NO KINGS - NO WAR - NO ICE
Demonstrasi massal "No Kings" melanda Amerika Serikat pada akhir Maret 2026, dengan sekitar 7-8 juta warga memprotes kebijakan Presiden Donald Trump, terutama terkait perang di Iran, kebijakan imigrasi, dan biaya hidup. Aksi yang berlangsung di 50 negara bagian ini menuntut penghentian campur tangan militer luar negeri dan menolak pendekatan otoriter, menjadikannya salah satu protes terbesar dalam sejarah AS.
Tuntutan Utama Protes "No Kings" (Maret 2026):
1. Tujuan Aksi: Menentang apa yang dianggap sebagai kepemimpinan otoriter ("No Kings") dan menuntut diakhirinya perang di Iran ("No War") serta kebijakan imigrasi agresif (ICE).
2. Skala Besar: Diikuti oleh jutaan orang (diperkirakan hingga 8 juta) di lebih dari 3.000 lokasi di seluruh 50 negara bagian AS pada Sabtu, 28 Maret 2026.
3. Pemicu: Serangan militer AS dan Israel ke Iran selama empat pekan terakhir, kenaikan harga kebutuhan pokok, dan kebijakan dalam negeri yang kontroversial.
5. Kritik Tokoh: Senator Bernie Sanders dan berbagai aktivis mengutuk keterlibatan militer, menuduh pemerintah berbohong tentang perang, mirip dengan situasi Vietnam dan Irak.
5. Dampak: Demonstrasi ini terjadi di tengah anjloknya tingkat kepuasan publik terhadap Trump menjadi 36%.
Aksi ini menekankan komitmen terhadap tindakan non-kekerasan untuk menghentikan "perang abadi".
No King, No War
Saturday marked the third “No Kings” rally across the country and many thousands of people came out to demonstrate against the authoritarian Trump and his illegal war.
- The Times reported these five takeaways
- The war seemed to galvanize younger voters
- Trump’s immigration crackdown remains a focus
- Dueling protests unfolded near Mar-a-Lago
- Midterm candidates came out in force
- Democrats found fresh fuel for their ‘No Kings’ slogan
- Read the entire piece for details.
HEADLINES :
- No Kings protesters across the US rally against Donald Trump (BBC)
- 5 Takeaways From the ‘No Kings’ Rallies as the Midterms Heat Up (NYT)
- Iran still has many missiles (Reuters)
- Iran-backed Houthis enter war with missile strike against Israel (CNN)
- US-Israeli war on Iran widens with first attack from Yemen (Al Jazeera)
- 4 weeks in, Trump’s conflicting signals on Iran war frustrate GOP lawmakers and political allies (CNN)
- War darkens economic outlook (Reuters)
- The No Kings protests keep growing. Are they having an impact? (WP)
- Iran-linked hackers breach FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email, publish excerpts online (CNBC)
- Kash Patel’s push against Democratic lawmaker raises concerns within FBI (WP)
- Trump DOJ Refuses to Rule Out Second Amendment Right to Nuclear Weapons (Slate)
- DOD: We’ll Take Anyone for This War. Well, as Long as You’re Not … (TNR)
- Trump ratchets up attacks on NATO, says U.S. no longer needs alliance (WP)
- The Rise and Fall of ICE-Tracking Apps (New Yorker)
- Florida’s Immigration Crackdown Is Showing Cracks: ‘We’re Hurting People’ (NYT)
- America Is Sliding Toward Illiteracy (Atlantic)
- Research points to how companies could make social media less addictive for teens (NPR)
- The Shocking Speed of China’s Scientific Rise (Atlantic)
- Afghan War Allies Were Promised Safety in the US—Until Now (Reveal)
- Trump’s signature is coming to U.S. currency — as cash use fades (Axios)
- I’m a High Schooler. AI Is Demolishing My Education. (Atlantic)
- Who’s Sora now? (Reuters)
- In the age of AI, your digital identity needs this protection (WP)
- Trump Weighs Deploying 340 Million More U.S. Troops To Middle East (Onion)
No Kings protests draw large crowds to rally against Donald Trump.
Large protests against the Trump administration have taken place in cities across the US, marking the third iteration of No Kings rallies.
Event organisers for Saturday's protests estimate more than 8 million people attended to protest policies imposed by US President Donald Trump, and things like the Iran war, immigration enforcement and the rising cost of living.
"Trump wants to rule over us as a tyrant. But this is America, and power belongs to the people - not to wannabe kings or their billionaire cronies," organisers said.
A White House spokesperson called the protests "Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions" and said the only people who care "are the reporters who are paid to cover them".
Protesters gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC
The BBC is unable to verify attendance figures by organisers. Previous No Kings protests have similarly been estimated in the millions.
