The No Kings mobilization on March 28 was a powerful outcry against the forces of war and reaction. It was the largest single-day outpouring of street protests in U.S. history. The massive flood of people was fueled by widespread opposition to the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran, as well as by the resistance to ICE\u2019s immigrant roundups shown by the people of Minneapolis in the winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The March 28 events signaled that millions of people are ready to go into action against the authoritarian and criminally destructive policies of the Trump administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Simultaneously, the No Kings \/ No Tyrants movement saw rallies taking place in at least 15 other nations. Demonstrators came out not only to resist the spread in their own countries of far-right movements and authoritarian politicians\u2014who are generally allies of the MAGA movement in the U.S.\u2014but to protest Trump\u2019s war on Iran. Some 500,000 marched against racism and the far right in London; protesters also came together in Rome, Paris, Madrid, Mexico City, Amsterdam, Sydney, Tokyo, Berlin, Toronto, and other big cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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In the United States, the size and geographic spread of the protests were remarkable. Over 8 million people marched and rallied in more than 3300 cities, suburbs, and small towns in every state. No Kings organizers reported that two-thirds of participants who signed their lists lived in small town or rural areas\u2014a 40% increase in this demographic over the last No Kings marches in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Leah Greenberg\u2014a founder of Indivisible, the major group in the No Kings coalition\u2014commented on this statistic in an interview with \u201cDemocracy Now\u201d host Amy Goodman: \u201cWell, what we\u2019re seeing with this march, and all of our data suggests the same when we look at who is organizing new Indivisible groups or new activist collectives around the country, is that the resistance to Trump and to MAGA is reaching farther and deeper and more significantly into red and rural areas than it ever has in the past, in the first Trump term or ever before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This was the fourth massive nationwide mobilization since Trump took office for his second term. Each outpouring has been successively larger than its predecessors. Some 3 million people took part in the \u201cHands Off\u201d protest in April 2025; that was followed by \u201cNo Kings\u201d rallies in June 2025 (5 million) and October 2025 (7 million)\u2014surpassed once again by this past Saturday\u2019s over 8 million people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indivisible, the major nationwide coordinator of the No Kings rallies, called for \u201cNo ICE, no wars, no kings\u201d as the themes of the day\u2014and each of those issues was prominent on the hand-drawn signs that people brought to the marches. Indivisible came together in 2016 by people that had been associated with the campaign of Bernie Sanders and the so-called \u201cprogressive\u201d wing of the Democratic Party; since then, it has grown to encompass thousands of local affiliates. Other major forces in the No Kings Alliance include 50501, MoveOn, the ACLU, Public Citizen, and dozens of other organizations, including some national unions. Nationally, some 500 groups sponsored and organized actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The turnouts in major cities were immense. According to the organizers, about 200,000 joined the flagship event in St. Paul, Minn.\u2014despite the bitter cold and a sharp wind. It was the largest in Minnesota history, Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin announced from the stage. The rally took place outside the Minnesota State Capitol in solidarity with the many people from the state who mobilized against ICE several months ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The chair of the rally, comedian Liz Winstead, co-creator of \u201cThe Daily Show\u201d and founder of Abortion Access Front, stated, \u201cYou chased out of this state pure evil. \u2026 You chased out the fun-sized fascist Greg Bovino. You chased out that evil Kristi Noem. She\u2019s so evil, I\u2019m starting to think that her dog took his own life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Bruce Springsteen performed his song, \u201cStreets of Minneapolis,\u201d inspired by the January killings of Ren\u00e9e Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents. \u201cKing Trump\u2019s private army from the DHS, guns belted to their coats, came to Minneapolis to enforce the law\u2014or so their story goes,\u201d he sang. In his introductory remarks, Springsteen mourned the deaths of Good and Pretti but said people\u2019s continued pushback against ICE has given hope to the rest of the country. He concluded, \u201dThis reactionary nightmare, and these invasions of American cities, will not stand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Joan Baez and Maggie Rogers sang Bob Dylan\u2019s \u201cThe Times They Are A-Changin\u2019.