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.
Organizers 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.
By all accounts, the demonstrations were largely festive, often featuring inflatable characters and marchers dressed in costumes. The demographically mixed crowds included parents pushing youngsters in strollers alongside retirees and people with pets in tow.
Little, if any, lawlessness was reported, Reuters said.
“There is nothing more American than saying, ‘We don’t have kings’ and exercising our right to peacefully protest,” said Leah Greenberg, co-founder of Indivisible, a progressive organization that led planning of Saturday’s events.
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 Center 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 militarized 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.
As his administration has tried to rapidly implement its policies, Trump has installed inexperienced loyalists throughout the ranks of his administration and sought to apply pressure on the news media, law firms and universities.
Saturday’s rallies were boisterous but orderly, with police largely keeping a low profile.
Demonstrators filled a street in Washington, D.C., to march toward the US Capitol, chanting and carrying signs, U.S. flags and balloons, as a carnival-like atmosphere prevailed.
Aliston Elliot, wearing a Statue of Liberty headpiece and holding a “No Wannabe Dictators” sign, said: “We want to show our support for democracy and fighting for what is right. I’m against the overreach of power.”
In downtown Houston, US Marine Corps veteran Daniel Aboyte Gamez, 30, joined a crowd that officials said numbered about 5,000 at city hall.
“I don’t understand what’s going on in this nation right now,” said Gamez, who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.