More than eight million workers and young people took to the streets in the United States as at least 3,200 demonstrations took place.
There were marches and rallies in all the major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, Boston, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Nashville, Dallas, Miami, Denver Portland, Oregon and Minneapolis and St Paul Minnesota, as well as towns in every one of the 50 US states.
There were also solidarity marches across Europe.
Beatrice Moritz, who said that she is from an immigrant family, was on a march in the centre of Manhattan in New York and she said she attended the protest because she loves America.
Moritz said: ‘The way people are being treated now is so un-American.
‘The most pressing issue on my mind is the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, currently under consideration in Congress, which would introduce new identification requirements for voting.
‘They’re trying to take away our right to vote.’
In a statement, the Services International Union (SEIU) trade union said: ‘On March 28th, we showed up – peacefully and lawfully – to defend our democracy.
‘Crowds are building in Atlanta and the DC area, and the message couldn’t be clearer:
Working people want:
- Money
- Power
- Respect
And we are done waiting. #NoKings!’
The SEIU is clear that the Trump Administration’s unconstitutional attack against Iran, is reckless and made with a complete disregard for working people’s lives.
‘War hurts working people, poor people, women, and children.
‘It does not improve their lives as Trump and the Republicans are trying to make people believe.
‘While authoritarian rulers, would-be dictators, and the billionaires that finance endless violence conspire together to enrich themselves and grab at ever more power, it is regular working people who pay the price.
‘Without Constitutional authority, Congressional authorisation, or the backing of the American people, Trump has created further chaos and instability in the world.
‘Launching a regime-change war in Iran is one more example of this administration’s deadly recklessness and disregard for the law.
‘The SEIU stands with workers in Iran and all over the world fighting for better, safer lives.
‘We know the power of working people together and we will oppose this and any other move by this administration that harms workers, our families, or our communities.
‘Congress must act immediately to end this unconstitutional aggression and safeguard working people in America, Iran, and around the globe.’
Speaking at the rally at the end of the march in Washington DC, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union President Lee Saunders said: ‘Right now, we are in the storm of our lives.
‘Billionaires are calling the shots, and we’re paying the price. But we’ve seen this before.
‘These same bullies have the same old playbook. Let me tell you, we’ve fought the good fight, and we have won before – for civil rights, for social justice, for workers’ rights.
‘When we the people stand together and fight together we win.’
Keya Chatterjee, Executive Director of the Free DC organisation said: ‘Every time this regime attacks people, our movement grows stronger.
‘Millions of people across the country rose in solidarity today and that’s what it’s going to take to end this regime and their attacks for good.
‘The next step is to flex our economic muscle.
‘On Friday, May 1st, organisers across the country are calling for a day of mass action.
‘Make your plans now for how you’ll get ready for action on May 1st.’
One of the flagship No Kings protests on Saturday took place in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St Paul in Minnesota, where two American workers – Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti – were killed by federal immigration ICE immigration agents in January.
Their deaths sparked outrage and nationwide protests against the Trump administration’s immigration tactics.
Thousands on Saturday filled the streets with signs and a plethora of high-profile Democrats also took the stage outside the State Capitol building in St Paul.
Tom Arndorfer, who held a sign reading ‘Elvis is the only king’ said: ‘It’s absolutely tragic what’s happening in this country and around the world.
‘And I just want my voice to be heard with other people.’
Fedrick Ingram, secretary-treasurer for the American Federation of Teachers, told CNN the union had a presence in Portland, Oregon, to ‘make sure that we spread the word that we should be hopeful and not afraid.
‘We’ve had bad laws before and we’ve had bad politicians, and we’ve always been able to get ourselves out of that by sticking together,’ Ingram said.
Mary Bauer, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia who was on a march in Richmond the largest city in the state said: ‘This administration wants to scare us into silence, but look around you, that’s not happening.
‘In Virginia, in Richmond, in Charlottesville, in Blacksburg, in Roanoke, in Norfolk, in Virginia Beach, on the Eastern Shore, in Danville, in Louisa, in Culpeper, and across this nation, we are all speaking out and we are not silent.
‘We will not stay silent as our rights are under attack, because our job today is dissent, and dissent is patriotic, and this administration wants to silence us.’
Jenny Hubert who was on a protest in Durham, North Carolina said: ‘I am here because I believe in freedom, I believe in democracy, and I want to turn the crown upside down.
‘I don’t believe that there should be people on this earth who are better than other people, who deserve more rights than other people.’
Gian Bass a local government worker in Durham said: ‘Most of us are living paycheck to paycheck and really just trucking along.
‘Taking a couple of days or a week or even two weeks off of work is just not possible for a lot of us without losing our livelihoods.
‘Many of my colleagues that work for Durham city have lost their jobs.
‘What the Trump administration is doing is unacceptable.
My union the AFGE (American Federation for Government Employees) are fighting back.
‘There have been strikes all over the US.
‘What we really need is broader strike action. Workers have had enough.’
- National Nurses United (NNU) union speaking ahead of the No Kings demonstration said: ‘The Trump administration is rapidly making sweeping changes that affect nurses and our patients in and out of the hospital.
‘Millions of our patients who rely upon Medicaid for their health and other care the low-income, pregnant patients, seniors in nursing homes, the disabled, and children – are in major jeopardy.
‘The current administration is attacking Medicaid, aiming to slash $715 billion from Medicaid to fund continued tax cuts for billionaires and corporations.
‘National Nurses United is fighting against the unjust firings of members of the federal workforce, including VA workers who are essential in the provision of high-quality therapeutic care to veterans.
‘The Trump Administration has changed the rules, no longer designating hospitals, as well as schools and churches, as “sensitive areas” free from immigration enforcement.
‘Nurses make a vow to care for all people, and we know hospitals should remain places of healing, where all people can receive care, without fear.
‘We want to ensure nurses and patients that you know your rights.’
