Thousands of people swarmed the Newton Centre Green on Saturday in the third iteration of the “No Kings” protests as part of a nationwide campaign against the policies of President Donald Trump’s second administration.
“Things have to change,” said protester and Newtonville resident Karen Blatt. “It just has to change. The lawlessness, corruption, the flagrant disregard for the constitution, the lack of intelligence in his, well, in himself and his coterie.”
The protest was one of over 3,300 worldwide “No Kings” demonstrations, an anti-Trump movement that started in June last year to rival the military parade Trump held on his birthday.
Organizers estimate that the first two rounds of the rallies drew more than five million people in June and seven million in October, with this most recent one drawing at least eight million.
“The president thinks his rule is absolute,” organizers wrote. “But in America, we don’t have kings—and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty … ‘No Kings’ is more than just a slogan; it is the foundation that our nation was built upon.”
Newton’s rally saw around 2,500 protestors overflow the Newton Centre Green, making for an extremely packed crowd. Protesters extended across Centre Street and Beacon Street, with hundreds of signs criticizing the president and his administration. Many dressed in costumes, ranging from kings to inflatable lobsters.
“I wish there was more we could do,” said protester and Ward 2 Newton School Committee representative, Margaret Albright. “I really wish there was more we could do besides protest. I’m gonna say, I have relatives that live in red states. I’m constantly telling them you gotta vote. You gotta vote. You gotta get these people out.”
Activist group Newton Indivisible, along with other organizers, set up a stage where people gave speeches. They also set up stations, such as the “Urgent Care Clinic for Democracy,” where protesters could meet with a “doctor” to help them cope with anger towards the president, and a “Dream Zone,” where protesters could sit down with a stranger and draft an “ideal world.”
While the previous two “No Kings” protests were largely centered around broad disapproval of the Trump administration’s policies, Saturday’s protest was fueled by more specific issues. This includes the deaths of American citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti after being shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in January and the ongoing war in Iran that began last month.
“The war in Iran has been a particular concern for me, particularly the complete absence of strategy and planning,” said protester and Newton South High School teacher Jamie Rinaldi. “[The administration’s] incompetence will leave the region in ruin, and I think will have really dire effects on people all across the world.”
For protestor Larry Vallas, ICE’s increased nationwide presence was one of the biggest motivators that encouraged him to attend the protest.
“My biggest issue is ICE and just picking up immigrants for no reason at all, just because they’re immigrants or because of the wrong color or whatever—that’s wrong,” Vallas said. “Yeah, that’s absolutely wrong, right? You know, I know lots of immigrants are great people.”
Protester David Hofstetter, who held a sign with plastic balls taped to it that read, “Free Balls! For Members of Congress that have lost theirs,” said that he felt that the administration is corrupt and killing democracy.
“It’s a corrupt administration,” Hofstetter said. “They’re an incompetent administration. Congress is reckless and won’t do anything. They’ve taken more days off this session than any Congress has ever taken off. They’re racist, they’re sexist … democracy is important, and they’re killing democracy.”
Toward the end of the protest, many went on the stage and spoke to the crowd, sharing what they were most passionate about and thanking protesters for attending. Among those who spoke were Newton’s Ward 4 Councilor-at-Large Cyrus Dahmubed and the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA)’s Political Director Maroni Minter.
“I believe, is why we’re all here today, because we believe in something simple,” Minter said in his speech. “That is the idea that there are no kings and democracy. No one person is above the law—no one person gets to decide who lives, whose life has value, and whose does not. No one person gets to rule through fear.”
