(COLORADO SPRINGS) — An estimated tens of thousands of people showed up at the “No Kings” protest in America the Beautiful Park on Saturday, Oct. 18, dressing in colorful costumes and waving signs critical of the actions of the Trump administration.
The gathering in Colorado Springs was peaceful, with an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 protesters marching along sidewalks and brandishing signs. The crowd wasn’t made up of only Democrats, but people who represented a wide spectrum of political perspectives, including Libertarians, according to the FOX21 News crew at the scene.
“I think this is exhilarating and exciting to see more and more people coming out and seeing that we have a real problem here.” Teri, a protestor who identifies as Libertarian, says.
The protest, one of over a thousand taking place concurrently nationwide, and over 50 across Colorado, has the motto, “No Thrones, No Crowns, No Kings,” indicating the belief that President Donald Trump has overstepped his role as president and taken on the powers of a king.
“Women’s rights are being stripped. Seniors’ rights are being stripped. They’re stripping our health care. Minorities’ rights are being stripped. Immigrants’ rights… they do have rights, they’re in this country, they’re being stripped. It’s like a reality show has taken over our government.” Catherine, another protestor, says.
According to the Associated Press (AP), this is the third mass mobilization since Trump’s second term began, and tensions are high as the government shutdown continues, closing federal programs and services.
This is the second “No Kings” protest in Colorado Springs, with the second much larger than the first.
“The first one, it was kind of a bit of a trial for our march. We had a game plan for that one. But we thought that only like four to 5,000 were going to show up, and then when 12,000 showed up, ‘Alright, everybody start going!’ And, you know, we kind of had to grow from there.” Eric Ayzenberg, Emcee for 50501, says.
Organizers of the protest warn that the president’s actions could test the balance of power in ways that are a slide toward American authoritarianism.
“This isn’t a dance between left and right. We are all trying to unite Americans under one flag. That’s it.” Ayzenberg says.
According to AP, Republicans have been portraying Saturday’s protesters as far outside the mainstream, calling rally goers “communists” and “Marxists.”
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