Tens of thousands of people gathered and marched through the streets of Midtown on Saturday for the third No Kings demonstration in order to peacefully protest against President Donald Trump and his policies.
REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
Tens of thousands of people gathered and marched through Manhattan on Saturday for the third No Kings demonstration in order to peacefully protest against President Donald Trump and his policies.
The No Kings rally is taking place nationwide, following up on last October’s event that saw an estimated 7 million people across America publicly rail against the Trump administration’s actions.
In the Big Apple on Saturday, a massive crowd of New Yorkers started out at about noon from 59th Street and Columbus Circle, then headed down 7th Avenue bearing signs and banners, and loudly chanting against the president and his regime.
No Kings Rally protesters air Trump grievances
Much of the fury against Trump stemmed from his use of masked ICE agents, who have been heavily criticized for violent detainments across the country, before being stationed at American airports due to the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown impacting Transportation Security Administration operations.
Protesters also fumed over Trump’s recent military operations against Iran and Venezuela after he pledged on the campaign trail in 2024 not to enter into any new wars.
Others bore signs railing against Trump’s attempts to prosecute political opponents, such as Attorney General Letitia James, who took part in the demonstration, and the ongoing government inaction regarding the Epstein Files, the trove of Justice Department documents seemingly tying the late convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein to Trump and other elites in power.
One protester, who identified himself as Juan, said he was detained by ICE while visiting a relative on Staten Island. He said he had stopped to watch people play checkers on the street when an unmarked vehicle stopped and agents flooded out.
“It’s hard to imagine such a thing happening to you in the city and state that is your home,” Juan said. “Officers got out of their cars and sprinted over to our group from all different directions. It was terrifying. I stood motionless. They asked for my ID, and when I told them I did not have one on me without any other questions, the officer grabbed me tightly and handcuffed me. “I was detained for nearly a week, and I’m standing here today. Thanks to the incredible support of Make the Road New York, the arrest and detention have affected me enormously. I can’t fall asleep and have nightmares. I am constantly afraid to leave my home because I fear being arrested again.”
A slew of high-profile celebrities and elected officials also attended the March 28 demonstration in New York. Actor Robert De Niro, TV host Padma Lakshmi, and Rev. Al Sharpton spoke about an hour before the rally in an effort to add their voices to the thousands of others.
De Niro, the renowned actor, native New Yorker and outspoken Trump critic, did not pull any punches when it came to his condemnation of the president.
“When the crowds are chanting ‘No kings!’ what I’m really hearing, as we all know, is ‘No Trump.’ That’s right, there have been other presidents who tested the constitutional limits of their power, but none have been such an existential threat to our freedoms and security. None except Trump,” said De Niro. “He must be stopped, and he must be stopped now.”
Lakshmi also joined the No Kings rally, where she called upon the country to stand against Trump.
“Today, we reject fear, we insist on accountability, transparency in government and compassion in our elected leaders, because true leadership is not about dominance. It’s about service. It’s about everyday people, the backbone of our city and this country, and remembering that every voice matters and everyone’s rights matter,” Lakshmi said.
