Large Turnout in Amherst for National No Kings Day of Protest

Amherst turned out in force on Saturday, March 28, in support of the third No Kings nationwide day of action. Organizers estimated the crowd on the Town Common at 2,500 people. 

National event organizers estimated that over 8 million people participated in No Kings actions, making it the largest single-day protest in the US since the 1970 Earth Day protest.

Protestors held signs calling attention to the Trump administration’s immigration policies, congressional inaction, and the US-Israeli war  in Iran.

“As an organizer, it feels incredibly discouraging to be working against people who ignore the Constitution, who ignore everything except their own harmful agendas, and it’s all too easy to feel like coming to an event like this won’t make meaningful change. But I wanted to remind you that today does matter. Today, we are going to make our voices heard as we build community and make connections,” said Inanna Balkin, a rally organizer.

The demonstration, sponsored by the grassroots organization Indivisible West Quabbin, featured several speakers, including Massachusetts Representative Mindy Domb and Senator Jo Comerford who spoke about the new legislation (The Protect Act (see also here) that  passed in the state in March of 2025, barring “warrantless civil immigration arrests in courthouses,” according to reporting from WBUR.

In her speech, Comerford said that the legislation will allow “for the first time, true accountability.”

The bill, crafted  by the Legilsature’s Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, also “prohibits law enforcement from asking about someone’s immigration status unless the information is directly related to a criminal offense, and bars local authorities from sharing nonpublic information about someone’s release from jail or prison with federal agents.”

“The caucus reached out not only to lots of stakeholders but to the communities most affected by what ICE is doing in Massachusetts and said: what do you need? What does your family need? What does your community need? And this is what came forward. So know that it’s not just good law and good legislation but it’s rooted in the lives of people in Massachusetts,” Domb said.

Before speakers began at 1 p.m., demonstrators gathered on both sides of the intersection in Downtown Amherst while drivers honked and singers from local group Show Up! Sing Out! offered movement songs as well as new songs of resistance. The ensuing rally was punctuated with songs from the group. Members of Show Up! Sing Out! along with local high school and college students stood in front of the Bank of America across from the common as part of an effort to “De-ICE” Amherst and Hadley by confronting businesses affiliated with corporations with histories of supporting ICE, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). After the rally, this group along with participants in the Amherst No Kings rally traveled to Hadley to protest several other corporate collaborators with ICE, including Target, Amazon (which owns Whole Foods), AT&T, Hilton, and Citizens Bank, which has a branch inside the Hadley Stop & Shop.

Balkin, a junior at Amherst Regional High School and Co-director of Amherst Feminist Generation, opened the rally describing how legislative and judicial checks and balances once felt to her like “a given, unquestionable, unchangeable and extraordinarily solid.”

“It didn’t occur to me that our government could ignore you, aggressively bulldozing through our nation’s founding pillars. After taking U.S. history, though, last year as the 2024 election unfolded and as we prepared for the fallout, I realized this was naive.

Balkin introduced members of Jewish Activists for Immigration Justice (JAIJ) of Western Massachusetts who held signs with the names of Massachusetts residents detained by ICE.

“Since January 2025, 4,412 Massachusetts residents have been taken by ICE. That is 4,412 reported by reliable news sources. Likely, the true number is much higher. These are our neighbors.”

Group members shared the story of each resident’s arrest, detention, and legal battle to remain in the country despite many being active asylum seekers, or  legal permanent residents. These included Canton resident Jemmy Jimenez Rosa, New Bedford resident Juan Francisco Mendez, Babson College student Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, Milford High School student Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, Dorchester resident Emmanual Cleeford Damas who died in ICE custody, permanent resident Samoeuth Som, Springfield resident Juan David Quichimbo and Fitchburg resident Carlos Sebastian Zapata Rivera.

They also introduced the Blue Triangle Solidarity campaign, a reclaiming of a symbol once used by Nazis to identify migrants.

“The blue triangle stands as a reminder that the crimes of history echo, echo into the present,”  a representative from JAIJ said. “Persecution doesn’t always come in the same form, but it comes from the same place: fear, ignorance, and the systemic stripping away of another’s humanity. In reclaiming the blue triangle, we not only acknowledge the past, we’re committing to a future in which we won’t let history repeat itself.”

In-between speakers, Balkin and Amherst College students led chants including “Show me what democracy looks like. This is what democracy looks like,” and “No hate, No fear. Immigrants are welcome here.”

Balkin then introduced Senator Comerford who serves Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester counties.  “Our neighbors are with us. They are here to celebrate the glorious resistance and resilience of community. And they are here to mourn and to rage against the brutality of Donald Trump and everyone who is with him right now,” Comerford said.

“We [the Massachusetts legislature] are holding a line of defense for our people. We are saying no politically motivated book bans. No data surveillance. Yes to reproductive care. Yes to gender-affirming care.”

John Bonifaz, co-founder and president of Free Speech for People and founder of the National Voting Rights Institute, also spoke and advocated for Trump’s impeachment. Bonifaz listed some of the president’s “abuses of power” including detainment and deportation without due process,

freezing appropriated public funds, and “refusing to comply with multiple court orders.”

