Nationwide ‘No Kings’ Protests Overshadow Donald Trump’s 79th Birthday

Across the country on June 14, millions of people took to the streets for the “No Kings” protests. Organizers with the 50501 Movement rallied people in nearly 2,000 cities against President Trump’s 79th birthday military parade — part of the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C. From major cities to small towns, demonstrators packed parks, plazas and downtown streets, chanting slogans like “No Kings” and “Democracy, not dictatorship” to call out what they see as unchecked executive power.

According to event leaders, upwards of five million demonstrators took part nationwide, in what some are already calling the largest single-day protest in recent memory. Protesters rocked homemade crowns, waved American flags, and carried cheeky signs reading “No Thrones, No Crowns, No Kings” and “Leave Your MAGA Husband.” They gathered on courthouse steps, city squares, and neighborhood parks, refusing to let the president’s tank-laden parade go unchallenged.

Here is a look at how the “No Kings” protests took over America.

No Kings protests took place in almost every major U.S. city.

In West Hollywood, a distinctly queer crowd turned out in style. Actress Rosanna Arquette and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black took the mic, energizing thousands who packed Santa Monica Boulevard. In San Francisco, crowds wound through Dolores Street chanting “No Kings” and brandishing signs slamming the president’s militarism.

In Philadelphia, organizers dubbed their flagship march “the people’s parade,” marching down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. “There’s an indelible link between Philadelphia and the freedoms this country was founded on,” said Joel Payne of MoveOn, one of the dozens of groups backing No Kings, per NPR.

Despite its massive scale, the mood stayed upbeat for most. “Today, what I saw was a boisterous, peaceful display of First Amendment rights,” said Ezra Levin of Indivisible, another coordinating group.

The “No Kings” protests were mostly non-violent.

While the “No Kings” protests were largely non-violent, there were a few isolated incidents. In Salt Lake City, a protest that drew over 10,000 people turned grim. A volunteer peacekeeper, aiming to stop a man wielding what appeared to be an AR-15, accidentally fired into the crowd. A gunman fatally shot Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, a Samoan fashion designer and former “Project Runway” contestant. The suspect also sustained injuries during the altercation. According to Fox 13, authorities arrested him on murder charges. In the days since, supporters launched a GoFundMe to help Ah Loo’s family.

Through it all, “No Kings” organizers stressed nonviolence. Their website urged participants to leave weapons at home, de-escalate disputes, and focus on unity.

Behind the scenes, a coalition of over 200 groups—including MoveOn, the ACLU, the American Federation of Teachers, and the Communications Workers of America—coordinated logistics and messaging for the protests. They intentionally avoided D.C. to contrast their grassroots energy with the high-cost, heavily militarized parade in the capital.

For his part, President Trump brushed off the movement. “I don’t feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get things approved,” he told reporters. Meanwhile, his administration signaled stricter immigration enforcement in the wake of the protests, promising expanded crackdowns in Democratic-led cities.

What were the most powerful “No Kings” protest moments you witnessed? Comment below!

The post Nationwide ‘No Kings’ Protests Overshadow Donald Trump’s 79th Birthday appeared first on LBS.