This Saturday, over 125,000 people attended the ‘No Kings’ Rally at Boston Common, and over 500 people attended the rally at Wellesley Town Hall to protest what organizers describe as Trump’s authoritarian policies.

Boston and Wellesley joined over five million people and 2,600 cities across the country in the nationwide No Kings Day, following the first demonstration on June 14. 

Wellesley

Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of Wellesley Town Hall on Saturday morning, waving American flags and shouting chants as they joined the nationwide No Kings rally. 

This protest follows the first Wellesley No Kings rally in early June, with over 500 protesters in attendance outside of Wellesley Town Hall. 

The Oct. 18 rally was the largest No Kings demonstration in Wellesley history, according to Doug Hersh, who led many of the chants. It drew multiple local community and religious leaders, as well as Alice Peisch, Wellesley’s representative in the state legislature.

Representative Peisch offered some advice to Wellesley College students.

“If you’re not engaged, become engaged, and if you are, stay engaged,” Peisch said. “The single most important thing you can do is register to vote, and particularly students at Wellesley College who live … Please make sure you register and that you vote. It matters.” 

The recent rally in Wellesley drew a variety of people, both young and old, with a number of Wellesley students in attendance as well. Amongst the protesters were a group of women from the Marillac Residence, a local retirement home.

“As you see, it’s a challenge because we need … walkers and canes. But it’s wonderful to see people standing up and saying, ‘We don’t want what is happening,’” Janice Farnham, a Marillac resident, said.

Many of the Wellesley students in attendance felt that the protest’s values reflected those of Wellesley College.

“We’re a school founded on the values that No Kings protests are protesting for, and so we’re just living out the values of the school’s founders,” Lucy Clews ’29 said.

Many Wellesley residents felt that they should use their privilege to rally.

“Wellesley College is in a bubble. I think Wellesley town can be in a bubble, too. Everybody’s safe here. Most people have lots of money,” Ellie Perkins ’65 said. “That should not give you a pass. We need to get out there and help each other.”

A group of concerned local citizens organized the Wellesley local No Kings rally after expressing their worries at a series of town meetings at the start of Trump’s second term. 

“When they started doing more national organizing around these issues, there was the ‘Hands Off’ rally [that] spontaneously occurred here in Wellesley,” said Laura Van Zandt, one of the organizers of the Wellesley rally. “We decided we could be more intentional about that, and so there’s just a group of us … We’re all volunteers. There’s no entity. It’s just us.” 

Although some on the right deem these protests as anti-American, protesters who waved American flags emphasized that the No Kings rally was about patriotism. 

“I’m very proud of our flag. I’m proud of our democracy… so I’m happy to see so many flags here,” Barbara Hayden, an elementary school administrator in the Wellesley area, said. “It’s very American to say ‘No Kings.’” 

Boston

In Boston, hundreds of thousands of protesters filled Boston Commons early afternoon on Saturday with witty signs and clever costumes, chanting “No Kings!” and “This is what democracy looks like!”

Senator Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, Mayor Michelle Wu, and other Boston-area politicians addressed the crowd, supporting protesters in the rally.

Wu spoke about past rallies in the Boston Common, including a civil rights march led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

“Boston doesn’t back down,” Wu said, after highlighting the legal action Boston took against ICE and the Trump administration, as well as the city’s continued investment in education, childcare, and home affordability.

Wu encouraged the crowd to get involved and build up their community to resist Trump’s power plays. At the protest, political organizations against Trump’s policies occupied petition booths, handing out flyers to encourage demonstrators to take political action against Trump.

Although demonstrating against a grim future, protesters also made the day a celebration, dressing up in fun costumes — including inflatable animals, a diaper-donning Trump, American Revolutionary figures, and even a handmaid from Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” — to lighten the mood. 

Lori Magno, a woman dressed up as an inflatable unicorn, took pictures with others in inflatable costumes and kids during the protest. 

“We need to show that there is joy as we step out in defense of democracy,” she said. “These people love our country and our democracy, and that’s why we’re here.”

Despite her uplifting spirit and playful costume, Magno turned serious on the topic of why she decided to demonstrate. 

“Fascism is here, authoritarianism is here. Make no mistake, it’s not been coming in…it’s here,” she said. 

Magno stressed how showing up in protest is the first step towards change. 

“It’s a warning [to Trump]…with clever signs and costumes and flags and singing…[that] we’re not going to tolerate this,” she said.

Jan Schreiber, a prominent American poet, translator, and literary critic, echoed Magno’s remarks about change and felt that protest was one of the few ways to get the people’s voices heard in government. 

“I hope it persuades a few lackluster members of Congress to vote the right way,” he said.

In a time of political polarization, Boston University student Sarah El-Sharkawi noted the unity of the thousands that joined the protest, despite their diverse political ideologies. 

“We’ve seen some communist signs, but then there’s people that are more moderate too. It shows that you can unite across the board on common interest: no kings and fascists,” she said.

Daniela Abramov, another Boston University student, was surprised and pleased to see cross-generational solidarity in the demonstration. Another protester, Laurie Hackett, held up a sign that said “my father didn’t fight Nazis for this.” Hackett was happy to see the large turnout of younger protesters, who she believes are “very disillusioned.” 

Hackett’s partner warned that attaching her name to this article might cause her backlash. On this subject, Hackett was firm in her opinion. 

“They can’t round me up. They could try,” she said. “But I feel like it’s worth the risk, because if we all capitulate…” 

She shook her head. 

“I feel like I’ve got to stand up. I can’t just let fear rule us anymore.” 

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Jessica Chen and Rebecca Birnback