Protesters lined 2.5 miles of Western Avenue on Saturday, October 18th, in opposition to the Trump Administration for Albany’s second No Kings Day Protest. The peaceful demonstration ran from 12pm to 2pm and stretched from Manning Boulevard to Fuller Road, uniting veterans, youth, seniors, the LGBTQIA+ community, and people of all races and ethnicities. Around 2,600 protests amounting to almost 7 million protesters were held across the nation and in US territories. Many locations were in close proximity to Albany including Troy, Saratoga, Clifton Park, Glens Falls, Greenwich, Cobleskill, Helderberg, Bennington, and Pittsfield. Abroad, demonstrations in solidarity were held in Iceland, Panama, Mexico, the British Virgin Islands, Australia, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Ireland, Britain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Albany’s protest was lively and showcased many inflatable Halloween costumes: a Spongebob and Patrick cheering on protesters in their cars, a bee with a sign saying “Bee Awesome, No Kings <3,” a T-Rex, multiple pink unicorns, and many others. The movement was in solidarity with the protesters adorned in frog costumes and other inflatables outside of the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Oregon and intended to combat attempts to make protests appear violent—one example being Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson’s labelling of the protests as a “hate America rally” despite the protests harping on the anti-monarchial values the nation was built on and no protest-related arrests being made even in cities like New York City, Chicago, Austin, and Washington D.C. where the largest crowds were. Protest signs ranged from a truck with an LCD displaying messages about the effects of Trump’s program cuts and humorous language against the President, to free signs provided by the New York Civil Liberties Union and United University Professions promoting various freedoms and urging the Trump administration to protect civil rights. Messages such as: “Democracy Needs Y(our) Cou(rage),” “Liberty and Justice for ALL,” “if not fascist, why fascist shaped?” and “IKEA makes better cabinets” promoted the cause and captivated the crowds. Local politicians like Congressman Paul Tonko and Assembly member Sam Fein attended the demonstration, joining around 1,200 protesters.
The first No Kings Day Protests that mobilized around 5 million people worldwide occurred on June 14th 2024, a year before the second, in response to President Trump’s cutting of vital programs and defiance of the courts and due process, which protesters argue is dictatorial. Albany’s protesters took to the streets along Wolf Road in a smaller but more concentrated demonstration. The air of hope, however, remained a constant between the two waves of protests. Since the first protests, Trump has further likened himself to royalty with an AI image posted by the official White House Instagram and X accounts of the President with a crown and the text “Long Live the King” in the style of a Time magazine cover. People rallied against various actions by President Trump at the second rally, primarily the government shutdown and the use of masked, unidentified ICE agents on civilians, as well as cuts to the Department of Education and other federal education resources, environmental justice issues, gerrymandering, corruption, and threats to deploy federal troops in US cities. In response, the President posted yet another AI generated video, this one of him flying a fighter jet with the words “KING TRUMP” on it above protests while wearing a gaudy gold crown and dumping feces—yes, feces—on protesters in major Democratic cities. Vice President JD Vance also posted an AI generated video of Trump with a crown, royal cape, and sword.
Organizers have since indicated that there will eventually be a third round of protests. Information about upcoming protests, which are organized by a coalition of 89 organizations, can be found at Indivisible.org, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Mobilize.us by Move On.