PHOTOS: “No Kings” Draws Thousands in Providence

PHOTOS: “No Kings” Draws Thousands in Providence

 

 

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Thousands of Rhode Islanders protested the Trump administration on Saturday afternoon in Providence.

 

GoLocal's Richard McCaffrey was there to capture the event.

 

The “No Kings” demonstration in Providence attracted a significant crowd. It was part of a national effort.

 

According to organizers, “In one of the largest single-day nationwide demonstrations in U.S. history, nearly seven million Americans gathered today, two million more than June, in over 2,700 cities and towns for the No Kings Day of Peaceful Action, standing together in nonviolent defiance of authoritarianism and affirming that this nation belongs to its people, not to kings.”

 

 

 

There were more than 2,700 events across the country in all 50 states.

 

“Today’s mobilization was 14 times larger than both of President Trump’s presidential inaugurations combined, marking a historic moment of unity and resistance. From rural communities to major metropolitan centers, the message was clear: America will not be ruled by fear, force, or one man’s power grab,” claimed the group.

 

 

 

 

In response to this historic day of action, the No Kings Coalition issued the following statements:

“Today, millions of Americans stood together to reject authoritarianism and remind the world that our democracy belongs to the people, not to one man’s ambition,” said Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg, Co-Founders, Indivisible. “Authoritarians want us to believe resistance is futile, but every person who turned out today proved the opposite. This movement isn’t about a single protest; it’s about a growing chorus of Americans who refuse to be ruled. Trump may want a crown, but in this country, there are no kings.”

 

 

 

“The millions of people protesting are centered around a fierce love for our country. A country that we believe is worth fighting for,” said MoveOn Executive Director Katie Bethell. “Across cities and towns, large and small, rural and suburban, in red areas and in blue areas millions of us are peacefully coming together for No Kings to send a clear and unmistakable message: the power belongs to the people.”

 

 

“Today, millions of people showed that we, the people, will not be silenced,” said Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). “We came together in community to do the most patriotic and American thing we can: exercising our First Amendment rights by peacefully and lawfully protesting President Trump’s abuses of power. We’ll continue to channel the courage of today’s protests to keep showing up for our communities — and the ACLU will do everything in our power to defend our freedom of speech, press, and assembly. Despite the Trump administration’s threats, no president can take this cornerstone of our democracy away from us.”