Throughout the day on Saturday, demonstrations took place in nearly every major US city. Crowds also gathered in smaller cities and towns across the country - and also in areas outside the US, like Paris and London.
Rallies took over the streets of downtown Washington DC throughout the afternoon, with throngs of people marching through the nation's capital. Protesters lined the steps of the the Lincoln Memorial and packed the National Mall.
Like in previous iterations of No Kings, protesters held up effigies of Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other officials in the administration, calling for their ousting and arrest.
Protesters marched across a bridge from Arlington, Virginia into Washington DC
One of the flagship No Kings protests on Saturday took place in Minnesota, where two American citizens - Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti - were killed by federal immigration agents in January. Their deaths sparked outrage and nationwide protests against the Trump administration's immigration tactics.
Thousands on Saturday filled the streets with signs and a plethora of high-profile Democrats also took a stage outside the State Capitol building in St Paul.
Bruce Springsteen also took the stage and performed his anti-immigration enforcement song titled, "Streets of Minneapolis".
Protesters rallied outside the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul, the state that became central to the debate over the Trump administration's immigration tactics after two Americans were shot by federal immigration agents in January.
Bruce Springsteen performed his protest anthem "Streets of Minneapolis" outside the Minnesota state capitol during the rally there.
Thousands also crowded New York City's Times Square, marching through Manhattan's Midtown neighbourhood. Police had to shut down the normally busy streets to make way for crowds.
Actor and director Robert De Niro, who attended the protest in New York City, told the BBC's Tom Brook that he felt it was imperative to get out and protest against Trump.
"I think more people are starting to see that with this guy, it gets worse and worse and worse every day," De Niro said of Trump. "Now we're in a war. The next thing is, what he'll do is put put troops on the ground. He's crazy."
De Niro added: "It's that simple, and we have to stand up to him, to the regime, fight it with everything. We just got to fight, you know, peacefully, but we have to resist. We have to. We have no choice."
Trump has often clashed with De Niro during his political career, last month calling the high-profile actor "a sick and demented person" with "an extremely Low IQ".
De Niro "has absolutely no idea what he is doing or saying — some of which is seriously CRIMINAL!" Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
At the last No Kings protest in October, the New York Police Department said more than 100,000 people had gathered across all five of the city's boroughs.
The protests weren't without incident. In Los Angeles, two people were arrested for assaulting federal law enforcement, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Add :
In a statement to X, it said that two officers had been hit with the cement blocks and were receiving medical care, after a group of what it described as "1,000 rioters" surrounded the Roybal Federal Building and began throwing things at DHS agents.
Elsewhere in the city, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said "multiple arrests" had been made after protesters did not obey dispersal orders in an area near a federal prison.
Police confirmed that federal authorities used "non-lethal measures" to move crowds in the area, after warning protesters not to "attempt to tear down the gate and not throw items".
Reuters reported that arrests were also made in Dallas, after "minor scuffles erupted" when counter-protesters blocked streets and disrupted the No Kings march.
American expats abroad also gathered for protests in cities such as Paris, London and Lisbon.
Thousands of people marched through New York's Times Square
Many anti-war signs are on display in New York City
Saturday's estimated total of over 8 million protesters beats out the last No Kings rally in October, which estimates said drew crowds of nearly seven million people.
Several US states mobilised the National Guard, but organisers have maintained that the events are peaceful.
Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has expanded the scope of presidential power, using executive orders to dismantle parts of the federal government and deploying National Guard troops to US cities despite objections by state governors.
A crowd made up of American expats and some French nationals protest in Paris' Place de la Bastille
The president has also called on the administration's top law enforcement officials to prosecute his perceived political enemies.
The president says his actions are necessary to rebuild a country in crisis and has dismissed accusations that he is a behaving like a dictator as hysterical. "They're referring to me as a king. I'm not a king," he said in an interview with Fox News in October.
But critics warn some of the moves by his administration are unconstitutional and a threat to American democracy.
Source Reference :
- BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq8wy7g1gd1o
‘No ICE! No kings! No war!’: Thousands protest Trump across Maine
Demonstrators march through downtown Portland after the No Kings III rally on Monument Square. March 28, 2026. (Photo by Jim Neuger/ Maine Morning Star)
Across Maine on Saturday, thousands gathered on street corners and in parks, some playing music, many waving signs and banners as part of the third national “No Kings” day of protest against the administration of Donald Trump.
Many attendees expressed anger at Trump’s ongoing war on Iran, and his deportation efforts — which became much more real for many in Maine during the weeks-long surge in January — as well as the lack of action from Congress to deter him.
“I think the people are finally waking up, and we are fed up,” said Deborah Napier of Portland, who came out to oppose the war in Iran. “We are recognizing that minute by minute, we are losing our rights, and this is serious.”
