On Saturday, Oct. 18, protestors gathered globally by the millions to speak against the so-called authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. They united under one simple message, “America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people.” According to the No Kings’ website, more than seven million demonstrators marched, chanted and exercised their First Amendment rights across more than 2,700 locations in the United States.

On the ground in the Boston Commons, where over 100,000 people gathered, the atmosphere was lively, peaceful and energetic. Between speeches from local activists and political figures, including Mayor Michelle Wu and Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, bands played music while people danced dressed in colorful costumes and inflatable animal suits. The overall rhetoric was pro-American democracy, anti-fascism and anti-Trump and his supporters. While some chose to fly the American flag upside down, the majority asserted that this act of protest was an act of patriotism. One protestor held a sign that read “Patriotic Americans Resist Facism,” and another sign proclaimed “We Have A Constitution Not A King.” Many in the crowd chose to proudly wave the American flag as they advocated for the American values of constitutional rights, democracy, liberty and justice for all. Other common messages were anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement, defending free speech and due process a belief in the power of the American people. Police presence at the protest in Boston was minimal; officers of the Boston Police Department monitored safety primarily from outside the crowd. There were no arrests made, according to National Broadcasting Company Boston. 

The messages of the protestors contradict the words of House Speaker Mike Johnson, who labeled No Kings Day as a “hate America rally.” In a speech that fired up the crowd in the Boston Commons, Senator Elizabeth Warren called the Republicans of Congress “spineless” and said that all they do is bow down to Trump. She denounced the claims from Republicans that No Kings Day is anti-American, saying, “Hundreds of thousands of people protesting peacefully for what they believe in, that is deeply American, that is patriotism.” Warren also called out Trump for trying to scare the American people into giving up, after which she asked the crowd, “Do we bow down to kings? Do we bow down to bullies? Do we bow down to Trump?” and the people of Boston respond with a roaring, “No!” 

After Warren’s speech concluded, Senator Markey took the stage. He accused the Trump administration of being guilty of “greed, corruption, injustice and hate.” This message resonated with a crowd full of people protesting for the power to be returned to the people. The message of the protest was clear: Anti-fascism is patriotism.

The protests remained largely peaceful. In New York, over 100,000 people protested with no arrests made, said the New York Police Department on X. Much like protestors in Boston, NYC protestors dressed colorfully, danced to live music and even wore inflatable animal costumes as a sign of their peaceful intentions. One of the few notable instances of violence from Saturday’s protest happened outside of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Portland, Oregon, where federal agents used tear gas, flash bangs and pepper balls in attempts to disperse the crowd of roughly 500 protesters. Prior to the incident at the main No Kings protest in Portland, which remained peaceful, one of the organizers warned the crowd not to protest at the ICE center because it was not officially organized and there would be no safety measures or volunteers in place. 

The organizers of the No Kings Day protest had a goal based on political science: the 3.5% rule, according to The Guardian. The idea: if even a small majority of a population can come together and peacefully protest, their demands grow too loud for any regime to ignore. According to the Harvard Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights, nonviolent movements are more than twice as effective as their violent counterparts, and peaceful protests with at least 3.5% of the population taking part have never failed to make change. The protest failed to reach this benchmark as 11 million people were needed to hit the 3.5%. 

In Chicago the slogans “Hands Off Chicago” and “Abolish ICE” took focus among protestors in response to the Homeland Security’s "Operation Midway Blitz,” a federal crackdown on immigration enforcement with the goal to “target criminal illegal aliens terrorizing Americans in the sanctuary Illinois.” The Department of Homeland Security gave local authorities no prior notice of any increase in federal efforts, said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Trump describes the city of Chicago as having ordered the deployment of the National Guard in the greater Chicago area; a federal judge temporarily blocked this order. The Justice Department has asked the Supreme Court Of The United States to overrule this blocking and allow troops to deploy in Chicago. Additionally, a federal judge, Sara Ellis, has ordered ICE to halt the use of tear gas on peaceful protesters and commanded that ICE agents must use body-worn cameras. She is now questioning ICE and Border Patrol officials over alleged violations of the body worn camera mandate.  

Citizens and local authorities of Chicago are pushing back against ICE involvement in Chicago. Mayor Brandon Johnson accused Trump of “using ICE as his private, militarized, occupying force.” With fierce cheers from the crowd, Johnson shouted, “We do not want troops in our city. We will not allow our city to be occupied.” The No Kings protest in Chicago is estimated to have had 250,000 people in a march that spanned two miles. A group of protesters carried a 75-foot-long replica of the Constitution through the streets of Chicago. American flags were waved and “U.S.A!” was chanted throughout the march. No protest-related arrests were made on Saturday in Chicago. 

On Sunday, Oct. 19, Donald Trump responded to the No Kings protests by saying “I’m not a king” in an interview on Fox News. With respect to the city of Chicago, Trump claimed “the people love us. The people want us there.” Trump continued to set his sights on sending the National Guard into San Francisco. Towards the end of the interview, Trump reminded the U.S. “I can use the Insurrection Act,” which in his words, gives him “unquestionable power.” As Trump seeks to clean up Democratic cities that he claims are crime-ridden disasters, expect to see more national guard troops deployed across America in an attempt to fight crime. 

The No Kings protests failed to reach the size that the organizers were hoping for, and so far it seems as if the voices of the millions who gather have not slowed down the actions of the Trump administration which they have condemned. It is not clear what the next moves are for the organizers of Saturday’s nationwide protests and if there will be a third No Kings protest in the future. 

Overall, the protesters on Saturday spoke out against the alleged fascist behavior of the Trump administration, denounced ICE presence in cities across America and remained largely peaceful. In Boston, speeches from local and state politicians fired up the crowd and slammed the Trump administration and  Republican members of Congress. In response to the mass protests, Trump asserts that he is not a king and reminded democratic cities that he can use the Insurrection Act as a means to complete his agenda. While the protests are over, the battle for control of America's cities rages on in courts. Any resolution to these matters is still far from sight as Trump continues his efforts to deploy the National Guard and many local authorities fight to keep law enforcement in the hands of local and state agencies.