Millions March Against Monarchy
- 3 days ago
- 8 min read
By Peter Schurmann and Christopher Alam
Millions joined in the No Kings Day protests on Sat. March 28, including in cities and towns across California.
Organizers say more than 8 million people took to the streets across the country March 28 as part of the ‘No King’s Day’ protest to peacefully denounce the policies of the Trump Administration. Saturday marked the third and biggest No Kings Day event to date.
Protestors also turned out across California, in both liberal enclaves as well as more conservative parts of the state.
Messages ranged from Trump’s cuts to the social safety net and the continued targeting of immigrants by federal law enforcement to the president’s associations with the late billionaire financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, trans and LGBTQ+ rights, and threats of a hostile takeover of Cuba.
The war in Iran loomed large amid a deployment of 3500 additional U.S. Marines to the Middle East. The Washington Post reported March 28 that the Pentagon is preparing for at least 4 weeks of war with Iran, even as Trump vacillates between saying he has won the war and promising to “unleash hell” should Iran continue its nuclear ambitions.
Jim Martinez was among protestors in San Francisco. A naval veteran he was stationed off the coast of Iran during the 1979 Iran Hostage crisis.
“We don’t need no more wars,” said Jim Martinez, a Navy veteran who joined the march in San Francisco. “We need to take care of us, the American people.”
Martinez served from 1977 to 1983 and was on a naval vessel off the coast of Iran during the Hostage Crisis in 1979. He says it’s like “déjà vu” watching the current conflict play out, adding the government is spending billions on the war while at home, “People are suffering, trying to pay their bills and make ends meet. You’re taking VA benefits away, SNAP, people’s health care.”
The American people, he said, “are hurting.”
Protests turn violent in Los Angeles
What began as a peaceful “No Kings” protest in Los Angeles — one of the largest gatherings in California — ended in violence and arrests.
Thousands chanted slogans such as “No Kings” and “ICE Out” before marching along Spring Street in the city’s downtown area. Tensions escalated when small groups of protesters clashed with police. The Los Angeles Police Department issued a citywide tactical alert around 5 p.m. and ordered the crowd to disperse. The alert allows officers to remain on duty beyond their scheduled shifts.
Federal authorities said that near the Metropolitan Detention Center at Alameda and Temple streets, some demonstrators kicked a fence and threw chunks of concrete, injuring at least two officers. At least two people were arrested in connection with the incident.
Tear gas was reportedly used, and graffiti critical of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including inflammatory messages, was found nearby. Federal prosecutors warned of a strong response to violence and signaled the possibility of additional arrests.
Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, suggested authorities “have video of individuals smashing concrete blocks and throwing them at officers.” He added, “We will find you and arrest you.”
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is running for governor of California, also appeared at the event and urged collective action to defend democratic values and constitutional principles.
“We must come together to protect our democracy,” Villaraigosa said. “This is a country founded on the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and civil liberties.”
Images and reporting by Nicole Chang
Oakland protestors question impact of No Kings
Protestors in Oakland gathered at Frank Ogawa Plaza – also known Oscar Grant Plaza. The rally and march kicked off at noon next to the city’s Jack London Oak, a 109-year-old oak tree named after Oakland’s famed writer and socialist activist, with a land acknowledgement and invocation that praised resistance and activists of the past.
Despite the large turnout, not all protestors were convinced that the No Kings actions could or would actually result in significant change.
Sisters Cat and Kim Haglund, who’ve attended all three No Kings events, both expressed concern about the effectiveness of the protests. “I often worry that it’s not achieving anything, except that is does make us feel better,” said Cat.
“I hope that it will maintain the energy into the midterm elections and that people will come out and vote,” her sister Kim said.
Norman, who was at the rally not to protest but to sell t-shirts was adamant that the protest “will not make a difference,” adding “the people who matter aren’t paying attention.”
Images and reporting by Nina Mohan
Liberal opposition in California’s far north
Image and reporting by Juan EsparzaMany carried signs calling for protecting democracy and eradicating fascism. Protesters also expressed concern about ICE actions and the need for the rights of immigrants and people of color to be protected. Many signs specifically called out President Donald Trump, with frequent references to his appearance in the Epstein files.
The crowd included dozens of veterans who gathered for a group photo toward the end of the three-hour event. One of them, Jason Amos, said he was an Army veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom who was injured overseas in 2003 returning home for back and knee surgery.
“It was 23 years ago that another Republican sent us to war,” he said. “And now we have one sending our men and women to war today. It’s terrible, it’s tragic and I can’t stand to see more of our men and women dying or coming back with PTSD.”
Many who showed up were senior citizens, including dozens who attended in wheelchairs. Protester Eileen said she’ll be 89 next month. She was among those who attended despite their advanced age and limited mobility carrying a sign expressing her concern about federal leadership.
