On Saturday, March 18, protesters gathered in the Boston Common to raise their voices under one simple message: “No Kings.” Protesters united under views of anti-authoritarianism and against the alleged consolidation of power by the Trump administration. Fueled by the development of the war in Iran, “No Kings Day” saw 180,000 attendants in Boston and over 8 million protesters nationwide. This is an estimated one million more protesters than the previous No Kings Day that took place on Oct. 18. 

In Boston, the Common were crowded with people, activist organizations had information tables set up for their various causes, live bands played and speakers addressed the crowd. Security from the Boston Police Department was present, alongside additional protection from event organizers including metal detectors for the closest viewing section of the stage. Protesters held signs with anti-Trump messages, calling for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, condemning the war in Iran and advocating for immigrant rights. Notable speakers included Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, Governor Maura Healey and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell. 

Governor Healey opened her speech with the statement, “Basically, the bottom line here is that for 250 years we haven’t had kings in Massachusetts and we’re not going backwards.” Healey reminded the crowd of all the times both the citizens and government of Massachusetts have resisted the Trump administration. She asked everyone to keep fighting and to fight harder because “We know that Donald Trump is going to weaponize every agency in the federal government to steal this election.” She told the crowd that everyone needs to speak out and everyone needs to use their platform to raise their voice. In her final message to vote, she implored attendees to “get out and vote … We’ve gotta get young people voting who’ve given up on government and politicians.”

Senator Warren delivered an impassioned speech encouraging protesters to keep raising their voices and resisting the Trump administration. She condemned the war in Iran, Trump's tax cuts, ICE deployment and alleged misconduct and asked the crowd to fight back against the Trump Administration. Sending a message to Trump, she yelled into the crowd, “We don’t give up. We fight back.” Warren offered protesters hope and reassurance that their voices are being heard. She urged hopefulness and said that their work will result in change, saying, “We are winning at the ballot box, and we’re just getting started.” Warren closed her speech by saying, “The people have the power, not Donald Trump. We’re gonna do this together. Stay in the fight.”

The Boston protest remained completely peaceful. Among 180,000 demonstrators, no arrests were made. The Boston Common held 80,000 more people than the last “No Kings Day” in October. This increase marks significant growth in the “No Kings” movement over the last five months. In Chicago, roughly 200,000 demonstrators marched through the downtown area, which is 50,000 fewer people than the Oct. 18 “No Kings Day.” While the protests were largely non-violent, after the protests were mostly over in Los Angeles, a violent clash between demonstrators and the LAPD outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center led to the arrest of 74 protesters.