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In cities and small towns across the United States, tens of thousands of people marched to send President Donald Trump a message: They don’t tolerate “kings, tyrants or dictators.”
“No Kings” demonstrations spanned 2,000 locations across the country, marking the largest demonstrations against the Trump administration since the start of his second term. The protests were organized in defiance of Trump’s military parade for the Army’s 250th anniversary which, coincidentally, marked the president’s 79th birthday.
Some 1,000 protesters marched toward Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach with “No Kings” banners, while Los Angeles saw more than 20,000 demonstrators march on the city following a week of unrest over the Trump administration’s anti-immigration agenda.
Protests were largely peaceful with few arrests nationwide and rallies were winding down by late afternoon, but there were reported clashes with police in pockets of the country and several acts of violence apparently targeting demonstrators.
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Tensions escalated in downtown LA late afternoon as police sought to disperse demonstrators by using flash bangs and canisters of tear gas. Protesters responded with loud fireworks and calls to “hold the line.”
In San Francisco, a driver struck four protesters in what police are investigating as “a possible act of intent.” Another driver in Culpeper, Virginia “intentionally” drove into a crowd of protesters, according to police.
Law enforcement officials in Texas evacuated the state capitol in Austin after “credible threat” to lawmakers who planned to attend today’s protests.
The protests followed early morning news of what officials are calling a “politically motivated assassination” in Minnesota, where police have launched a manhunt for Vance Boelter, who is suspected of gunning down State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark.
Florida
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More than 1,000 people marched towards Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach but were blocked off by police with riot shields.
Protesters were stopped roughly 300 yards from Trump’s Florida home and met by dozens of state and local police who formed a line to block the group from getting too close to the property.
A “handful” of Trump supporters were also there but the march was reportedly peaceful. Protesters turned back to West Palm Beach after being stopped by police.
In Ocala, three people were arrested after a dispute broke out between a protester and a counter-protester.
Georgia
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In DeKalb County, Georgia, at least eight people were arrested as officers fired tear gas on demonstrators at a nearby protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Police in riot gear were seen using tear gas on anti-ICE protesters who ran away and climbed over shrubs to escape. DeKalb County Police reportedly gave the crowd 15 minutes to disperse. Protest organizers urged people back onto the sidewalk.
At least eight people were taken into custody.
“The right to protest is fundamental and respected in DeKalb County,” the county’s CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said in a statement. “But when a protest shifts from peaceful and law-abiding to one that threatens public safety and disregards lawful orders, I trust our officers to respond appropriately. Our duty is to protect both the rights of individuals and the wellbeing of the broader community.”
Philadelphia
At the “No Kings” flagship protest, the Philadelphia Police Department police said 80,000 people descended on the city. There were no arrests.
Marchers shouted “Whose streets? Our streets!” as they approached the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where they listened to speakers on the steps made famous in the movie Rocky.
“So what do you say, Philly?” Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland shouted to the crowd. “Are you ready to fight back? Do you want a gangster state or do you want free speech in America?”
The whole crowd joined in a chant of “No hate. No fear. Immigrants are welcome here” in response to speaker Lorella Praeli, co-president of the Community Change organization.
Raskin addressed Trump and said: “You are not our king and we are not your subjects.”
Martin Luther King Jr’s eldest son also spoke at the rally.
“We still believe in a nation without kings, without tyrants, without rulers who place themselves above the law,” Martin Luther King III told the crowd. “We are here to say this land belongs to the people, not to the monarchs, not to the autocrats, not to strong men, but to the people. You.”
Los Angeles & San Francisco
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There were worrying scenes in San Francisco when a motorist reportedly hit four protesters and fled, law enforcement officials told The Independent.
The driver was detained and police are investigating the incident “as a possible intentional act.”
One man was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
“It’s unfortunate that it happened. We definitely put a lot of safety methods for our marches in place,” said Adam Sheehan of Indivisible SF. “We’re very happy that the person is OK and that the law is talking to the person driving.”
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And after a week of unrest in Los Angeles following last weekend’s protests against ICE raids and ramped-up immigration arrests, Mayor Karen Bass urged protesters to keep the peace at Saturday’s demo.
More than 20,000 people marched through the city, where demonstrators deployed a giant Constitution, and protests were largely peaceful.
But scenes turned angrier later in the day as police appeared to deploy riot-control weapons, including rubber bullets and tear gas, against a large crowd of protesters.
A dispersal order was issued for a crowd outside a federal building complex as photos from the scene showed protesters fleeing officers.
A curfew was in effect from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. local time in large parts of the city following the unrest.
New York
New Yorkers showed up by the tens of thousands despite persistent drizzle, packing Fifth Avenue from 42nd Street to Madison Square Park, and then spilling into side streets and neighboring Broadway.
Organizers estimated 75,000 were in attendance.
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A diverse crowd ranged in age from children in strollers to seniors, and the mood was upbeat.
Signs, placards and even costumes covered a multitude of frustrations, complaints and anger toward the Trump administration, including furious denouncements of ICE, the president’s parade in Washington, D.C., and the work of the Department of Government Efficiency.
Others focused on the trampling of checks and balances in government, fears over a rise of authoritarianism, and — the central focus of the day — that America was founded through a revolution against the rule of a king. Police stood back along the route, many sheltering from the rain in doorways and storefronts.
Volunteers marshaled demonstrators off Fifth Avenue at 26th Street, the official end of the march, and small groups assembled nearby to continue the protest, waving wet placards and flags and chanting: “Donald Trump must go!”
Additional reporting by Io Dodds in San Francisco and Oliver O’Connell in New York