“I’m very worried about my country,” Eileen said when asked why she was there. “I love my country and I want to see it back to good again.”
Thousands more came out in Chico, an hour and a half south of Redding in Butte County.
“There’s a lot to be mad about,” said Chico resident Sandra Pacheco, who works as a medical technician. “It feels good to be surrounded by people who care about the same things. It’s kind of reassuring.”
Images and reporting by Annelise Pierce/Shasta Scout and Leslie Layton/Chico Sol
‘On the right side of history’ in Fresno
Fresno workers’ rights lawyer Amanda Whitten missed the last No Kings rally due to business travel. Saturday, she joined an estimated 1,000 protesters with a homemade sign she made for a March 2019 women’s rally.
“I’m not being paid to be here,” said Whitten. “I’m here to be on the right side of history, and it’s heartwarming to be around all of these people and to realize that, you know, when we’re at home feeling alone and scared about the direction of our country, that we’re not the only ones feeling that way.
“This gives me hope that the next election is going to be different.”
Just about every participant at the Fresno No Kings rally carried signs blasting President Donald Trump and his administration for starting a war, attacking democracy, waging a war on immigrants with rough enforcement tactics, acting like a dictator or a range of other issues.
“This is so much bigger than the previous Fresno protests I’ve been to,” said Whitten. “It’s peaceful. Nobody’s out here causing trouble. It’s just Americans out here using their right to free speech, to tell their community how they feel about what’s going on in the government.”
Richard Delgado, a Clovis resident, showed up with his family to call out “this person in the White House who thinks he’s a king.”
“He’s nothing but a clown, a jester, a joker, and nothing but a pathetic liar to the whole world,” said Delgado, who attended a previous No Kings rally last year.
His protest is personal: Family members in the military were recently deployed out of San Diego. Delgado believes they are headed to the Strait of Hormuz to take part in the “military excursion” Trump began against Iran three weeks ago.
“It’s ridiculous. Trump said ‘no wars,’ and now we’re in a war costing us billions and billions of dollars. It’s ridiculous,” said Delgado.
The rally started at 10 a.m. Passing motorists honked in support, and some held anti-Trump signs from their vehicles.
Support for immigrants in Santa Maria
“Immigrants built this country,” said veteran Steven Seeds, one of more than 1500 who came out for No Kings protests in Santa Maria, an agricultural community north of Santa Barbara. “They toiled in the mines and laid the railroads. Now, they are the ones harvesting our food.”
Santa Maria, where more than 80% of residents are Latino or Mixteco, has been the target of massive ICE operations starting last year. The area also has some of the highest poverty rates in the county.
“I view this almost as a duty,” said Seeds of his participation in the protest. “My oath was sworn to the Constitution — not to the flag, not to a president, and not to any single ruler — but to the Constitution itself. And that very Constitution is currently being trampled upon by the current administration.”
“I believe we must be mindful of the world we are leaving behind for our children and grandchildren,” said Liza Pataukle. “I am troubled by the actions of ICE—specifically, their practice of taking away our friends and the immigrants who are here legally. It disturbs me that due process is being denied to everyone; I believe it is crucial that we stand here today to demonstrate our support, ensuring that others know they are not alone,” stated Liza Pataukle.
‘Heartbreaking’ — Ro Khanna joins protests in Fremont
Rep. Ro Khanna and Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan joined approximately 500 people at a No King’s peaceful protest in Fremont.
”No new funding for ICE. Not another dime,” proclaimed Khanna, who hours earlier flew in from Washington DC where a partial government shutdown continues over Democratic demands to reform ICE.
“We’ve got to tear down that agency that is harassing American citizens,” said Khanna, recounting the story of one young man.
“I was in a hearing, and there was a 16-year-old, a 16-year-old American, born here, Latino. He said the … ICE agents had him in a chokehold. Another mother, an American citizen from a Latino background, said the ICE agent said that they were going to blow her head off and that they were better custodians of her kids than she was,” claimed Khanna.
“What is going on in this country is heartbreaking. It is outrageous.”
The Congressman also proclaimed his non-support for funding the war against Iran, saying the US has met none of its objectives in that country and has worsened the stakes for Americans.
ACoM asked Khanna about the deportation of Angelina Lopez-Jimenez and 9-year-old Wendy Godinez Lopez at the San Francisco airport, noting that ICE agents were tipped off by TSA.
”There should be no coordination of details between agencies,” responded Khanna. “That is why I voted to defund ICE.”
“We are being tested, tested by fear, tested by division, tested by cruelty, tested by those who think power should belong to a few instead of freedom belonging to the many,” said Salwan. “But the answer to that test is right here. The answer is all of you, the people who show up, the people who speak out, the people who organize, the people who vote, and the people who will not surrender this country to fear,” he said.
The protest in Fremont ended as the crowd collectively sang the Joan Baez classic song of resistance: “We Shall Overcome.”
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