Opponents of the Trump administration are planning to protest at more than 2,000 locations nationwide on Saturday. More than a dozen local events have been planned for Cape Cod, the South Coast, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket.
Millions of people took part in “No Kings” protests in June to coincide with a Trump administration military parade. Now, progressive groups are planning another round of No Kings demonstrations against what they call “authoritarian power grabs” by President Trump.
Wendy Lawton, of South Dartmouth, co-leads Indivisible South Coast New England, one of the groups organizing Saturday’s events.
“I think that people are really seeing that we need to speak out and speak up if we want to protect and rebuild our democracy and fix, not break, the systems that support all of us,” she said.
Mattapoisett will have a march, but most of the South Coast events will be stationary demonstrations. One of two planned for New Bedford will be a “bridge brigade,” with people holding signs and sounding horns on the new pedestrian overpass over Route 18.
“Everything is going to be peaceful,” Lawton said. “We are deeply committed to nonviolence. And so you're going to mostly see some smiles and signs — and horns.”
Various grassroots organizations and some Democratic Town Committees are planning the protests to coincide with a national day of action by the No Kings movement, she said.
Demonstrations on the Cape and Islands are planned for Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Falmouth, Hyannis, Chatham, Eastham, and Provincetown. On the South Coast, they’ll be in Fall River, Westport, Dartmouth, New Bedford, and Mattapoisett.
CAI sought comment from the Massachusetts Republican Party, the Cape Cod Republican Club, and the conservative group United Cape Patriots. None responded by airtime.