“No Kings” Protests Gather Millions Across the US
On Saturday, October 18th, millions filled the streets of America for a second round of “No Kings” protests, similar to those held in the spring. Across the country, there were more than 2,700 protests held, fighting against President Trump’s policies put into place over the last year. In addition to the protests held in large cities, such as the those held in the Boston Common and the nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., there were hundreds of smaller protests in states across the country.
One of these smaller protests was right here in Bridgewater. The Bridgewater “No Kings” protest attracted hundreds from the community, all gathering in Bridgewater’s Central Square. The Square was filled with people holding signs and some in costumes expressing their dissent with the actions of President Trump.
According to organizers, the protests were partly a rally cry against the current administration and partly a call to action. Rebecca Winter, executive director of Mass 50501, a non-partisan group with the expressed aim to end tyranny within America, discussed her goals as one of the organizers for the protest held in Boston.
“The biggest hope for this event is that people don’t just come and scream at the sky and go home,” Winter said. “We want people to leave with tools of how they can stay involved with activism every single day.”
Winter continued explaining that she hoped the protest would teach people how to stand up to ICE officers nonviolently, pressure their elected officials to fight for change, and effectively participate in and execute boycotts, goals that the other thousands of protests across the country worked towards as well.
Many of these protests featured speakers, including elected officials from federal, state, and local governments. At the protest in Boston, Massachusetts, political figures such as Senator Elizabeth Warren, Mayor Michelle Wu, and State Attorney Andrea Campbell spoke, each delivering speeches urging people to keep fighting.
“They want us isolated and divided, so keep coming together,” Mayor Wu told the Boston crowd. “Get involved; build up your community in any way that you can. There’s no shortage of reasons these days to be angry or afraid, but look around you right now and you’ll see tens of thousands of reasons to keep the faith and keep going. This is the America we know to be possible.”
