The last massive protests that looked like this took place in multiple cities over several weeks. That was leading up to the Iraq war. They were ignored.
Were the Iraq war protesters facing existential threats? No. So the situations are not comparable.
Imagine if the US passed a law allowing Southern States to extradite, prosecute, and imprison anyone in New York for criticizing the Republican party. You'd have ten million New Yorkers out in full force.