\u201d Baez told the crowd that she first sang it at the 1963 March on Washington with Martin Luther King Jr. \u201cI am honored to be standing in resistance with all of you today in this city on this day in this moment,\u201d Baez said. \u201cThank you, Minneapolis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Large marches were held in all five boroughs of New York City; the major one in Manhattan stretched for over a mile down 7th Avenue and through Times Square. The organizers claimed that 350,000 people participated in the Manhattan march. About 180,000 filled Boston Common, according to estimates by both the police and the rally organizers. An initial count from Indivisible put the crowd in Seattle at from 90,000 to 100,000, and the participants in Los Angeles were expected to top 100,000. Police said that 40,000 marched in San Diego.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Tens of thousands marched in Washington, D.C., crossing the bridge from Arlington Cemetery\u2014where Trump wants to construct a towering victory arch\u2014past the Lincoln Memorial and into the National Mall. Signs read, \u201cPut down the crown, clown!\u201d and \u201cRegime change begins at home!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Various estimates put the number of marchers in Philadelphia at from 40,000 to 80,000. The total seemed smaller than at the No Kings mobilizations of last year; this was perhaps partly due to the fact that additional marches took place this time in suburban cities and towns\u2014as well as to the unseasonably cold weather. This writer spoke to a woman at the Philadelphia march who told me that her son, a soldier in the Army, had been sent to Bahrain. She was clearly terrified that Trump\u2019s threats to deploy U.S. troops in an invasion of Iranian territory might be carried out and that her son could soon be mobilized in the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Several large demonstrations took place in the Bay Area, including 20,000 in Oakland and from 60,000 to 100,000 estimated in San Francisco. Workers\u2019 Voice members in San Jose report that about 10,000 participated in that city\u2019s protest: \u201cWe talked with many of them; when we asked what had brought them out, the answer was \u2018everything!<\/em>\u2019 We discussed the cost of the war, and how that could be used for things such as health care and education.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most sources state that about 200,000 marched in Chicago; the march extended for over a mile. According to a Workers\u2019 Voice reporter in Chicago, the crowd seemed smaller than last October, which took place soon after the National Guard had occupied the city. On the other hand, our reporter wrote, \u201cThere were politically sharper signs\u201d than in October, with a younger crowd; \u201cthe chants seemed to be largely about abolishing ICE and against war with Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Around the country, many marchers spoke out for the rights of immigrants. Chants of \u201cICE out now!\u201d and the earthier \u201cFuck ICE\u201d were frequently heard on the marches. The necessity to protect civil liberties and democracy\u2014such as the right to vote\u2014was another common theme that was reflected in signs, chants, and interviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many signs addressed the economic problems that working people are facing. Even before the war on Iran, people were increasingly beleaguered by higher prices for food and other necessities, a shrinking job market, and large cutbacks in government spending on social benefits. Signs reminded people: \u201cGas is over $4!\u201d Another slogan at the rallies was \u201cMoney for health care, not for war!\u201d In Atlanta, where a group of trade-union leaders led the thousands who marched toward Georgia\u2019s Statehouse, demonstrators demanded a $25-an-hour minimum wage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump was often the direct target of the slogans that people carried on their signs. This reflected the plummeting poll numbers for Trump as president. A Reuters\/Ipsos poll from March 20 to March 23 gave him a 36% favorable rating for his performance in office, compared to a 62% unfavorable rating. The New York Times<\/em> daily average of polls showed 40% approval and 56% disapproval as of March 27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many blasted Trump\u2019s corruption, narcissism, warmongering, lying, sexual assaults and association with pedophiles (i.e., with Epstein), actions against trans people, and racism. A sign in St. Paul had a little square mustache scrawled on a Trump face and proclaimed, \u201cHeil Trump!\u201d Another in Indianapolis demanded, \u201cMaybe next time, don\u2019t let a child molester start WW IV.\u201d A woman in Atlanta held a sign that pointed out, \u201cA felon married to an immigrant is telling us that the problem is immigrants and felons.\u201d Others stated, \u201cMake America kind again!\u201d and \u201cMake the guillotine great again!\u201d \u201cNo faux king way!\u201d said one. A number of signs merely stated, \u201cShame!