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'As We Protest, We Build Solidarity': Millions Expected at 2,000+ 'No Kings' Rallies Nationwide
"No Kings. No Raids. No War," wrote one of the leaders behind the protests.
Jun 13, 2025
Organizers expect millions of people to turn out for nationwide "No Kings" protests on Saturday in order to register their disapproval of the intensifying authoritarianism of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has planned a military parade in Washington, D.C. on the same day, also his 79th birthday.
Organizers behind the "No Kings" movement say that actions are planned in some 2,000 cities and towns throughout the country.
The actions are a counter to Trump's military parade, as well as his administration's "escalating use of military force in American cities" and GOP efforts to target health insurance coverage for millions, food assistance, and other anti-poverty programs for millions. Weather forecasters are warning of showers and thunderstorms for Saturday in Washington, D.C., which could disrupt the parade.
A broad coalition of groups are behind the "No Kings" day of mobilization. They include Indivisible, American Federation of Teachers, the American Civil Liberties Union, Public Citizen, MoveOn, 50501, Stand Up America, Common Defense, Human Rights Campaign, League of Conservation Voters, and over 100 others.
"No Kings is a nationwide day of defiance. From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism—and show the world what democracy really looks like," according to the "No Kings" website. "The flag doesn't belong to President Trump. It belongs to us. We're not watching history happen. We're making it."
"No Kings. No Raids. No War," wrote Leah Greenberg, a co-founder and co-executive director of the grassroots progressive organization Indivisible on Friday.
The events are guided by a commitment to nonviolent protest, according to organizing materials. The group also said that organizers with "No Kings" are trained in de-escalation tactics and plan to work closely with local partners to ensure actions are peaceful.
In a Common Dreams op-ed Thursday, veteran organizer Paul Rogat Loeb, urged participants in "No Kings" to carry American flags.
"The 14th is also Flag Day and the 250th anniversary of the Army. The flag can't replace protest signs. But it complements and amplifies them," wrote Loeb.
"The flag represents the imperfect but essential mechanisms of democracy that Trump's regime so profoundly threatens, ones that allow us to keep working for justice," he added.
Multiple observers have drawn a link between "No Kings" rallies and early American history.
"Two hundred fifty years ago, on June 14, 1775, Americans created an army to defend ourselves from an alien force intent on suppressing our right to home rule and threatening personal security in our homes and workplaces," wrote economist and former labor secretary Robert Reich in a Friday post. "Tomorrow, on June 14, 2025, we will be demonstrating across this country against our wannabe king and his decision to destroy the constitutional rights that Americans fought long and hard to secure."
"As we protest, we build solidarity. From that solidarity, we feel less alone and build courage for the work ahead," Reich also wrote on X.
The protests will "allow people everywhere, from many different backgrounds, to join in what till now has always been the basic American message: No Kings. Not George, Not Elon, not Don," wrote author and climate organizer Bill McKibben on Friday in column that appeared in Common Dreams.
McKibben was referencing Elon Musk, the billionaire and Republican megadonor who played a leading and active role in decimating key government programs and agencies in the early months of the Trump administration.
In his piece, McKibben noted the manhandling of Democratic California Sen. Alex Padilla by federal agents on Thursday when he was handcuffed on the ground after being forcibly removed from a news conference held by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles.
"Sen. Padilla has reminded us of how to play it: Firm, dignified, and peaceful," he added.
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'That's a Dictator': Trump Threatens Force Against Military Parade Protesters
"Worth stressing that he's not threatening rioters or people who are violent or lawless but literally just 'protesters.'"
Jun 11, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to respond with force to protesters who gather this coming weekend in opposition to his costly and authoritarian military parade in Washington, D.C., remarks that came amid growing fears that the administration is planning to mobilize troops across the country.
In his comments, Trump made no effort to distinguish between peaceful demonstrators and those who commit violence or property damage, telling reporters, "For those people that want to protest, they're going to be met with very big force."
"I haven't even heard about a protest, but you know, this is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force," the president continued.
Trump says anybody who protests the military parade on Sunday will be met with “very heavy force” pic.twitter.com/iDm4qVzKg3
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 10, 2025
Under the banner of "No Kings," roughly 2,000 rallies have been planned across the United States on June 14 to protest Trump's birthday military parade and grave abuses of power, including his deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to crush demonstrations in Los Angeles.
