By Martha Grevatt
October 22, 2025
Demonstrations around the theme of “No Kings” took place on Oct. 18, with over 2,500 actions across the U.S. and around the world. This was the biggest single day of protest against President Donald Trump since his inauguration, with activities in urban, suburban and rural communities. An estimated 8.1 million people took part, with the largest actions, in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, drawing hundreds of thousands.
A truly massive movement involving millions of people has emerged in opposition to cutbacks in human services; mass layoffs of federal workers; attacks on migrants, people of color, the LGBTQIA2S+ community and people with disabilities; union-busting; and a whole program aimed at crushing the working class and oppressed people.
It is impressive that so many millions of people are protesting a president less than a year into his administration. The challenge is to get the newly mobilized masses to understand that the Democratic Party is not the answer, and that they need to do more than march.
The organizations that have called these mass marches – including Indivisible, 50501 and MoveOn – are tied to the Democratic Party, which seeks to limit, not broaden, the political outlook of these mass actions. There was even a call for marchers to wear or carry yellow items to show affinity with reactionary protests in Hong Kong and the right-wing government in Ukraine!
To push back Trump’s fascist agenda it will take a mass movement – but one that is independent from both capitalist parties and has a clear anti-imperialist orientation.
Actions bring out the masses
Here are some on-the-ground reports of a few of the actions Oct. 18.
In New York City, more than 100,000 people marched down Seventh Avenue from Times Square to 14th Street protesting Trump’s terror against immigrants, cutting of healthcare, firing of federal workers and sending troops to major U.S. cities. A labor contingent, organized by unions that are part of the New York City Central Labor Council, held a feeder march up Sixth Avenue that joined the main march. It included many members of 1199 Service Employees Union (SEIU), Communications Workers of America Local 1180, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 37, the New York State Nurses Association, the Laborers’ Union International of North America and the Professional Staff Congress/City University of New York.
New York City. (Photo: Brenda Ryan)
Teachers, doctors and other health care workers carried signs declaring “Fascists Fear Educators,” “Protect Our Healthcare,” “Hands off Medicare and Medicaid,” “Money For Education Not Oligarchs.” There were also signs in support of the Palestinian people and against U.S. arming of Israel. Many people stopped to take photos of Workers World Party (WWP) signs that read “U.S.A.: Hands off Venezuela!” and “ICE: U.S. Troops Out of Our Cities!”
A dozen people photographed a member wearing a “No War on Venezuela” apron, several remarking enthusiastically that this was the only one they had seen. And a young Palestinian woman thanked WWP members for showing solidarity with Palestine. The dense crowd was multinational and filled with young people, more so than in the previous “No Kings” march held in June, and with more homemade anti-fascist signs.
Organizers estimated that 90,000 people gathered at Philadelphia’s City Hall and marched to the Liberty Bell. There were too many participants carrying U.S. flags and not enough carrying Palestinian flags, and the crowd was older and whiter than Philly’s real population, but it was significant that people came out, held up signs and chanted against fascism, ICE and cuts in programs that poor and working people need.
Philadelphia. (Photo: Joe Piette)
Thousands of people marched in Niagara Square in Buffalo, New York. The WWP Buffalo branch raised the need for working class people to have their own party, independent of both corporate parties. WWP also raised the slogans “Free Palestine!” and “U.S. hands off Venezuela!”
(Photo: Buffalo WW bureau)
The rally and march in downtown Cleveland drew thousands of people with signs and banners expressing outrage over Trump’s attacks. While the rally was moderate and mainly featured Democratic Party politicians, the crowd maintained a militant spirit in the march that followed. Chants included, “Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here” and “Free, free Palestine!”
Big crowds in small towns
There were between 16 and 20 No Kings rallies in small cities and towns across West Virginia. Members of WWP attended rallies in Huntington and Charleston that brought out hundreds of people of different nationalities, generations and genders. There were several speakers and musical performers, while progressive organizations, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Citizen Action Group and WVFree, an abortion rights advocacy group, had tables.