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Democratic Party politicians frequently appeared as speakers in the No Kings actions. The flagship rally in St, Paul, for example, featured at least six elected Democrats\u2014including Gov. Tim Walz, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, and Rep. Ilhan Omar\u2014plus Senator Bernie Sanders, who is an \u201cindependent\u201d who supports and caucuses with the Democrats. The prominence of Democrats at the rallies is not coincidental. The major organizational sponsors of the No Kings mobilization are now turning their attention to the midterm elections; they hope to work for Democratic Party candidates in order to \u201cwin back\u201d both houses of Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Indivisible, for its part, encourages its chapters to endorse and work for candidates \u201cwho align with your values\u201d in elections, and prints a guide to help instruct people how to do that. Of course, these candidates are generally Democrats, since undemocratic restrictions allow few candidates other than the nominees of the two major parties to get on the ballot. Moreover, only candidates with a large amount of money behind them can usually win elections, making the overwhelming majority of politicians\u2014Democratic or Republican\u2014beholden to wealthy capitalist donors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n But supporting Democratic or other big-party politicians places limits on how far a struggle can proceed with its demands and strategies. The Democratic Party, which like the Republicans represents the interests of the U.S. capitalist class, will resist any demands that upset the regular workings of U.S capitalism. For example, most congressional Democrats voted for the almost $1 trillion war budget and have regularly approved measures to deport and \u201cclose the border\u201d against immigrants. They have rejected demands to abolish ICE, merely calling for minor reforms like body cameras, judicial subpoenas, and removing the masks. The Democrats will only bend to important and fundamental demands when the power of a mass movement or an aroused working class forces them to make concessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The AFL-CIO and the the National Education Association, the Service Employees (SEIU), the American Federation of Teachers, and AFSCME (government workers)\u2014all actively endorsed No Kings Day, as did Unite HERE, UE (Electrical, Radio, and Machine workers), the Postal Workers, Communication Workers of America, and a number of city and state labor councils and union locals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In January, at the height of the ICE raids and violence in Minnesota, National Education Association President Becky Pringle said: \u201cEducators know ICE does not belong in our schools\u2014its presence creates fear and trauma<\/a> for students and communities. As educators, we have a moral and professional duty to protect every student, no matter where they were born. That is why the 3-million-member National Education Association is partnering with the No Kings Coalition, standing with parents, neighbors, and faith leaders to mobilize against the brutality we are witnessing in Minneapolis and across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler issued a statement supporting the No Kings movement and blasting Trump\u2019s \u201cAnti-Worker Agenda.\u201d She pointed out: \u201cThe Trump administration has committed the single biggest act of union-busting in history, attacked good jobs across the country, launched a brutal assault on immigrants, ripped health care from millions, jeopardized the essential services that working families rely on, and threatened our fundamental freedoms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Last month, Schuler reissued her statement, which concluded: \u201cThe Labor Movement is taking action, speaking up and fighting back! Union Members across the country will be in the streets on Saturday, March 28th, for No Kings Day to powerfully say that our government doesn\u2019t answer to a king\u2014it answers to Working People.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the endorsements and ringing testimonials by top labor officials, however, just a few unions put any effort into organizing their members to participate in the No Kings marches. AFSCME promoted No Kings on its website and included a downloadable flyer advertising the March 28 events, but most unions did not even do that. And major industrial unions, such as the Steelworkers, Auto Workers, Transport Workers, and Teamsters appear to have generally ignored No Kings\u2014at least, on the national level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In most cities, groups of workers marching in organized contingents behind their union banners were rare or non-existent. For that reason, the power of the organized working class, which could provide real muscle for the movement against the Trump administration\u2019s reactionary policies, still remains muted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The groups in the No Kings coalition are urging people to now mobilize for May Day Strong, a nationwide event of \u201ccollective action\u201d (see maydaystrong.org<\/a>). The May 1 action is being organized under three pledges: \u201cNo work, no school, and no shopping.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to Indivisible, several large unions, including the AFT, AAUP, NEA, Starbucks Workers United, and the UE say that they are mobilizing. According to Payday Report<\/em>, \u201cDozens of local union groups, including the North Carolina AFL-CIO, the Milwaukee Labor Council, and UFCW 3000, have signed on to support the May Day actions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Chicago Teachers Union is pushing to have the mayor and the Board of Education declare May 1 as a \u201cDay of Civic Action.\u201d CTU Vice President Jackson Potter said in a statement, \u201cIf we still want to have democracy in the midterms this November, public schools that provide our students with quality education, and unions to defend workers\u2019 rights, then it is up to every Chicagoan to stand up for what we believe in and show the authoritarian billionaire in Washington that when he breaks every rule, we will not go along with business as usual.