Thousands March in ‘No Kings’ rallies across New England

The demonstrations followed several days of nationwide protests against federal immigration raids, including in Los Angeles, where President Trump deployed the National Guard and US Marines against the wishes of California Governor Gavin Newsom. The larger Trump agenda was also on demonstrators’ minds.

At the Boston rally, they also railed against Trump’s immigration policy.

“I am just appalled at what I see people going through — especially my wonderful immigrant neighbors who are so afraid to even leave the house,” said Donna Sarti, 68, of Framingham.

Against conservative backlash on LGBTQ+ issues.

“I have two moms. And I definitely feel like Trump is trying to attack the rights of people like my parents. It’s just not right — and we need to get whoever is there out of office immediately,” said Shea Adams, 11, of Sharon, who came to the “No Kings” protest with her moms, Erin Wilkinson and Heather Adams.

Against tax cuts in his “big beautiful bill” that would benefit the country’s highest earners the most, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Billionaires “clearly have a lot of sway with the government. This ‘Great Big Beautiful Bill’ they’re trying to pass just gives tax breaks to them — it doesn’t help anyone else,” said Parker Page, 18, of Arlington.

More than 1,800 “No Kings” protests were planned nationwide as part of a National Day of Action organized by 50501 — short for “50 protests, 50 states, one movement” — and the Indivisible coalition, among other groups. They were planned in response to the military parade in Washington, D.C., which marked the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary. The parade also coincided with President Trump’s birthday and was expected to feature tanks, military flyovers, and National Guard troops, with a reported cost of up to $45 million.

In Massachusetts, nearly 100 “No Kings” demonstrations were planned in cities and towns from the Berkshires to Nantucket, from the North Shore to the South Coast.

About 150 people gathered for a “No Kings” rally in a parking lot near Belmont Street in Brockton. Despite the rain, participants carried signs opposing Trump’s military parade as some drivers in passing cars honked in support, while others yelled at participants in disapproval.

Leon Litchfield, 73, attended the Brockton rally holding a sign that read, “An expensive parade does nothing for vets!”

“I think just getting out, you can get out in the rain and do this; it’s probably the least you can do, but it’s something,” Litchfield said.

Vivien Michals, 92, sat in her wheelchair, banging a wooden spoon on an oven pot. Sitting next to her husband, Ed, 93, she said they attended the rally for their grandchildren, despite the rain and cold.

“I want them to have the country I’ve had,” Vivien Michals said. “It means a country that represents us and has a compassionate spirit.”

Christine Knapp, 59, came to a rally in Brookline from Exeter, N.H., to protest Trump’s bill, which she dubbed the “Big Ugly Bill,” which the House approved and the Senate is currently debating.

The high school English teacher voiced concern about how the projected national debt burden, an additional $2.4 trillion over the next decade, according to the CBO, would affect future generations.

”Why should we be giving tax breaks to older people who already have a lot of money, while leaving debt for young families who can’t afford a house?” Knapp said.

In Providence, Mark Bowhall sat on a lawn chair on the cobblestones in front of the Rhode Island State House, among a few hundred protestors, holding up a hand-written poster that read, “I love our troops, I love our country, I despise this moron, No Kings!”

The retired computer programmer from Coventry, a suburb of Providence, said that both of his sons are in the Marine Corps. Given the military parade being held in Washington, D.C., he didn’t want the “No Kings” protests to be painted as an anti-military effort.

“I don’t like the negative connotation on Democrats being unpatriotic. On the other hand, I don’t want to paint all Republicans as bad either,” Bowhall said.

Kelly Pereira of Providence held a sign that read, “My son needs Medicaid more than billionaires need tax cuts,” referring to massive Medicaid cuts proposed in Trump’s megabill.

Pereira’s son, Ollie, 7, sustained hypoxic-ischemic brain injuries after being in a car accident after his first birthday. Ollie is nonverbal and requires around-the-clock nursing. Pereira attended the protest mainly to express her disapproval of the Trump administration’s proposed healthcare policies.

“My son wouldn’t be able to live without Medicaid,” Pereira said.

In Burlington, Vt., roughly 3,500 people gathered early Saturday afternoon for a rally staged at a waterfront park on the shores of Lake Champlain. A brisk wind powered sailboats in the distance and whipped through American and Palestinian flags held aloft by protesters.

Steve Norman, 79, of Burlington, hoisted his own handmade flag, with the words “Fascism sucks” painted in red on a white backdrop.

“I’m having a wonderful Flag Day today,” said Norman, a retired legal aid attorney. He said he was relieved that so many people throughout the country were joining him in taking action.

“I think people are getting mobilized,” he said. “People are out here today who haven’t been to demonstrations in generations. It’s good to get the country activated.”

Meagan Collins, 38, of Burlington, said she chose to attend the protest “because I want to be on the right side of history.”

“We’re showing the world that this is not OK — that King Trump must be dethroned,” said Collins, a paralegal.

Back in Boston, Jessie Terray, 25, held a sign that read, “They’re eating the checks and they’re eating the balances,” a play on Trump’s widely criticized, false claim during a 2024 presidential debate that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were “eating the cats” and “eating the dogs” of their neighbors.

Terray said she felt checks and balances on government power were being eroded under current Republican control.

“They control all the institutions — the House, the Senate, the court," Terray said. “Things are going unchecked, and I don’t think the people are represented in that system at the moment.”

Globe correspondent Jade Lozada contributed to this report. Material from the Associated Press was also used.

Nathan Metcalf can be reached at nathan.metcalf@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @natpat_123. Maria Probert can be reached at maria.probert@globe.com. Angela Mathew can be reached at angela.mathew@globe.com.