Boston is where the American Revolution began more than 250 years ago. In 1776, the American people took to the streets and declared that a king would not rule them. On Oct. 18, 2025, they did it again. 

Not halfway through President Donald Trump’s second term, millions of Americans mobilized against him as part of a worldwide “No Kings” movement. This was one of many national protests against the Trump administration since he was reelected in 2024 and took place in major cities around the world, including Boston.

“Disobedience is everything. This is a democracy, and we have the right to protest. That right can never be taken,” said Lori Mattheiss, an attendee from Andover. 

Bostonians are no strangers to civil disobedience against the Trump administration. The city has hosted many peaceful protests, from “Hands Off” to “Good Trouble Lives On.” Boston was even part of the last No Kings movement in June, though this time around, more than 125,000 people turned out. 

Funding cuts, mass firings, an erosion of democratic norms, infringements on free speech, increased military presence, and immigration policing have raised serious concerns among many Americans. The fear that the country is sliding into authoritarian leadership has become prevalent even in Republican-led states. So the American people came together, yet again, to say, “No kings.” 

Some cities held marches, others organized rallies with politically prominent speakers, but Boston did something different: the city hosted an event. Empowering, thorough, and informative, activist organizations used No Kings as an opportunity to educate Bostonians and create prolonged activism. 

“We’re calling it more of a resistance festival instead of just a standardized rally,” said Rebecca Winter, the executive director of Mass 50501, which organized Boston’s No Kings event with Mass Coalition and ACLU of Massachusetts.

Thousands — young and old, Democrats and Republicans — gathered in Boston Common. 

People dressed as the founding fathers, the Statue of Liberty, and even dinosaurs. Masses of signs reading, “we only need one orange monarch” (with an image of a Monarch butterfly), and “we have no king” flooded in from every entrance to the park. People holding American flags swarmed the mainstage, where speakers like Mayor Michelle Wu and Sen. Elizabeth Warren spoke to an enormous crowd. 

“We stand here today to tell the Trump administration, when it comes to our freedoms, when it comes to our families, Boston doesn’t back down,” Wu said in her speech. “What terrifies them about our city isn’t just that we kicked out a king and we will do it again … What scares them most about Boston is that we are proof of the America they insist is impossible … Boston embodies the truth that America is a nation of immigrants and laws, and our city is proof that both make us strong.” 

Wu continued through cheers, applause, and the occasional heckler. “Day after day, this President and his corrupt cabinet mistake cruelty for greatness and chaos for power. These are the tools of a tyrant desperate for the respect that he’ll never earn, and he’s counting on us going quiet, getting too scared or too tired to keep speaking out. But Boston has never been good at surrender or silence,” she said. 

Boston’s No Kings Day also had an additional and distinguishing element in the resource tables offered. A long row of local, grassroots activist organizations cut through the crowd, handing out flyers and speaking about their missions. Attendees had the unique opportunity to talk with different types of organizations and learn about various avenues to advocacy. 

Organizations were able to promote their work, inform the public, and gain new members. Many people said they attend protests because they feel the need to show up, to do something that voices their discontent, and resource tables provided channels to do this daily. 

“One of the things that’s different about today, versus another rally, is that we have these action tables and have people learning about how they can do activism in their lives every day,” said Winter. “We believe that this regime can be overthrown, but only if people are really in it every day, pushing back.”

Organizations ranging from Boston Indivisible and Massachusetts Peace Action to Mothers Out Front Massachusetts and The Educational Freedom Project gave attendees actionable steps they can take to help protect democracy. 

“For us, it’s a moment of solidarity … just being part of this and seeing the sheer amount of people that are engaged, that are participatory, that are coming out,” said the director of organization for the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, Brian LaPierre. 

“They’re asking questions of us, and we’re happy to be tabling and giving them information about who we are and who we represent,” LaPierre added. 

Despite the anger and fear that incited No Kings and brought so many people to the Commons, the day was full of hope. Attendees described the event as “empowering” and “passionate” as they listened to spirited speeches, made humorous signs, and felt a sense of solidarity that many said was lost before. 

“It feels supportive, it feels very happy, it feels light-hearted. I feel peaceful. I feel happy to see people who are like-minded, standing up for what we need to do in this country before it’s too late, and there are so many of them,” said Lisa Martin, an attendee from Boston, 

Attendees cited a mounting list of concerns that motivated them to attend the protest. Older adults mentioned funding cuts to science and healthcare, and emphasized how social movements, like No Kings, can “actually influence political behavior.” Younger protesters were worried about immigrant rights, the stripping of climate protections, access to reproductive healthcare, and misinformation. 

“I’m a veteran. I think I speak for a lot of people who can’t speak right now, who are currently active duty, who can’t say anything because of the laws about being in the military, but I think the hypocrisy that I’m seeing from the administration is abhorrent,” said Randall Cranshaw, an attendee who voted Republican his whole life until the most recent election. “I’m just really worried about the future of the country, especially because I swore an oath to the Constitution. 

He added, “There’s blatant corruption happening on the right, and I’m really worried about it.”

Trump and his political allies have tried to characterize these demonstrations as violent, “Hate America” rallies. But attendees said that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“It’s going to be lied about. It’s going to be spun that we are lunatics, that we’re violent, we are not; we’re standing up for our beliefs,” said an attendee and educator from Boston, Shayla Leary.

“We are following the correct channels. We’re exercising our First Amendment right before it’s taken away.” 

Attendees said that they showed up, not because they hate America, but because they love their country and miss feeling like a proper democracy.

“I want to take our flag back,” said Martin. “It’s so hard not to be angry at people who don’t understand, but I’m trying to understand how they’re feeling. I just hope people will wake up, and we can be one united America again.”