A global wave of “No Kings” demonstrations took place Saturday, as millions of protesters gathered in cities across the United States and abroad to voice opposition to what organizers describe as growing threats to democracy and executive overreach.
The movement, which began as an online slogan, has now evolved into an international campaign of unprecedented scope. According to the group’s official website, protests were held in all 50 U.S. states and territories, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as in countries across Europe, North America, and the Pacific.
International participants included Australia, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, England, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Panama, Mexico, Canada, and the British Virgin Islands. In countries that still maintain monarchies, demonstrators marched under the adapted slogans “No Tyrants” or “No Dictators.”
According to The Independent, nearly 7 million people across the United States took part in Saturday’s demonstrations, with more than 2,500 cities and towns hosting events nationwide.
In Southern California, thousands filled downtown Los Angeles, blocking portions of 1st and Alameda streets as police issued traffic advisories throughout the afternoon. Sky5 aerial footage showed hundreds more earlier in the day at intersections in Santa Clarita and Woodland Hills, where demonstrators waved signs and chanted slogans.
“We’re here to protect our democracy from this administration, from Donald Trump — a wannabe king,” Hunter Dunn told KTLA. Dunn is an organizer with 50501 SoCal, a group focused on peaceful civic action across the country.
Political reactions to the demonstrations reflected the country’s divides.
Ahead of Saturday’s demonstrations, California Gov. Gavin Newsom took to X to urge calm and civic engagement: “I urge our nation to use this weekend’s No Kings marches as a declaration of independence against the tyranny and lawlessness currently running this country. Use your voice. ACT PEACEFULLY. Protect yourself and your community. THERE ARE NO KINGS IN THE UNITED STATES.”
While Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson denounced the demonstrations, calling them “the ‘Hate America’ rally” and accusing participants of hypocrisy.
In June, the first wave of “No Kings” demonstrations drew between 4 and 6 million participants nationwide, making it one of the largest single days of protests in U.S. history, according to Jeremy Pressman, a political science professor, in an interview with The New York Times. Those early demonstrations were sparked by federal enforcement actions, including immigration raids and National Guard deployments in the Los Angeles area.
Since then, tensions have continued to rise not only in Los Angeles but in other cities across the country. Just last month, a 79-year-old Van Nuys car wash owner filed a $50 million federal civil rights claim, alleging that federal agents violently body-slammed and pinned him during a raid at his business. Surveillance footage reviewed by KTLA shows an agent shoving him to the ground, and the man said he was detained for nearly 12 hours without medical care despite suffering broken ribs and other injuries.
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