An estimated 80,000 people gathered at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on June 14 to stand for democracy and protest against tyranny. On that same day, Donald Trump held a $40 million military parade in Washington, D.C., coinciding with Flag Day and his birthday. Similar rallies condemning the parade’s exorbitant price tag and Trump’s authoritarian policies were held in cities across the nation under the “No Kings” slogan, bringing out between 6 and 12 million people. The events were sponsored and organized by Indivisible, an organization “with a mission to elect progressive leaders, rebuild our democracy, and defeat the Trump agenda.”
At noon, protesters started marching from Love Park towards the Philadelphia Museum of Art, on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The organizers lead chants such as “no hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here” and “hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go.”
The most repeated chant was “show me what democracy looks like,” to which the crowd would reply, “this is what democracy looks like,” referring to themselves and the protest taking place. Different parts of the large crowd followed different chants, often started by a random protester. Some chanted, “no ICE, no KKK, no fascist USA,” and “no justice, no peace.”
That last chant echoed the sentiment of a large group of the protesters, who held signs that said, “resist the fascist police state,” and, “when injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.”
Property damage and police violence at recent anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests, especially in Los Angeles, California, has made non-violence a major concern for organizers and supporters. “No Kings” protests were overwhelmingly peaceful, and notable acts of violence were perpetrated by counter-protesters, such as in Virginia and Utah, or as part of seemingly unrelated acts of political violence, as in Minnesota. Many have said the attention on non-violence distracts from the message of the protests, and some claim disruption of business is a valid method of protest.
The day coincided with Flag Day, so organizers handed out small American flags, and some people arrived with their own flags. People also brought signs, many of them bearing the crossed-out crown symbol that represents the “No Kings” campaign.
Other signs read: “If there’s money for a parade, there’s money for Medicaid,” “due process is a right, not a privilege,” and other similar messages rejecting Trump’s policies and branding him a tyrant and an aspiring king.
Many signs specifically targeted the mass raids on immigrants being carried out by ICE, one claiming “they blame immigrants so you won’t blame billionaires” and another stating, “prison without due process is just a concentration camp.”
One protester wrote that they “will trade racists for refugees.” Others wrote, “no human is illegal,” and, “protect people, not borders.” The Spanish “chinga la migra” (“f*** immigration police”) appeared on multiple signs.
Philadelphia’s rally was the flagship event of the initiative, as it featured a stage of high-profile speakers whose speeches were broadcast nationwide. Many protesters brought their Philly pride to the event, with taglines like, “ICE agents are Cowboys fans,” and, “the only ICE we want in Philly is wooder ice.”
A protester brought a sign which, on one side, said, “stop ICE,” and on the other, “Go Birds!” Another wrote, “Philly is an immigrant town.” One sign read, “let Penn show us Trump’s grades,” poking fun at the president’s time spent in Philadelphia.
Several local organizations, including the Philadelphia Democratic Socialists of America, Jewish Voice for Peace Philadelphia, Penn Against the Occupation, and Fridays at Fetterman’s organized an independent “Palestine contingent” to join the rally.
“The same forces that bomb Gaza are the ones backing Trump’s return and sowing division at home,” posted the Philly DSA on their Instagram.
A large portion of attendees could be seen wearing a keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian headdress, and adorning Palestinian flags while holding signs condemning ICE and fascism. A few protesters stood in the middle of Benjamin Franklin Parkway holding signs decrying American and Israeli aggression against Iran, and Israel’s alleged genocide in Gaza.
The “Palestine contingent” gathered a group in front of the stage and made occasional chants while speeches were ongoing. They chanted, “talk about Gaza,” at Georgia State Representative Ruwa Romman, who acknowledged them and said, “all of this comes after we watched a genocide unfold in Gaza for almost two years, while our elected officials cheered it on or gave mealy mouthed reasons of why they couldn’t oppose the atrocities that we paid for.”
The group held a banner that read, “solidarity has no borders,” and another that read, “workers demand – stop the genocide in Palestine.”
Earlier in the day, around 2:00 a.m., a Democratic lawmaker and their spouse had been killed. Later investigation revealed that the suspect, Vance Boelter, had been planning the murders for months and had intended to kill other politicians, including US Representative Ilhan Omar and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Several rudimentary, non-promotional flyers with “No Kings” written on them were found in his car, prompting organizers and state authorities to warn against demonstrating.
As the speeches ended and some protestors were marching back to City Hall, a man repeatedly yelled at the passing crowd that “two Democrats have just been murdered in Minnesota by a No Kings protester, because they didn’t vote for healthcare for illegal immigrants.”
Protesters continued to march towards the Philadelphia Federal Detention Center to protest ICE arrests in the city. Several people had marched on the building earlier in the week, on June 10, which resulted in 15 arrests. While police presence was limited to just road closures for the rest of the “No Kings” rally, over 30 officers on bicycles and motorcycles tried to disband this march. Three people were arrested, and one person was hospitalized, after which the crowd was forced to disperse.