Huntington, West Virginia. (Photo: West Virginia bureau)
Several of the attendees had signs expressing concerns over the closing of rural hospitals, as a result of Medicaid cuts mandated in the “Big, Ugly” budget bill. Many people, through signs and shirts, shared sentiments against ICE and some sported keffiyehs and carried Palestinian flags. Protesters wore red bandanas around their necks to show solidarity with the historical mine wars, such as the “Battle of Blair Mountain.” Various costumes and street theatre were notable. Copies of Workers World newspaper and the “Push back against fascist repression” WW statement were distributed and well-received.
Kerrville, Texas, is a small, heavily Republican town recently devastated by a horrific flood this past summer. Hundreds of people came out to Kerrville City Hall to protest Trump and fascism. A participant stated: “The surprising turnout made me feel proud of my hometown. Not everyone from a small town background is a MAGA supporter and this proves it.”
The No Kings protest in Kingwood, Texas, was the biggest the town has yet seen, with over 1,000 participants. Although there were many U.S. flags and other expressions of patriotism, there were also many progressive slogans. In addition to slogans that promoted LGBTQIA2S+ rights and opposed ICE, there were a few pro-Palestinian signs, more than at any previous No Kings events in Kingwood.
One individual is reported to have been harassed by local police, although the cops backed down in the end.
The event in Dallas demonstrated many things: the mass support for the growing movement against Trump, the unfortunate prevalence of the liberal element of that movement, and, most encouragingly, the openness among the youth for a more radical, revolutionary solution.
In a corner of Pacific Plaza, among the tables and groups from multiple revolutionary socialist parties as well as organizations focused on protecting the rights of immigrants directly affected by the current fascist ICE campaigns, a group gathered and listened to a recitation of the WWP flyer created for the event. The point in the statement on the absence of Palestine representation in official No Kings messaging particularly resonated with the group. Later, when the mile-long march began, young activists gladly substituted the liberal slogan “This is what democracy looks like” with “This is what resistance looks like!”
In addition to joining along in a rendition of The Internationale as rain came pouring down upon demonstrators, fellow socialists and all attendees traveling through that area of the plaza were given this quote by Georgi Dimitrov, General Secretary of the Communist International from 1935-43: “Before the establishment of a fascist dictatorship, bourgeois governments usually pass through a number of preliminary stages and adopt a number of reactionary measures which directly facilitate the accession to power of fascism. Whoever does not fight the reactionary measures of the bourgeoisie and the growth of fascism at these preparatory stages is not in a position to prevent the victory of fascism, but, on the contrary, facilitates that victory.”
Houston. (Photo: Gloria Rubac)
Houston’s City Hall, its Reflection Pool Park area and neighboring Tranquility Park were filled with protesters for No Kings Day. Between 15,000 and 20,000 activists with creative signs and costumes – as well as too many U.S. flags – rallied and marched. Besides some Democratic Party politicians, there were speakers from the Palestinian Youth Movement, Democratic Socialists of America and Food Not Bombs. Many people readily took WW newspapers and flyers. The Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement distributed leaflets promoting their 26th Annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty at the Texas Capitol on Nov. 1 at 2 p.m.
In Salt Lake City, Utah, the “No Kings” protest had over 15,000 people attending, based on estimates by local television station KUTV. Crowds filling the entire grounds of the Utah state capitol building. One participant carried a flag with the Utah beehive symbol surrounded by the pro-trans, anti-racism Pride flag motifs. Inspired by a tactic used in Portland anti-ICE protests, a contingent in the march wore inflatable costumes.
Representing a large number of people from the working class, 90,000 demonstrators marched in Seattle, according to march organizers and local media. The marchers protested the thousands of attacks by the Trump-led billionaire class and their imperialist corporations and opposed U.S. wars at home and abroad. At least seven feeder marches merged into the main rally at Seattle Center.
Seattle. (Photo: Jim McMahan)
After rallying, the demonstrators marched a mile to downtown. Tariq Raouf, a Palestinian writer, activist and poet, spoke at the main rally. A militant Free Palestine contingent urged continued solidarity for the Palestinian revolution. Seattle Against War, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Students for a Democratic Society and Workers World Party were some of the groups in the contingent.
CG Bartell, Alex Colwell, Jim McMahan, Joe Piette, Gloria Rubac, Brenda Ryan, Joanna Straughn and the Houston, Buffalo and West Virginia Workers World bureaus contributed to this article.
