All photos and story by Sam Bishop
WORCESTER —Thousands filled Institute Park on Saturday for the “No Kings II” rally, a local demonstration part of a nationwide day of protest opposing recent actions by the Trump administration that have been labeled as authoritarian by critics. The event, one of more than 2,500 coordinated across the country, had millions of attendees nationwide and was described by national organizers as “the largest single day of protest in American history.”
The Worcester rally, organized by the Greater Assabet Indivisible Network (GAIN), drew an estimated crowd of 5,000 people according to organizers, marking a sharp increase from the first No Kings rally held in June.
“I think we were blown away by the size of the crowd; it really beat our expectations,” said event organizer James Miller. “We’ve been rallying at Worcester Commons, and the city thought we might have outgrown that space, and they were right, because we filled this one. We’re really glad at the energy and the number of people who came to let their voices be known.”
Rally goers carried colorful, hand-painted signs that addressed a wide range of issues, from immigration and healthcare to reproductive rights and prosecutions of political rivals under the Trump administration.
“A lot of people showed up with different signs covering all the different things that people are afraid of or really angry about, that people are really sad that have happened,” said Diane Jones of Shrewsbury. “I’m here because I feel all of those things. I attend standouts in other places like Burlington, so I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”
For many in attendance, the issues were not just political but personal. “Trans women are being scapegoated in modern America, think Donald Trump Jr. falsely comparing trans people to violent organizations like the Taliban. I am grateful for my family and the Worcester recovery community, we definitely surfaced just some of the hate coming from the top,” said Chrissi Bates, a Global Citizen Democrat who spoke at the rally. Bates was featured by GBH Boston in May 2024 as the first person to receive gender-affirming surgery at UMass Memorial Hospital after they began offering the procedure.
Since entering office in January, the Trump administration enacted a number of executive orders that rolled back civil rights protections for transgender Americans and restricted their participation in schools, sports, and the military.
Speakers and attendees represented a wide range of backgrounds. The lineup included activists, scientists, clergy, students, and lawmakers. Among those who addressed the rally were Congressman Jim McGovern, ACLU organizer Javier Luengo-Garrido, UMass Chan Medical School researcher Dr. Rachel Sirianni, immigration attorney Antonio Massa Viana, and Shrewsbury High School senior Sabrina Welch.
Though the rally touched on a wide range of issues, most speakers returned to a common theme at the heart of the event: the belief that America was founded on the rejection of kings, and that idea that principle continues to define the nation today.
“To me, America is not just some hollowed-out piece of land that’s up for sale to the highest bidder or some abstract expression of the latest public opinion polls,” Congressman Jim McGovern said. “We are an experiment, a test to see whether ordinary people can govern ourselves, or whether we need a king to do it for us. It is now time to prove that we do not need a king.”
In the days leading up to the protest, several Republican leaders and Trump administration officials sharply criticized the planned rallies, labeling them un-American and potentially dangerous. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described participants as “part of Antifa,” while Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota said the rallies were organized by the “terrorist wing of the Democratic Party.” Kansas Senator Roger Marshall went further, suggesting that the National Guard should be deployed in response to the protests.
Several speakers at the rally addressed the criticism from Republicans, including McGovern, who was the most direct in his remarks. “Mike Johnson went on TV yesterday and said anyone who comes to a No Kings Rally hates America,” McGovern said to the crowd, “What would he say about the people who said no kings at Lexington and Concord? What about those at the Boston Tea Party? Massachusetts was revolutionary back then, and we still are because we love this country and if you love something, you fight for it.”
Beyond speeches, the event featured a number of booths for civic engagement. Tents lined the park where attendees could sign open letters to Governor Maura Healey, urging her to shut down the Burlington ICE office, hold federal agents accountable for civil rights violations, and support passage of the Safe Communities Act. Partner groups such as Neighbor to Neighbor and LUCE offered volunteer sign-ups and collected winter coats for children. Organizers said the combination of activism and aid reflected the movement’s dual goals of resistance and community care.
“We’re done waiting for leaders to act,” James Miller said. “We’re here to lead them, to organize, resist, and build a peaceful resistance strong enough to defend democracy at home.”
