AMN / WEB DESK
Thousands of people across all 50 states of US took to the streets for the No Kings protests, a national movement opposing President Donald Trump’s administration and policies.
According to the media reports, more than 2,500 events were organized, drawing large crowds in cities like Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York. The protests aimed to reject authoritarianism and defend American democracy.
Protesters expressed concern over the erosion of democratic values, harsh immigration enforcement, the deployment of federal troops in cities, and cuts to government programs like healthcare.
The protests come during a tense political moment, as the federal government remains shut down amid a funding dispute. Democratic leaders voiced strong support, urging peaceful demonstrations. California Governor Gavin Newsom encouraged protesters to stay calm, while Senators Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders joined the rallies and praised Americans for standing up for democracy.
Protesters spanning all age groups took to the streets en masse for “No Kings” rallies across the United States on Saturday, denouncing what they view as authoritarian tendencies and unbridled corruption of US President Donald Trump.
Organisers expected millions of people to turn out by day’s end at more than 2,600 planned rallies in major cities, small towns, and suburbs, challenging a Trump-led agenda that has reshaped the government and upended democratic norms with unprecedented speed since he took office in January.
Demonstrators filled Times Square in New York City, where police said they made “zero protest-related arrests” even as more than 100,000 people rallied peacefully across all five boroughs.
Events in Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Denver, Chicago, and Seattle also drew crowds that each appeared to encompass thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people.
On the West Coast, more than a dozen rallies occurred around the Los Angeles area, including the primary site downtown. In Seattle, demonstrators filled a parade route that stretched for more than a mile from downtown through the Seattle Centre plaza around the city’s landmark Space Needle. More than 25,000 protested peacefully in San Diego, police said.
The protests reflected growing unease among many Americans, mainly on the ideological left, with developments such as the criminal prosecution of Trump’s perceived political enemies, his militarised immigration crackdown, and the sending of National Guard troops into US cities — a move Trump has said was aimed at fighting crime and protecting immigration agents.
Trump has said little about Saturday’s protests. But in an interview with Fox Business aired on Friday, he said that “they’re referring to me as a king – I’m not a king.”