Thousands flocked to Center City on Saturday to take part in the “No Kings” protest, marching from Love Park to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia’s “No Kings” rally was the flagship protest among more than 1,800 other demonstrations nationwide.
A coalition of more than 200 advocacy organizations and unions came together under the “No Kings” moniker. According to the official “No Kings” website, the purpose of the march was “a day of defiance” against President Donald Trump’s policies and displays of military force — both symbolically through Saturday’s military parade and literally following the deploying of the National Guard in Los Angeles.
According to police, approximately 80,000 people attended the Philadelphia rally. No arrests were reported.
The rally was scheduled to begin at noon, however, as early as 10 a.m. people began gathering at Love Park while organizers set up. Seas of people arrived every 10 to 15 minutes via train from both Suburban and 30th Street Station. By 12:15 p.m. the crowd had ballooned into the thousands, and groups advocating for a variety of causes were clustered throughout Center City.
“I believe Trump is a racist dictator,” said 18-year-old Elijah B, who was attending his first protest by himself, and declined to give his last name. “As a Black man, Black people face a lot in America and I just want to try to make a difference and be heard.”
Michael Carpenter, a theater actor from Philadelphia, was motivated because, “the minute Trump got elected, the biggest thing in my brain is the fact that he’s a convicted criminal and he’s the president. It always just gets me.” Carpenter also cited being devastated by the aggressive ICE raids and mass deportations happening across the country.
Thousands of protestors marched peacefully down the Parkway chanting and cheering, walking in the rain shouting: “No Kings, No Crowns! We the people run this town.”
Around 1 p.m. the crowd enveloped Benjamin Franklin Parkway and were welcomed by the sounds of local rock band Trash Boy.
Art Steinberg, President of Philadelphia Federation of Teachers joined fellow speakers Martin Luther King III — who implored the importance of keeping protests non-violent — as well as Lorella Praeli, who addressed the crowd in Spanish, and Naveed Shah, who spoke on behalf of veterans.
Comedian and social media personality Alex Perlman, aka Pearlmania500, said he joined the protests because “there’s so many things that are breaking news and happening constantly, everything can’t be a distraction from everything else.”
The causes people care about were proudly displayed—waving on flags and scrawled in Sharpie on handmade signs. Multiple Palestinian flags waved in front of speakers on the Art Museum stage, and signs called out ICE specifically. Women arrived dressed in costumes from ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’. Ultimately, the large crowd dwindled by 2:30 p.m.
According to organizers of the “No Kings” movement, Saturday’s protests were collectively attended by more than 5 million people nationwide, the largest coordinated protests since Trump returned to office.
“Across red states and blue, rural towns and major cities, Americans stood in peaceful unity and made it clear: we don’t do kings. While Trump and MAGA-aligned governors wasted public dollars on riot gear and fear tactics, the people brought hope, humor, and harmony. A national act of joyful resistance,” the No Kings Coalition said in a statement. “Today was a reminder: we are still here. Still organizing. Still rising. Still unafraid. We don’t do kings in this country. We do solidarity. We do community. We do justice—and we do it together.”