“Tyranny only survives and only prevails based on fear. It does not have morality on its side. It does not have popular will on its side. It does not have the rule of law on its side. It only has fear. Today we stand up for that fear…We have a message for Donald Trump today. We are not afraid of you. You are a lawless wannabe dictator. You have committed high crimes against the state. We will hold you accountable.”

Maia, a representative from the Amherst hub of the LUCE immigrant justice network, reminded the crowd that violence against immigrant communities did not begin with this administration and “has been the lived reality of immigrants in this country for decades.”

“It will not be enough to get Trump out of office. It will not be enough to have ICE and the DHS return to business as usual. We must abolish the systems that allow authoritarians to seize power and strip us of our rights. We must abolish ICE,” Maya said. “We cannot wait for elected officials or the Democrats in Congress to fight this battle for us…At the core of LUCE’s mission is the understanding that solo el pueblo salva el pueblo. Only the people save the people.”

LUCE works with a coalition of local organizations and operates the LUCE defense hotline 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. everyday where anyone can call and report an ICE sighting in their area.

She asked the crowd to consider volunteering with LUCE as verifiers or hotline operators in addition to making financial contributions to the network. Two demonstrators circled the commons collecting donations for the organization during the speeches.

On May 1, LUCE will participate in May Day marches, a nationwide day of demonstrations and general shutdown where participants will not work, go to school or shop “to show this administration that we will not give in to tyranny.”

“Today, we are asking you to do more than protest. We are asking you to organize…to protect one another by building networks rooted in care and accountability.”

Domb, representative for the 3rd Hampshire District, echoed the importance of supporting LUCE as well as showing public support for the No Kings movement.

“Please take a photo of yourself here today and then post it on your social media or send it…to your friends and families. Let them know you came and why. Let’s demonstrate the courage that we want to see with people saying I’m not afraid of being called an opponent to this tyrant. I’m not afraid to be fighting for democracy.”

Domb highlighted the importance of the upcoming 2026 elections and supporting “pro-democracy” candidates in Massachusetts, naming Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Senator Ed Markey, Congressman Jim McGovern and Comerford. She encouraged demonstrators to canvas for candidates in other states, referencing her own support for Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and Georgia Senator John Ossoff.

“I’m going to make phone calls for them. I’m going to do postcards to those states. I’m going to try and donate money to them. Let’s make sure that Massachusetts plays a role not only pushing back with our elected officials but helping other states.”

Domb also asked that demonstrators support a free press by subscribing to newspapers or contributing to independent outlets.

Vikram Vallabhanath, a first-year student at Amherst College studying law, jurisprudence and social thought and a member of Amherst College Democrats, gave a speech reflecting on what it means to be an American under the Trump administration.

“If what it means to be an American is putting the constitution before the president and realizing that our own salvation cannot be built on the sufferings of others, then I am an American. The president is not an American and I sure as hell hope all of us are Americans.”

Renu Gehring, a board member of the Franklin-Hampshire chapter of PFLAG, an organization devoted to advocating for the LGBTQ+ community and their loved ones, reflected on the history of LGBTQ+ violence under authoritarian governments.

“Authoritarianism always comes for queer and trans people first. Every time a movement tries to seize power, it starts by trying to control bodies and silence voices. But queer and trans communities have always stood on the front lines of democracy. Our existence is resistance. Our love is a declaration that no king, no strongman, no dictator gets to ruin our hearts or our lives,” said Gehring.

Reverend Vicki Kemper, Pastor at First Congregational Church Amherst and Reverend Rachel Hayes, Minister of Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst also spoke.

“This moment only becomes a movement when we move together,” said Hayes.

“We come from a place of love and so we strongly reject the racism, sexism, violence and warmongering of white Christian nationalism,” Kemper said. “Our faith has been saying No Kings for 2,000 years. Our country has been saying No Kings for 250 years. We are going to keep saying it and we will continue to work for it. And we need to acknowledge how hard this work is.”

Kemper continued by offering a blessing for those who feel threatened by or are fighting against the actions of the current administration. “Blessed are you whose security, identity, well-being, and freedom is threatened by the policies and actions of this administration. May you know you are not alone…Blessed are you when you stand in solidarity with the persecuted…Blessed are you when you refuse to give into despair. May you be surprised and sustained by hope.”

Balkin returned to the mic to encourage demonstrators to continue acting beyond the protest.

“Today, I urge each and every one of you to come up with your own vision for the future.

And with that, I encourage you to make one concrete commitment that goes along with that, be it joining a group, calling your representation or attending another event.”

Protestors dispersed from the common shortly after speeches ended around 2:30 p.m. Demonstrators were encouraged to continue gathering for more “De-ICE” protests across Amherst and Hadley.

More Photos to come in our No Kings 3 Photo Gallery. Send your photos to amherstindy@gmail.com

Read More
No Kings Protests Draw Large Crowds to Rally Against Donald Trump (BBC)
No Kings Protest Recap: More Than 8 Million Turned Out Across All 50 States, Organizers Say (Yahoo News)
So You Went to a No Kings Protest. Now What? (The Guardian)
After No Kings Rally, Local Organizers Are Looking to Sustain Momentum. What’s Next? (Boston.com)