A third round of "No Kings" protests is coming this spring, with organizers saying they're planning their largest demonstrations yet across the United States to oppose what they describe as authoritarianism under President Trump. Previous rallies have drawn millions of people, and organizers say they expect even greater numbers on March 28 in the wake of Trump's immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, where violent clashes have led to the death of two people. "We expect this to be the largest protest in American history," Ezra Levin, co-executive director of the nonprofit Indivisible, told the AP ahead of Wednesday's announcement. He predicted that as many as 9 million people will turn out.
"No Kings" protests, organized by a constellation of groups around the US, have been a focal point for outrage over Trump's attempts to consolidate and expand his power. Last year, Trump said he felt attendees were "not representative of the people of our country," insisting, "I'm not a king." The latest round of protests had been in the works before the crackdown in Minneapolis. However, the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in recent weeks has refocused plans. Levin said they want to show "support for Minnesota and immigrant communities all over" and oppose "the secret police force that is murdering Americans and infringing on their basic constitutional rights."
"The only way to defend those rights is to exercise them, and you do that in nonviolent but forceful ways, and that's what I expect to see in 'No Kings' three," Levin added. In June, the first "No Kings" rallies were organized in nearly 2,000 locations nationwide. Those protests followed unrest over federal immigration raids and Trump's deployment of the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles. They also addressed a military parade in the nation's capital that marked the Army's 250th anniversary and coincided with Trump's birthday.
During a second round of protests in October, organizers said demonstrations were held in about 2,700 cities and towns across the US. At the time, Levin pointed to Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown, his unprecedented promises to use federal power to influence midterm elections, restrictions on press freedom, and retribution against political opponents. "This isn't about Democrats versus Republicans," Levin said. "This is about: Do we have a democracy at all, and what are we going to tell our kids and our grandkids about what we did in this moment? I think that demands [this] kind of persistent engagement."
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