“No Kings 3.0” Protests Planned for Saturday

By Patrick D. Lewis

Over 3,000 events are expected to be held this Saturday as part of the nationwide “No Kings 3.0” protest against President Donald Trump and the actions of his administration.

The first two events, which were held last fall, drew millions of attendees at events around the country. This time, organizers in some locations are switching to smaller, neighborhood-focused demonstrations, rather than large central events. A few dozen events are also being organized in other parts of the world.

The largest event is expected to be held in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, which has been the center of opposition to the Trump Administration in the wake of two deadly shootings in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents killed American citizens protesting Trump’s immigration crackdowns. Many Democrat Party politicians are expected to attend, and Bruce Springsteen is scheduled to perform at the rally.

Here in Washington D.C., the largest protest is expected to be a March from Memorial Bridge, past the Lincoln Memorial, and ending at  the Washington Monument. The Hill reported that organizers expect over 4,000 people to attend. Road closures are expected in the area during the event.

Several other events are planned for the District, including a protest near Fort McNair, another one in Friendship Heights in Northwest, one in the Kalorama neighborhood in Adams Morgan, and student protests at American University and The George Washington University. Dozens of other protests will also be held at locations around the D.C. area. 

The protests have been focused on Trump’s immigration policies in past editions, and that theme is expected to again feature heavily this Saturday, especially in the wake of the deployment of ICE agents to major airports around the country and the ongoing funding lapse for the Department of Homeland Security. However, the protests are also expected to cover the ongoing war in Iran. Organizers say that polls show the majority of Americans do not support the thousands of strikes against Iran, especially since media reports emerged saying civilians may have been targeted, and the Pentagon announced plans to deploy 5,000 Marines and around 2,000 Army paratroopers to the Middle East ahead of potential boots on the ground operations in Iran.

Gas prices have skyrocketed to over $4 per gallon due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian counterattacks on oil production facilities in nearby countries with ties to the U.S, another reason organizers believe there will be a massive showing for the events. 

Organizers say that over 7 million people attended the last event in October, and more are expected this weekend.