No Kings Day II rally in Greenfield draws thousands in peaceful protest

GREENFIELD — The No Kings Day II march and rally on Saturday afternoon drew thousands of people downtown for more than four hours, with many expressing a need for continued protest of the federal government through solidarity, peace and humor.

The march and rally, organized by Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution (FCCPR), drew an estimated 2,500 and 3,000 people and remained peaceful. It started at Energy Park just before 2 p.m., followed by a march down Main Street to Court Square.

Thousands gathered in front of City Hall, and on the surrounding sidewalks, where Greenfield Police had the western-most intersection of Main Street and Bank Row Road closed to traffic.

People of all ages came with signs, banners, large puppets, costumes and inflatable character suits. Signs and chants from demonstrators decried authoritarianism, the need to defend democratic principles and be in solidarity with each other.

While lively music from the Montague Marching Band and group songs from the League of Lady Liberty lifted spirits and brought people to dance, the tone of signs and chants, as well as statements made by speakers, were at times somber.

Demonstrators held signs like “Fight For Your Services,” “Act Up! Fight Back! Fight Tyranny!” “Peaceful Protest is Protected Speech,” “We Have A Constitution, Not A King,” and “Boo ICE, Yes Ice Cream.” Speakers at the rally, including organizer David Greenberg, also touched on these issues.

“The state of the union is in much worse shape than it was for the first joyful No Kings Day in June,” said David Greenberg, one of the organizers said while speaking at the protest. He talked about ICE activity, federal grant cuts, and how “the right of free speech, the rule of law and our democracy itself are clearly under attack in a way that none of us has ever experienced in our lives.”

No Kings Day II falls during continued political, social and economic unrest in the country. Since the last protest, there have been continued and planned National Guard deployments to several U.S. cities, further Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests, concerns over a free speech crackdown by federal authorities and U.S. job growth has slowed while inflation ticks higher. Saturday also marked the third-longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

While Greenberg noted the changes since June, fellow FCCPR organizer Molly Cantor, dressed as the Statue of Liberty, encouraged continued protest against the Trump administration.

“I know that many of you have been working hard, pushing back against the damage the Trump administration is doing to our country,” she said. “We need to continue to be creative and find ways to transform the institutions of power that prop up the administration.”

Max Page of Amherst and president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, also spoke to the crowd about the specific attacks on education and unions by the Trump administration, citing grant cuts to the University of Massachusetts Amherst and potential firings of federal employees. He also spoke about how continued pushback and solidarity are needed.

“Unions are democratic, independent institutions that bring workers together across race, politics, gender and religion to demand justice at the workplace and in society,” Page said, “They know that unions will be the source of resistance this time as well. We in the labor movement have to be ready to play that role once again, in solidarity with everyone in our communities.”

This call for solidarity is reflected in the number of demonstrations occurring across the world. According to an Oct. 18 press release by No Kings, the coalition of progressive organizations behind the June and October No Kings Day demonstrations, nearly seven million Americans gathered at 2,700 actions across the United States. In the Pioneer Valley, similar demonstrations were held in Ashfield, Orange, Northampton, Springfield and Holyoke, among other communities.

The June protests in more than 1,400 locations across the nation coincided with the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary parade in Washington, D.C., which also fell on Trump’s 79th birthday. That same weekend, National Guard and U.S. Marines were deployed in Los Angeles following unrest over federal immigration enforcement in the city, and Congress was preparing to vote on Trump’s spending bill, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which sparked protests nationally and in Greenfield on July 17.

“I thought the last one was kind of more joyous. People are having a fun time, but the undertone is somber,” said Babette Wills, who was dressed as a king with a sign decrying billionaires and cuts to Medicaid, of Saturday’s protests.

Wills said she sees the path forward as being connected with others, and reaching out to the other side of the aisle to people who voted for Trump, and finding a common understanding on issues such as the impact cuts to Medicaid will have.

Inflating the joy

Wills also shared that her costume is a commentary on how humor can be used to combat authoritarianism.

“Humor is something that people who are authoritarian really cannot stand,” said Wills noting that she was inspired by costumes from previous protest movements.

Some rallygoers suited up into inflatable costumes to replicate the use of inflatable costumes in Portland, Oregon, during protests outside of an ICE facility.

These inflatables have been used to counteract the comments made by Trump about Portland being “war-ravaged,” amid plans to send National Guard troops to the city.

A patriotic eagle, unicorns, and an inflatable chicken were just some of the inflatables in the Greenfield crowd. Asked about this whimsical element of the day, Wendy Dellert said from inside her unicorn costume, “I think that’s what it’s all about.”

“We gotta show that we’re coming with peace and love, not hate,” she said, adding that being out at this protest means that she cares about democracy, “and it’s a chance to blow off a little steam.”

John Sullivan, who came as a green dinosaur, said he thinks the costuming brings entertainment to the cause.

“It’s solidarity with the West Coast and the protests that they’re doing, and just demonstrating that it’s a peaceful protest, it’s a joyful protest,” Sullivan shared. “We’re just spreading peace, love, joy, entertainment and bringing attention to all of the issues that are happening in protest at the same time.”