Napier was among more than a thousand people gathered in downtown Portland, with other demonstrations planned in more than 30 locations from Castine to Saco.
In Monument Square, speakers urged attendees to be politically active, vote and continue to hold politicians accountable before the tide of people marched through the Old Port, chanting and holding signs.
“I was naive enough to think Congress would be a check and balance to a certain extent, but the amount of damage that’s been done in the last year is insane,” said Kennebunk resident Lynette Tozier, who attended with her brother. “They’ve just been complicit, and they’ve allowed the administration to do whatever.”
Many who attended on Saturday have been to previous No Kings rallies, and said they keep showing up to speak out against what they described as an attack on democracy.
Jake Dionne and Gage Thompson stood at the edge of the protest on Congress Street. Dionne held a fishing pole with a boot on the end of it which said, “Fishing 4 Fascists.”
“I decided to come out today mainly because we’re seeing policies that don’t reflect what people on the ground are experiencing, and it seems like there is a clear disconnect between the political ruling class and those who are on the ground in the working class,” Thompson said, noting how energy costs have increased since the U.S. first bombed Iran in late February.
“I know that this Constitution has lasted us 250 years, but it feels like it’s on the verge of really not holding up anymore,” Dionne added.
Some attendees dressed up as symbols of resistance. Recently retired law professor Jennifer Wriggins wore a green robe and Statue of Liberty crown and she marched through the Old Port holding an “I Love Democracy” sign.
From Trump’s actions on immigration to foreign policy, Wriggins said, “we cannot meet what this administration is doing with silence.”
“We have to fight for our country and for justice,” she added.
“No ICE! No Kings! No War!” was among the chants heard along Route 112 in Saco Saturday morning, where several hundred lined the road.
David Timmerman, a Vietnam-era veteran who lives in Saco, said he’s never been a fan of Trump. “Fifteen thousand of my brothers died while he sat in freaking luxury with his bone spurs. Now he thinks war is just great.”
Pointing to the war in Iran and “people getting picked off the street” by federal agents, he said he “never believed a thing that came out of his mouth anyways, but this certainly wasn’t what was saying.”
Maddie Andreozzi spoke to the crowd in Waterville, and said that for a long time, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, seemed like a distant nightmare, until the agents were spotted in central Maine.
“I am 15 years old, I should be worrying about doing my chemistry homework or what dress I’m going to wear to the dance tonight,” she said. “But instead I am worried about my friends or myself being kidnapped off the street. The more I think about what America has done for children like me, the more enraged it makes me feel.”
Waterville protesters met in smaller groups across the city before marching to join together at Head of Falls for the rally. The Anti-Fa La Las played music as the crowd grew to roughly one thousand people.
“Things are going from bad to worse, and I just reached a point where I couldn’t just sit still and not raise my voice anymore,” said Jason Weller, who had not previously attended a protest but joined the Waterville rally.
“They can ignore the polls, they can ignore the election, even, but when they see this number of people turning out all over the country, I think they can’t help but register there’s significant opposition,” Weller said. “Hopefully, it makes a difference.”
They can ignore the polls, they can ignore the election, even, but when they see this number of people turning out all over the country, I think they can’t help but register there’s significant opposition. Hopefully, it makes a difference.
– Jason Weller, who attended the No Kings rally in Waterville
In Augusta, roughly 1,500 protesters gathered outside the State House and the Cross Building before splitting into four groups to march to several locations across the city.
Organizer Jodi O’Connor said the unique strategy was meant to maximize the protest’s visibility and impact.
Among them, Augusta resident Liza Odell said she was undeterred by the frigid weather. “There’s no way I wouldn’t come out, whether it was below zero or raining or sleeting or snowing, whatever it was going on, I would be here,” she said.
Jason Brown said he appreciated the turnout in Maine’s capital city, especially because he has friends and family that support the Trump administration’s actions.
“What I’m reporting to them is either fake news, or they believe in it, they support it,” he said. “You can’t talk sense into them, I’ve tried. And I’ve given up.”
As O’Connor spoke to the crowd, she described herself as a “regular, average nobody from Maine,” and said she wanted people to leave feeling empowered.
“They are trying to wear us down, to get us to give up hope and to walk away,” she said. “In the face of these tactics, it is more important than ever to keep showing up. At protests, rallies and marches we keep showing up. In their voicemail, on their desktop, in their email, we keep showing up. And most importantly in the voting booth, we keep showing up.”
Source Reference :
By:Eesha Pendharkar and Kaitlyn Budion-March 28, 20264:54 pm
https://mainemorningstar.com/2026/03/28/no-ice-no-kings-no-war-thousands-protest-trump-across-maine/
Reposting by POINT Consultant
