Δρόμοι γεμάτοι σε όλη τη χώρα για ειρηνικές συγκεντρώσεις διαμαρτυρίας κατά του Τραμπ «Όχι Βασιλιάδες»
Ακτιβιστές και ομάδες υπεράσπισης πραγματοποίησαν έναν δεύτερο γύρο διαμαρτυριών «Χωρίς Βασιλιάδες» σε όλη τη χώρα το Σάββατο, σε απάντηση σε αυτό που αποκαλούν κατάχρηση εξουσίας από τον Πρόεδρο Ντόναλντ Τραμπ και την κυβέρνησή του,
συμπεριλαμβανομένης της καταστολής της μετανάστευσης και της αποστολής στρατευμάτων σε αμερικανικές πόλεις.
Φωτογραφίες και βίντεο από εκδηλώσεις από τη Βοστώνη μέχρι το Λος Άντζελες έδειχναν τεράστια πλήθη διαδηλωτών που κρατούσαν πλακάτ που διαμαρτύρονταν για τις πολιτικές της κυβέρνησης, όπως οι μαζικές απελάσεις.
Οι Ρεπουμπλικάνοι υποστήριξαν ότι οι διαμαρτυρίες ήταν συγκεντρώσεις «μίσους για την Αμερική» και ισχυρίστηκαν ότι παρατείνουν το κλείσιμο της ομοσπονδιακής κυβέρνησης.
Δεν υπήρξαν άμεσες αναφορές για βίαια περιστατικά ή συλλήψεις, σύμφωνα με τα τοπικά αστυνομικά τμήματα.
Activists
and advocacy groups staged a second round of "No Kings" protests across
the country on Saturday in response to what they call abuse of power by
President Donald Trump and his administration, including his immigration
crackdown and the sending of troops into American cities.
Photos
and videos of events from Boston to Los Angeles showed huge crowds of
demonstrators carrying signs protesting the administration's policies
such as mass deportations.
Republicans contended the protests were "hate America" rallies and claimed they're prolonging the federal government shutdown.
There were no immediate reports of violent incidents or arrests, according to local police departments.
Demonstrators
hold flags and placards during a "No Kings" protest against President
Donald Trump's policies, in Washington, D.C., Oct. 18, 2025.
Leah Millis/Reuters
Later,
in a statement organizers said nearly 7 million people took part in
demonstrations held in over 2,700 cities and towns throughout the U.S.
"The
millions of people protesting are centered around a fierce love for our
country. A country that we believe is worth fighting for,” MoveOn
Executive Director Katie Bethell said in a statement.
There
was no independent tally of participants, but the Crowd Counting
Consortium, a project of Harvard University and the University of
Connecticut that documents the size of political demonstrations based on
publicly available data, said it would provide an estimate in a few
weeks.
Jeremy
Pressman, political science professor at the University of Connecticut
and co-director of the consortium, told ABC News the turnout reported by
organizers would make it the largest reported turnout for a one-day
protest in the U.S., second only to the first Earth Day in 1970.
In Washington, D.C., roughly 200,000 people showed up for the Washington, D.C. protest, according to organizers.
Scientist and TV personality Bill Nye was among the speakers who took the podium at Washington, D.C., recalling the protests against the Vietnam War.
"We
are protesting in the same fashion today. Only today, the stakes are
higher. Rather than abandoning a war against an elusive, perhaps
sometimes imaginary foe, we are confronting the possible end of our
republic," Nye said.
People participate in a "No Kings" national day of protest in New York, on Oct. 18, 2025.
Timothy A.c Clary/AFP via Getty Images
"We
are here to tell our lawmakers that what's going on in our government
is wrong. They must stop the abuses of this petulant president and his
circle of sycophants. No thrones, no crowns, no kings," Nye said to a
cheering crowd.
Sen.
Adam Schiff, D-Calif., was also among the protesters in Washington,
telling ABC News he was struck by one sign that said "silence is
compliance."
"We
cannot be silent with this increasing militarization of our cities, the
abuse of the Justice Department and] the dismantling of science. People
need to speak out, and it's wonderful millions around the country are
speaking out today," Schiff said in an interview.
A
man dressed as former President Abraham Lincoln holding an American
flag participates in a "No Kings" national day of protest in Washington,
D.C.,, on Oct. 18, 2025.
Amid Farahi/AFP via Getty Images
People participate in a "No Kings" national day of protest in New York on Oct. 18, 2025.
Timothy A.clary/AFP via Getty Images
"It's
wonderful to see so many people out here today to express themselves,
to protest, to speak out against the authoritarian lurch of this
administration," Schiff added.
Over
100,000 people peacefully participated in the protests across New York
City's five boroughs and no arrests were made, according to the New York
Police Department.
"The
majority of the No Kings protests have dispersed at this time and all
traffic closures have been lifted," the NYPD said in a post on X.
What are the "No Kings" protests?
The daylong "No Kings" protests follow up on the thousands held in mid-June. They are being run by a coalition of organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union, Indivisible, 50501 and others. Organizers say there are more than 2,600 events planned nationwide --
including major cities such as New York; Washington, D.C.; Chicago and
Los Angeles -- and say millions are expected to attend.
People participate in a "No Kings" national day of protest in Boston, Massachusetts, on Oct. 18, 2025.
Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images
Mayor
of Chicago Brandon Johnson speaks during a "No Kings" protest against
U.S. President Donald Trump's policies, in Chicago, Oct. 18, 2025.
Jim Vondruska/Reuters
They
have been "organized by regular people, by volunteers," Deirdre
Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer of the ACLU, told ABC
News.
