What to know about this weekend's 'No Kings' rallies

Sophie Brams

The Hill

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What to know about this weekend’s ‘No Kings’ rallies

Millions of people are expected to take to the streets Saturday for another round of “No Kings” demonstrations, against a backdrop of escalating tensions over immigration enforcement and the war with Iran.

The protests against the Trump administration — which swept across the U.S. last year — are planned for March 28, with a flagship event in the Twin Cities, the center of President Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota.

Organizers said last week that more than 3,000 rallies were scheduled in cities nationwide, stretching from coast to coast, including New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago.

In Washington, D..C, an estimated 4,000 protestors are expected to march across the Memorial Bridge past the Lincoln Memorial and on to the Washington Monument “in defense of American democracy, the rule of law, and a healthy planet,” according to organizers.

Ezra Levin, the co-executive director of the nonprofit Indivisible, predicted the demonstrations would be the “largest protest in American history.” More than five million people participated in similar demonstrations last June, followed by more than seven million people across nearly 3,000 events last October.

“We are all united in this fight to save our democracy from this administration, and we will win. From every corner of this country, we are all saying: NO KINGS,” Levin said in a statement.

Plans for the third round of anti-Trump demonstrations have been in the works for months, with organizers announcing them in January, just weeks after two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were shot and killed by federal officers during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.

Musician Bruce Springsteen, a frequent Trump critic, is set to perform his protest anthem “Streets of Minneapolis” at a St. Paul rally, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

The song, which slams what Springsteen described as “state terror” tactics by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, topped Billboard sales charts in the U.S. in the first week of January.

U.S. Sen Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D) and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D), Jane Fonda and several other musical artists are also expected to participate in the St. Paul rally, according to local reports.

While immigration enforcement was expected to be the primary focus, the demonstrations are also coming amid an escalating conflict with Iran and growing concern about the possibility of American troops on the ground — a move Trump has denied he would take.

Recent polling has indicated widespread opposition to a full-scale invasion of Iran, even as Trump’s approval rating has remained relatively stable since the U.S. and Israel first launched joint strikes on Feb. 28, according to an analysis by Ipsos.

It also remains to be seen how the Trump administration will respond to the “No Kings” demonstrations planned for Saturday, after comments last year took a defiant tone.

Republican leaders such as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) slammed the protests last October as a “hate America rally,” and Republican governors warned that any act of violence would be met with swift law enforcement action.

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What to know about this weekend's 'No Kings' rallies

Sophie Brams

© The Hill