‘No Kings’ protest preparations underway across the US
Cities are bracing for “No Kings” Day protests at nearly 2,000 locations across the U.S. Organizers expect massive crowds.
Thousands of protesters across the U.S. marched to condemn the Trump administration on Saturday, June 14, as part of a “national day of peaceful protest” known as the “No Kings” movement.
Around 1,800 rallies from California to Florida are coinciding with President Donald Trump’s DC parade and day-long festival commemorating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army on his 79th birthday.
Indivisible cofounder and protest organizer Ezra Levin explained ahead of Saturday that the movement is about reclaiming U.S. patriotism from the Republican Party and to denounce what he called Trump’s authoritarian actions.
Florida marchers rallied near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, while an impromptu rally sprang up at Philadelphia’s LOVE Park, where the Declaration of Independence was signed. In Los Angeles, marchers persisted even after Trump brought in the National Guard and the Marines to diminish violence that spiraled over immigration enforcement raids.
Though no official “No Kings” demonstration was organized in DC, attendees still protested outside the White House with some holding the movement’s slogan on their signs. Other signs read “Due process is for everyone,” “Immigrants make America great,” and “Those who ban history want to repeat it.”
Protests in Minnesota were canceled after Gov. Tim Walz urged protesters not to march in light of targeted shootings against two Democratic lawmakers early Saturday. However, anti-Trump protests persisted in the state despite the governor’s request and the No King’s official cancelation.
See photos of “No Kings” protests on Trump’s birthday
What is the ‘No Kings’ protest about
The “No Kings” protests are meant to reclaim the American flag and U.S. patriotism from the Republican Party, as well as to condemn what organizers are calling Trump’s recent “authoritarian” actions.
Many protesters are raising signs and chanting slogans supporting the rights of undocumented immigrants and denouncing what critics are calling Trump’s power grab.
“Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Continental Army was formed to fight back against a king, and there is an opportunity right now for Americans to come out and say: ‘No, wait, this isn’t what America stands for. We didn’t sign up for this guy to concentrate power in his own hands, to come after the pillars of political democracy,” Indivisible cofounder and protest organizer Ezra Levin said.
This story has been updated to add new information.
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