{"id":222702,"date":"2025-10-18T17:28:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T17:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/222702\/"},"modified":"2025-10-18T17:28:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T17:28:09","slug":"no-kings-protests-across-us-kick-off-with-national-guard-on-standby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/222702\/","title":{"rendered":"No Kings protests across US kick off with National Guard on standby"},"content":{"rendered":"

Protesters gather for No Kings demonstrations against Trump<\/p>\n

A planned protest against President Donald Trump has begun in New York City, the first of more than 2,500 rallies organised coast-to-coast across the US on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Thousands have already packed Times Square for the event organised by No Kings, a coalition of left-leaning groups.<\/p>\n

Demonstrations under their banner in June attracted over five million people nationwide, and were largely peaceful.<\/p>\n

Trump allies have accused the protesters of being allied with the far-left Antifa movement, and condemned what they called “the hate America rally”.<\/p>\n

Republican governors in several US states have placed National Guard troops on standby, but it is unclear how visible the military presence will be. <\/p>\n

\"GettyGetty Images<\/p>\n

Protestors gather in New York City’s Times Square<\/p>\n

Protests are expected to continue across the country throughout the day. In Washington DC, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is expected to be a keynote speaker, with events kicking off around noon local time. <\/p>\n

The protest organisers say the gathering will challenge Trump’s “authoritarianism”. <\/p>\n

“The president thinks his rule is absolute,” they say on their website. <\/p>\n

“But in America, we don’t have kings and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty.”<\/p>\n

Throughout Europe, protesters have taken to the streets in Berlin, Madrid and Rome to show solidarity with their American counterparts.<\/p>\n

\"GettyGetty Images<\/p>\n

A “No Kings” protest in Waxhaw, North Carolina<\/p>\n

In an interview with Fox News, set to air on Sunday but teased on Saturday, Trump appeared to address the upcoming rallies.<\/p>\n

“A king! This is not an act,” Trump said in a preview clip of the interview. “You know \u2013 they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king.”<\/p>\n

“We’ll have to get the National Guard out,” Kansas Senator Roger Marshall said ahead of the rallies, according to CNN. <\/p>\n

“Hopefully it’ll be peaceful. I doubt it.”<\/p>\n

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday activated the state’s National Guard ahead of a protest scheduled in Austin, the state’s capital. <\/p>\n

He said the troops would be needed due to the “planned antifa-linked demonstration”.<\/p>\n

\"GettyGetty Images<\/p>\n

Democrats denounced the move, including the state’s top Democrat Gene Wu, who argued: “Sending armed soldiers to suppress peaceful protests is what kings and dictators do – and Greg Abbott just proved he’s one of them.”<\/p>\n

Virginia’s Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin also ordered the state National Guard to be activated.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week actor Robert De Niro, a regular Trump critic, shared a short video urging Americans to join in “non-violently raising our voices”.<\/p>\n

“We’ve had two and a half centuries of democracy… often challenging, sometimes messy, always essential,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Now we have a would-be king who wants to take it away: King Donald the First.”<\/p>\n

Among the celebrities expected to attend No Kings rallies are Jane Fonda, Kerry Washington, John Legend, Alan Cumming and John Leguizamo.<\/p>\n

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