“When people ask me how nonviolence can win, I have one word to say: Minnesota”~ Jane Fonda
“When people ask me how nonviolence can win, I have one word to say: Minnesota”~ Jane Fonda
“No Kings” protests draw 8 million people for the largest single day of protests in U.S. history.From major cities to rural towns that have never seen mobilizations like this before, participants made clear that in the U.S. we don’t do kings
April 2, 2026
By Lex McMenamin, Fabiola Cineas, Rachel Leingang and Amy Qin More than 8 million people protested against the current administration at more than 3,300 No Kings events across the US and in more than a dozen countries on Saturday, according to organizers. It’s the greatest number of protests in a single day in US history, said Britt Jacovich, the deputy communications director for Move On, one of the organizers behind No Kings.
Saturday’s protest was the third No Kings, organized by a coalition that also includes “anti-authoritarian” groups Indivisible and 50501, labor unions and other grassroots organizations. The last one in October drew 7 million people nationwide. A multiplicity of stressors drew protesters across issues, from ICE raids to the war in Iran to voting rights threats. “Since the last No Kings, we’re seeing higher gas prices and groceries, all while there’s an illegal war in Iran,” said Sarah Parker, the executive director of Voices of Florida and a national coordinator for the 50501 movement. “The people of America are pissed.” At the “flagship” event in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St Paul, organizers estimate around 200,000 people filled the streets around the state capitol to commiserate, mourn and speak out against the current administration. 
Actress and activist Jane Fonda read a statement from Renee Good’s wife, Becca. Bernie Sanders, the independent Vermont senator, riled up the crowd with remarks about the role of the ultra-rich in politics. And Bruce Springsteen sang his song about the death and destruction brought by ICE to the state, Streets of Minneapolis, leading the crowd in chants of “Ice out now!”
The state’s governor, Tim Walz, commended the state’s people for standing up for each other and for immigrants when Trump sent in thousands of federal agents, who killed Minneapolis residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Their names were featured heavily in No Kings protest signs in the city. 
Jane Fonda reads a statement from Renee Good’s wife, Becca.
In New York City, multiple No Kings contingents merged through Times Square, as well as the outer boroughs. Minutes before the main march was set to take off from Central Park, the state’s attorney general, Letitia James; the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams; actor Robert DeNiro; the Rev Al Sharpton; and Padma Lakshmi filed into the front of the crowd holding hand-painted banners that read: “We protect our democracy – people over billionaires – we protect our neighbors.”
Families carried LGBTQ+ pride and Palestinian flags, while other marchers held pun-heavy signs and handed out whistles in New York. Many signs and chants included anti-ICE, anti-Trump and pro-LGBTQ+ rights messaging. Anti-war was a prominent theme. “This war has to stop,” said MB, 55, a Queens resident who didn’t want to use their full name for safety reasons. “American people do not want what this administration is doing. We don’t want it. We need healthcare, we need jobs. We need infrastructure.” 
In downtown Chicago, protesters chanted “Trump must go now, fascists gotta go now” and “Ice out” as they filed into Grant Park. Chicago’s mayor, Brandon Johnson, addressed the crowd of thousands: “Look around, our movement is bigger, our resolve is bigger.”
Other speakers at Chicago’s rally discussed labor rights and keeping immigrant and trans communities safe. “When we build a world that protects trans people, we build a world that’s better for everyone,” said Iggy Ladden, the founder of the Chicago Therapy Collective. 
Protests were not just in big, progressive cities; nearly half of No Kings events were held in traditionally “red” or battleground states, organizers said. Some were in rural areas that had never seen mobilizations like this before, according to organizers. More than two-thirds of participants who RSVP’d for No Kings events were “outside of major urban centers,”, including Republican-controlled areas and bellwether counties, said Leah Greenberg, co-founder of Indivisible, at a press conference on Thursday.
On Saturday, Hundreds showed up in deep-red cities such as Lebanon, Pennsylvania; Midland, Texas; and Boise, Idaho, holding signs to protest against Trump and the war in Iran. Crowds also protested around the globe in Tokyo, Paris, Berlin, Rome and Sydney, Australia. 
Organizers have repeatedly noted that No Kings Day is only one aspect of broader efforts toward building people power and creating a just world for all – and that that work “doesn’t end after March 28”.
Content from The Guardian
Take action: Join the call for action on May Day—International Workers’ Day. It is organized under the banner of the “May Day Strong” coalition with the demand of “No Work, No School, No Shopping.” |
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