Organizers opted against holding a "No Kings" rally in the U.S. Capitol, saying that "real power isn't staged in Washington."
"Instead of allowing this birthday parade to be the center of gravity," they said, "we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day: people coming together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption."
Leaders of the rallies have stressed their commitment to nonviolence, saying in a statement this past weekend that "organizers are trained in de-escalation and are working closely with local partners to ensure peaceful and powerful actions nationwide."
Public Citizen, a "No Kings" partner organization, was among those responding with alarm to Trump's remarks on Tuesday.
"That's a dictator," the group wrote on social media.
MSNBC host Chris Hayes wrote that it's "worth stressing that he's not threatening rioters or people who are violent or lawless but literally just 'protesters' with 'very big force.'"
"My strong instinct is that Trump's threats against Americans' First Amendment right to peaceably assemble are going to massively juice attendance at Saturday's protests," Hayes added.
A map of rallies planned across the U.S. can be found here.
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2 Israeli Embassy Workers Killed in 'Horrific' Washington, DC Shooting
"We are grounded first and foremost in the belief that all human life is precious, which is precisely why we are struggling for a world in which all people can live in safety and dignity," said Jewish Voice for Peace.
May 22, 2025
Jewish Voice for Peace on Thursday was among those condemning the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staff members in Washington, D.C., as federal agents investigated at the suspected shooter's home in Chicago.
"We are grounded first and foremost in the belief that all human life is precious, which is precisely why we are struggling for a world in which all people can live in safety and dignity," said the Jewish-led Palestinian rights group in a post on social media.
The group joined in mourning the killing of Yaron Lischinsky, a research assistant, and Sarah Milgrim, who organized trips to Israel for the embassy. The two staffers, aged 30 and 26, respectively, were a couple and were planning to get engaged in the coming days.
Police said the suspect, 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, was seen pacing in front of the Capital Jewish Museum at around 9:00 pm Eastern time Wednesday before approaching four people who were leaving an event organized by AJC Access, part of the American Jewish Committee.
IsraelAID, a humanitarian group that was represented by speakers at the event, said the gathering was "focused on bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza through Israeli-Palestinian and regional collaboration."
Rodriguez allegedly shot the two victims before entering the museum where he was detained by security guards.
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called the murders "horrifying."
"Antisemitism and violence have no place in our country," said Casar. "I condemn such hate and violence in all its forms."
Pamela Smith, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, told reporters that Rodriguez shouted, "Free, free Palestine!" after he was taken into custody.
The New York Times reported that pro-Palestinian signs were displayed in the apartment where Rodriguez is believed to live and that he attended a protest in support of Palestinian rights in 2023, after Israel began bombarding Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas-led attack.
A manifesto obtained by journalist Ken Klippenstein suggested the suspect was motivated by anger over Israel's U.S.-backed attacks on Gaza. Klippenstein said he believed the document to be authentic "for several reasons, including the fact that it is signed by Rodriguez and timestamped well before he was named by law enforcement or any media."
Journalist Mehdi Hasan of Zeteo said that if the suspect was indeed motivated by Israel's actions in Gaza, the killing of the two staffers "solves nothing and helps zero Palestinians."
Right-wing politicians in the U.S. and Israel were quick to pin blame for the shooting on European leaders who have spoken out against Israel's "supposed crimes against humanity" and thousands of U.S. college students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
If the manifesto is genuine, said Mitchell Plitnick of ReThinking Foreign Policy, "we need to grapple with this. This was an immoral act of murder, and one that will greatly serve Israel's genocidal agenda, not the struggle for Palestinian rights and freedom. It must not be allowed to inspire others."
"One thing this manifesto establishes, if it is indeed proven to be genuine," said Plitnick, "is that this bloody, heinous, self-defeating, and futile action had absolutely nothing to do with antisemitism."
Progressive strategist Waleed Shahid called the shooting "a horrific and unjust act of violence against innocent people."
"It does nothing to aid Palestinians in Gaza—and only hands authoritarians another excuse to crack down," he said. "When you take one life, it is like killing all of humanity."
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