of a lot of fear that was sparked as soon as I saw the results,” protester Nick Powers told CNN.
