Millions expected across all 50 US states to march in No Kings protests against Trump | Protests (US)

Americans across all 50 states began marching in protests against the Trump administration on Saturday, aligning behind a message that the country is sliding into authoritarianism and there should be no kings in the US.

Millions are expected to turn out for the No Kings protests, the second iteration of a coalition that marched in June in one of the largest days of protest in US history. Events are scheduled for more than 2,700 locations, from small towns to large cities, reflecting a decentralization in an anti-Trump protest movement that focused on demonstrations in Washington DC during his first presidency.

In Georgia, at least 10,000 people had filled the field of the Atlanta Civic Center in preparation for a march to the state capital by mid-morning.

“I love all the American flags. You know why? Because we love America,” said Andrea Young, director of the American Civil Liberties Union chapter in Georgia. “We are here to say we love America too much to give it over to a wannabe king … We are governed by laws, by a constitution, a Bill of Rights, and we are here to say no kings. We say no one is above the law. And no one is below the law.”

Donald Trump has cracked down on US cities, attempting to send in federal troops and adding more immigration agents. He is seeking to criminalize dissent, going after left-leaning organizations that he claims are supporting terrorism or political violence.

Cities have largely fought back, suing to prevent national guard infusions, and residents have taken to the streets to speak out against the militarization of their communities.

Trump’s allies have sought to cast the No Kings protests as anti-American and led by antifa, the decentralized anti-fascist movement, while also claiming that the protests are prolonging the government shutdown. Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, has said he will send the state’s national guard to Austin, the state’s capital, in advance of the protests.

Some politicians, including Democratic senators Chuck Schumer and Chris Murphy, and independent senator Bernie Sanders, are expected to attend the protests. The No Kings coalition has repeatedly underscored its commitment to nonviolent resistance, and tens of thousands of participants have trained on safety and de-escalation tactics.

“What’s most important as a message for people to carry is that the president wants us to be scared, but we will not be bullied into fear and silence,” said Lisa Gilbert, the co-president of Public Citizen, one of the protest organizers. “And it’s incredibly important for people to remain peaceful, to stand proud and to say what they care about, and not to be cowed by that fear.”

More than 200 organizations have signed on as partners for the 18 October protests. Organizers have identified several anchor cities: Washington DC, San Francisco, San Diego, Atlanta, New York City, Houston, Honolulu, Boston, Kansas City in Missouri, Bozeman in Montana, Chicago and New Orleans.

The simple framing of the protests is that the US has no kings, a dig at Trump’s increasing authoritarianism. Leading Republicans, including House speaker Mike Johnson, have described the protests as a “hate America rally”.

Among the themes the organizers have pointed to: Trump is using taxpayer money for power grabs, sending in federal forces to take over US cities; the president has said he wants a third term and “is already acting like a monarch”; the Trump administration has taken its agenda too far, defying the courts and slashing services while deporting people without due process.

Leftist groups have called for the enunciation of a clear political program and concrete demands. In a 15 October statement, No Kings, No Nazi Führers! Mobilize the Working Class Against Trump’s Dictatorship!, the Socialist Equality Party said the central slogan, “No Kings”, articulates vast popular hostility to autocracy but warned that “anger and outrage are not enough to stop dictatorship”.

The progressive group Public Citizen said the protests aimed to counter “the most unlawful administration in American history”, adding that “millions of Americans will come together in peaceful pro-democracy protests to show that we will never bow to a king”.

The June No Kings protests drew millions to the streets, with the Harvard Crowd Counting Consortium estimating that between 2 million and 4.8 million people attended protests across the more than 2,000 locations in what was “probably the second-largest single day demonstration since Trump first took office in January 2017”, second to the Women’s March in 2017.