While
organizers have not released details on fundraising ahead of the
protests, and the coalition has remained relatively decentralized, a few
groups have indicated either heavy spending to promote the rallies or
planned star power to increase buzz around them.
For
instance, Home of the Brave, a political group, said Monday it was
spending $1 million to advertise the No Kings protests, including in
local and national newspapers.
ABC News' Christiane Cordero interviews Sen. Adam Schiff at the No Kings rally in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 18, 2025.
ABC News
People gather on the day of a "No Kings" protest against President Donald Trump's policies, in Atlanta, Oct. 18, 2025.
Alyssa Pointer/Reuters
Celebrities,
including Jane Fonda, Kerry Washington, John Legend, Alan Cumming and
John Leguizamo, are slated to attend, according to a fundraising email
on Thursday from the political action committee Progressive Change
Campaign Committee.
"We'll
be in the streets for immigrant families under attack and for voters
who are being silenced. For communities being terrorized by militarized
policing. For families who are about to lose their health insurance. And
for every single person whose rights are threatened by this
administration's cruelty," the group wrote in the email.
In
advance of Saturday’s rallies, law enforcement is actively monitoring
social media and the internet, as well as working with local organizers
and potential counter-protesters, to get a sense of what might be
expected. That vigilance comes as there continues to be heightened
concerns about large-scale public gatherings, especially political
events.
Republicans
have been slamming the protests, claiming that the protests are a
reason the Democratic Party does not want to end the ongoing federal
government shutdown.
Protesters
gather at a main traffic intersection in support of the nationwide No
Kings rallies on Oct. 18, 2025, in Waxhaw, North Carolina.
Grant Baldwin/Getty Images
Senate
Majority Leader John Thune asserted on Wednesday that Democrats are
waiting to solve the funding issues until after Saturday's "No Kings"
rallies.
"The
truth is -- what Democrats really want is something Republicans can't
give them. And that is the approval of their far-left base," Thune said.
Republican
leaders have also framed the "No Kings" protests as a series of "Hate
America" rallies, framing the upcoming events as meant to criticize
America and what it stands for.
"And
I encourage you to watch -- we call it the ‘Hate America Rally’ that
will happen Saturday," House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on
Wednesday. "Let's see who shows up for that. I bet you see pro-Hamas
supporters. I bet you see Antifa types. I bet you see the Marxists in
full display, the people who don't want to stand and defend the
foundational truths of this republic."
Johnson
did not provide any proof to support his claims that “pro-Hamas
supporters” and “Antifa types” will show up. Organizers have said they
cannot control who shows up to protests from outside groups and have
emphasized wanting to keep protests respectful and nonviolent.
Demonstrators
gather during a 'No Kings' protest, part of a global campaign against
U.S. President Donald Trump's policies, outside the U.S. Embassy in
London, Oct. 18, 2025.
Jaimi Joy/Reuters
A woman holds a placard during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump, in Paris, Oct. 18, 2025.
Thibault Camus/AP
In
an interview taped with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on Thursday, Trump
was asked about the rallies and he shot down that he was a "king."
"They're referring to me as a king. I’m not a king," Trump said.
Some
state leaders have also said they are calling up more law enforcement
in light of the protests, which supporters of the protests have said may
be meant to "suppress" them.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, wrote on X on Thursday, that he "directed the Dept. of Public Safety and National Guard to surge forces into Austin" ahead of the rallies.
"Texas
will NOT tolerate chaos. Anyone destroying property or committing acts
of violence will be swiftly arrested,” Abbott wrote.
State Rep. Gene Wu, who chairs the state House’s Democratic caucus, wrote in response,
"Sending armed soldiers to suppress peaceful protests is what kings and
dictators do -- and Greg Abbott just proved he’s one of them."
How are protest organizers responding to Republican claims?
Organizers
have countered that Republicans in power are responsible for the
ongoing shutdown, and have said that Johnson and some other Republicans
not saying the name of the protest is telling.
“I
think it's really telling that he spent an entire week calling this a
'hate American Rally,' on the attack against this coalition and
Americans across the country, and he won't even say the name of the
protest," Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of Indivisible, one of
the major groups in the "No Kings" coalition, told reporters on a press
call on Thursday.
"That's
because if you say the name of the protest, 'No Kings,' the entire
argument falls apart … there is nothing more American than saying that
we don't have kings and exercising our right to peaceful protest,"
Greenberg said.
When
asked if they thought the claims from Republicans would impact
participant turnout on Saturday, organizers said they think it could
have the opposite effect.
"I
think, if anything, it will increase turnout," said Schifeling. "I
think Americans can really see through these sad attempts to distract
attention from the failure of these Republican Congress people and
Republican Trump administration to actually address what most Americans
want and need from their government."
Demonstrators
wearing costumes walk during a 'No Kings' protest, part of a global
campaign against U.S. President Donald Trump's policies, outside the
U.S. Embassy in London, Oct. 18, 2025.
Jaimi Joy/Reuters
A
demonstrator uses a megaphone during a "No Kings" rally against U.S.
President Donald Trump and his administration, near the U.S. embassy in
Berlin, Oct. 18, 2025.
Christian Mang/Reuters
Ezra
Levin, the co-executive director of Indivisible, told ABC News that he
welcomes the publicity, but simultaneously believes Republicans are
trying to stop Americans from exercising their First Amendment right.
"I
think the Republicans and Trump see that the largest peaceful protest
in modern American history is coming together on Saturday to push back
against the authoritarian overreach by this regime and its supporters in
Congress, and they're looking for ways to message against it ahead of
time," he said.
ABC News' Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
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