Americans across all 50 states will march in protests against the Trump administration on Saturday, aligning behind a message that the country is sliding into authoritarianism and there should be no kings in the US.
Millions are expected to turn out for the No Kings protests, the second iteration of a coalition that marched in June in one of the largest days of protest in US history.
Because we love America,” said Andrea Young, director of the American Civil Liberties Union chapter in Georgia.
Trump’s allies have sought to cast the No Kings protests as anti-American and led by antifa, the decentralized anti-fascist movement, while also claiming that the protests are prolonging the government shutdown.
The simple framing of the protests is that the US has no kings, a dig at Trump’s increasing authoritarianism.
On Saturday, citizens of all 50 states will march in opposition to the Trump administration, uniting behind the calls that the US should be free of monarchs and that the nation is descending into authoritarianism.
Millions are anticipated to attend the No Kings demonstrations, which are the second iteration of a coalition that participated in one of the biggest protest days in US history in June. The fact that events are planned in over 2,700 venues—from tiny towns to major cities—reflects the decentralization of an anti-Trump protest movement that was centered on protests in Washington, DC, during his first term in office.
At least 10,000 people had gathered in Georgia by mid-morning in the Atlanta Civic Center’s field in anticipation of a march to the state capital.
All of the American flags are beautiful. We love America, that’s why,” said Andrea Young, director of the Georgia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. Our purpose is to declare that we love America too much to cede it to a king-in-waiting. We are governed by laws, a constitution, and the Bill of Rights, and we are here to oppose kings. Everyone is subject to the law, we say. And the law applies to everyone. “.”.
Donald Trump has increased the number of immigration agents and tried to deploy federal troops in an effort to crack down on American cities. He targets left-leaning groups that he says are encouraging terrorism or political violence in an effort to criminalize dissent.
Many cities have retaliated by filing lawsuits to stop the infusion of national guard members, and citizens have demonstrated against the militarization of their neighborhoods.
In addition to asserting that the No Kings protests are extending the government shutdown, Trump’s supporters have attempted to portray the demonstrations as anti-American and spearheaded by antifa, the decentralized anti-fascist movement. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has declared that, ahead of the demonstrations, the state’s national guard will be sent to Austin, the state capital.
The demonstrations are anticipated to draw a number of politicians, including independent Senator Bernie Sanders and Democratic Senators Chris Murphy and Chuck Schumer. Tens of thousands of participants have received safety and de-escalation training, and the No Kings coalition has emphasized its dedication to peaceful resistance on numerous occasions.
One of the protest organizers, Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, stated, “The most important message for people to carry is that the president wants us to be scared, but we will not be bullied into fear and silence.”. “And it’s crucial that people don’t let that fear intimidate them; instead, they should maintain their composure, stand tall, and express their values. “”.
Over 200 organizations have committed to participating in the protests on October 18. Anchor cities include Washington, DC; San Francisco; San Diego; Atlanta; New York City; Houston; Honolulu; Boston; Kansas City, Missouri; Bozeman, Montana; Chicago; and New Orleans, according to the organizers.
In a jab at Trump’s growing authoritarianism, the protests are simply framed as saying that the US has no kings. Prominent Republicans, such as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, have called the demonstrations a “hate America rally.”.
Trump has stated that he wants a third term and “is already acting like a monarch.” The organizers have cited a number of themes, including the following: the Trump administration has overreached itself, ignoring the courts, cutting services, and deporting people without due process. Trump is also using taxpayer money for power grabs, sending in federal forces to take over US cities.
There have been calls from leftist organizations for the formulation of a specific political agenda and specific demands. The Socialist Equality Party said in a statement titled “No Kings, No Nazi Führers! Mobilize the Working Class Against Trump’s Dictatorship!” released on October 15 that while the party’s catchphrase, “No Kings,” expresses the general public’s opposition to autocracy, it also cautioned that “anger and outrage are not enough to stop dictatorship.”.
Public Citizen, a progressive organization, stated that the demonstrations were intended to oppose “the most unlawful administration in American history” and that “millions of Americans will come together in peaceful pro-democracy protests to show that we will never bow to a king.”.
Millions of people turned out for the June No Kings protests, which were “probably the second-largest single day demonstration since Trump first took office in January 2017,” second only to the Women’s March in 2017, according to the Harvard Crowd Counting Consortium, which estimates that between 2 million and 4 million people attended protests across the more than 2,000 locations.
