A protester shouts with a megaphone during a “No Kings” demonstration in Houston on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Photo Credit: Lucio Vasquez/The Texas Newsroom)
An estimated crowd of 15,000 gathered outside Houston City Hall on Saturday, June 14, 2025, for a “No Kings Day” protest in opposition to President Donald Trump and his policies. (Photo Credit: Lucio Vasquez/The Texas Newsroom)
A protester holds up a sign referencing a military parade in Washington while participating in a “No Kings” demonstration in Houston on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Photo Credit: Rob Salinas/Houston Public Media)
A protester holds up a sign featuring a caricature of President Donald Trump on Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Houston. (Photo Credit: Rob Salinas/Houston Public Media)
Protesters walk down a street in Houston during a “No Kings” demonstration on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Photo Credit: Lucio Vasquez/The Texas Newsroom)
For the second time this year, organizers across the country are planning hundreds of “No Kings” protests in opposition to President Donald Trump and his policies. More than a dozen demonstrations are scheduled to take place in and around Houston this Saturday, Oct. 18.
The No Kings protests are being organized by the 50501 Movement — a grassroots organization that quickly spread online earlier this year. The group’s name stand for 50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement, and was first proposed in late January 2025 on social media site Reddit.
The 50501 group held its first series of nationwide protests on Feb. 5, which was Presidents Day. Many of the protests held during this first series of demonstrations were done in coordination with Political Revolution, a group founded following Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ unsuccessful run for president in 2016.
This weekend’s demonstrations will mark the third round of nationwide protests organized by 50501 this year to take place in Houston. In April, the group organized its first demonstration that included over 680 protests, with events in Galveston and Houston. The last No Kings protest was held in June and included about half a dozen demonstrations in the Houston area.
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According to the No Kings website, the movement represents a “peaceful national day of action and mass mobilization in response to the increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration.”
The organizers specifically call out the continued immigration crackdown by Trump.
“They are targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting and detaining people without warrants; threatening to overtake elections; gutting health care, environmental protections and education when families need them most; rigging maps to silence voters; ignoring mass shootings at our schools and in our communities; and driving up the cost of living,” the organizers said in a statement on their website.
Trump, along with other prominent Republicans, have criticized the movement.
On Wednesday, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized the plan demonstrations, comparing the participants to “Marxists.”
“We call it the ‘hate America rally,” Johnson said on C-SPAN. “Let’s see who shows up for that. I bet you will see pro-Hamas supporters. I bet you see pro-antifa types. I bet you see the Marxists in full display — the people who don’t want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic.”
On Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced he would be deploying the Texas National Guard to Austin ahead of what he called “antifa-linked protests” without specifically mentioning the No Kings event by name.
“Today, I direct the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas National Guard to deploy all necessary law enforcement officials and resources to ensure the safety of Austin residents,” Abbott said in a news release.
No Kings protest organizers have repeatedly said, both ahead of Saturday’s protests and before previous demonstrations, that the events are meant to be peaceful. All of the planned protests in and around the Houston area have included a statement committing to non-violence.
“A core principle behind all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action,” the statement reads. “We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.”
No Kings protests scheduled for Houston area on Saturday, Oct. 18:
No Kings Houston
No Kings Pasadena: noon-2 p.m.
1149 Ellsworth Dr., Pasadena
No Kings Pearland: noon-2 p.m.
11050 Modern Grn Dr., Houston
No Kings Clear Lake: 4-6 p.m.
No Kings La Porte: 10 a.m.-noon
La Porte City Hall, 605 W Fairmont Pkwy., La Porte
No Kings Fort Bend County: noon-2 p.m.
401 Jackson St., Richmond
No Kings Katy: noon-1 p.m.
No Kings Indivisible Cypress: 10 a.m.-noon
No Kings Kingwood: 9-11 a.m.
Kingwood Town Center, West Lake Houston Parkway & Kingwood Drive, Kingwood
No Kings Woodlands: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Lake Woodlands Drive & Six Pines Drive, The Woodlands
No Kings Conroe:
Separate protests are also scheduled in Beaumont, Huntsville, Navasota and Brenham.