People across the US took to the streets on Saturday for the latest “No Kings” demonstrations targeting US President Donald Trump, protesting what they view as democratic backsliding and the administration’s authoritarian tendencies. Organizers, a coalition of civil society groups, said more than 3,100 rallies were registered nationwide, with over 3,000 events planned for the day.
In Washington, marchers crossed a bridge over the Potomac to the Lincoln Memorial, the site of historic civil rights demonstrations, carrying signs reading “Put down the crown, clown” and “Regime change begins at home” and chanting slogans such as “Trump Must Go Now!” and “Fight Fascism.”
In Atlanta, 36-year-old military veteran Marc McCaughey told AFP he felt the Constitution was “under threat in a multitude of different ways,” adding, “No country can govern without the consent of the people. Things aren’t normal. They aren’t okay.”
Protests also took place in major European cities. In Germany, demonstrations were held in Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, and a few hundred gathered in Berlin to protest actions by ICE, voice concerns about anti-democratic tendencies, and call for the full release of the Epstein files. Hundreds joined a Munich demonstration, according to police. In Rome, marchers directed chants at Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after her government’s judicial reform referendum failed, warning of threats to judicial independence and calling for “a world free from wars,” including criticism of recent Israeli and US strikes on Iran. In London, banners read “Stop the far right” and “Stand up to Racism” as part of the coordinated international mobilization.
The White House dismissed the rallies; spokesperson Abigail Jackson described them as the product of “leftist funding networks” with little real public support. The National Republican Congressional Committee also criticized the demonstrations.
This is the third round of “No Kings” events in less than a year, following protests in June and October. Organizers said several million people attended the previous two rounds and aimed for over 9 million participants nationwide on Saturday.
The protests come as Trump faces mounting backlash over immigration policy, perceived high-level corruption, the cost-of-living crisis, and tensions related to Iran. Americans have been alarmed by rising fuel prices in recent weeks after a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran. With midterm elections approaching in November, Trump and his Republican Party face pressure amid concerns they could lose control of both chambers of Congress.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic and Wesley Dockery