Demonstrators in San Jose joined counterparts at more than 2,000 “No Kings” events nationwide and in Western Europe Saturday to “reject the authoritarianism” of the Trump Administration.
The protest event at St. James Park in San Jose was scheduled for noon to 2pm, which coincided with a 7-kilometer ‘No Kings’ walk from Palo Alto to Sunnyvale along El Camino Real.
Mayor Matt Mahan
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan – in his first comments about the turmoil in Los Angeles and the unprecedented actions by President Donalt Trump sending the military to California’s biggest city – issued a statement Friday evening on social media expressing support for Saturday’s “No Kings” demonstrations, while making a strong plea for a peaceful protest.
“Tomorrow at the No Kings protest, many of our neighbors will come together downtown to speak out,” the mayor said. “To reaffirm that here in San Jose, we strongly support the First Amendment, separation of powers and due process rights, and the diverse immigrant communities that make our city stronger.”
“City Hall stands with you,” said Mahan.
“At the same time, I want to remind everyone that we must stay peaceful,” he pleaded. “Violence undermines our ability to keep everyone safe. It distracts from the message. It shrinks rather than builds a coalition. And it will invite an outsized response from those who want to make an example out of Californians and our values.”
“So please – speak out. Stand together. Demand Justice. But do so in a way that lifts up our shared humanity,” the mayor cautioned. “That shows the world what justice and compassion look like in action. That honors the dignity of every person in our community – no matter where they come from, or how they got here.”
Also in Santa Clara County, a “We the People Democracy Fair” will be held in Rinconada Cultural Park in Palo Alto from 2 to 3pm. Bay Area native Joan Baez told local media she intends to speak at the Palo Alto event.
“NO KINGS” banners are to be unfurled over Highway 101 in Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Belmont.
In San Francisco, a “No Kings Day” march began in Dolores Park, ending at the Civic Center Plaza, beginning at 11:30am.
Demonstrations were scheduled at 58 sites in the Bay Area.
"No Kings" rally in Philadelphia Saturday was one of 2,000 nationwide. Photo by Kriston Jae Bethel for The New York Times
The biggest demonstrations nationally were set for Phoenix, Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte and Washington D.C. as well as the major capitals in Western Europe.
Saturday is also Flag Day, and featured an unprecedented and controversial military parade in downtown Washington, D.C., to celebrate the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday. June 14 also is President Donald Trump’s birthday.
The protest organizers called for "a nationwide day of defiance...to reject authoritarianism."
On the No Kings website, nokings.org, organizers said: "They've defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights and slashed our services."
"The corruption has gone too far. No thrones. No crowns. No kings.”
Who banned people from attending churches and going to the beach? Who insisted on experimental jabs to keep your job? Those are the authoritarians.
And a large plurality of Democrats (in a 2022 Rasmussen poll) said those who didn’t comply with such edicts should be put in concentration camps and have their children taken from them.
The projection and hypocrisy of everyone involved in these performative protests.
Thank you to those who served in our military and to those who continue to serve in our military.
Happy Birthday to you…. Mr. President Trump.
Fly your American flags proudly, in honor of the greatest country on the planet.
God Bless America!
Just saw there was a No Kings protest in Toronto, where there they have lived gladly with an actual king (or queen) for centuries. Symbolic of the stupidity of the entire Trump derangement enterprise.
Democrat hypocrisy never ends. Spoiled toddler democrats are throwing a fit over CRIMINALS is shameful and underscores how far left the dems have fallen. THEY OFFER NOTHING but chaos and corruption yet hypocritically make demands that are clearly not in the best interest of the country. Democrats are the party of feminine men and masculine women. Dems are warmongers and authoritarians who want to spend everyone else’s money on themselves and foreign governments that hate America. Keep it up dems!!! YOU WILL NOT SEE POWER EVER AGAIN. You are not as smart as you think and America is not as stupid as you think.
Funny how just only weeks ago Democrats/Liberals were saying how racist it was for Conservatives/Republicans to wave and fly the American flag or wear clothing with the American flag on it. They said the American flag was a symbol of racism. This past weekend Democrats/Liberals were waving and flying their American flags and wearing clothing with the American flag on it. So does that make them racist?