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n May Day Strong is inspired by the Jan. 23 action by Minnesota residents to skip work and school in protest of ICE. The event had support from major unions and labor federations across the state. Some 75,000 to 100,000 marched through Minneapolis on that day. The upcoming action also recalls the May 1, 2006, work stoppage by immigrants, which involved millions of working people across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking on March 31 at a No Kings online follow-up session, Neidi Dom\u00ednguez, the executive director of Organized Power in Numbers, stated that over 1300 actions were scheduled last year on May Day. This year, she said, will be even bigger. The activities will stress themes such as \u201cExpand democracy, not corporate power,\u201d as well as \u201cNo ICE!\u201d \u201cNo war!\u201d \u201cTax the rich!\u201d \u201cHands off our vote!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indivisible leader Ezra Levin addressed the March 28 rally in St. Paul with a similar message: \u201cThe next major national action of this movement is not going to be just another protest. It is a tactical escalation. It is an economic show of force inspired by Minnesota\u2019s own [Jan. 23] Day of Truth and Action. We all saw this\u2014thousands of teachers and nurses, community leaders and faith leaders, showing up in sub-zero temperatures and showing that they were not going to put up with business as usual while a secret police goon squad was murdering Americans in the streets. We need to do that nationally, y\u2019all. We need to do that all over the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo on May 1, on May Day, across the country, we are saying, \u2018no business as usual! No work, no school, no shopping!\u2019 We\u2019re going to show up and say, \u2018we\u2019re putting workers over billionaires and kings!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Following the last No Kings mobilization in October, we wrote<\/a>: \u201cThe organizers appear to be taking a step forward in looking to form partnerships with local grassroots activist organizations around the country. However, true coalitions are built when people feel that they have a real voice in decision-making, and when the course of action is agreed upon democratically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMoreover, the leaders of coalitions should be representative of and accountable to the participants. Unfortunately, at this point, the national leadership of the No Kings Alliance still seems rather obscure (nobody elected them), and their decisions on what, when, and how to conduct activity seem to be made from the top down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, the proliferation of chapters of Indivisible, 50501, and other groups is a sign that democratic planning and organization is continuing to take place on the local level around the country. However, these chapters are most visible in smaller communities and are mainly active in planning relatively small local activities. To all appearances, the larger marches and rallies in major metropolitan centers are still planned in a predetermined and top-down manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n When building for May Day Strong and subsequent marches, rallies, and strikes, activists should realize that the value of mass mobilizations takes place in part during the planning<\/em> stage. That is the period of coalition building, when alliances can be made among activists and organizations, and when the participants have the opportunity to democratically discuss and determine key items such as the movement\u2019s goals and demands. These coalitions should aim at including a broad range of groups, trade unions, and communities, while organizing meetings and assemblies that ensure the ability for all participants to have a voice and a vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n All out on May Day! Into the streets!<\/p>\n\n\n\n First published here<\/a> by Workers’ Voice<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Top Photo: March 28 in Chicago. (Kamil Krzaczynski \/ AFP \/ Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The No Kings mobilization on March 28 was a powerful outcry against the forces of war and reaction. It was the largest single-day outpouring of street protests in U.S. history. The massive flood of people was fueled by widespread opposition to the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran, as well as by the resistance to ICE\u2019s immigrant roundups shown by the people of Minneapolis in the winter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":75904,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"litci_post_political_author":"Michael Schreiber","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3498,2],"tags":[6637,6634,6242,6636],"class_list":["post-75903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-usa","category-featured","tag-march-28","tag-moveon","tag-no-kings","tag-no-tyrants"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Democratic Party<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The role of labor<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Building for May Day Strong<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The need for democratic coalition building<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n