The second iteration of “No Kings” rallies begin Saturday nationwide and in Connecticut, as part of a national movement meant to show mass opposition to what protest leaders call Trump’s “authoritarian power grabs.”
Connecticut Republican State Rep. Vincent Candelora takes issue with the movement’s name.
“I think headlining it as a ‘No Kings’ rally, I probably would have looked for a different approach to that headline,” he said, “because it's just too divisive right out of the gate, and it shuts down people from having a conversation.”
Still, the Republican House Minority Leader feels it’s “part of our democratic process where people are able to go to the town green and express their dissatisfaction.”
“I obviously don't share their concerns,” he said. “I think our democracy is still strong as ever, but you know, they're free to express themselves.”
The first “No Kings” protests against the Trump administration were in June when more than 7,000 people rallied at the Connecticut State Capitol alone.
Since then, the government has shut down, the National Guard has been deployed in major cities led by Democrats and ICE detentions have ramped up, with the latest ICE raid in Connecticut detaining eight people in Hamden on Wednesday.
Locally, there are more than 40 rallies registered with the official movement — that’s 10 more than the state hosted in June.
Lead Connecticut organizer Jim Chapdelaine tells Connecticut Public it’s important for those opposed to the administration to see they’re not alone and to take collective action.
“There are powers that be that would prefer we all just stay at our houses and, I don’t know, take up crochet,” Chapdelaine said in a Tuesday interview. “It’s really important to build community and solidarity and unity, [and] especially important to do that in a very peaceful way.”
America’s democracy
NPR reports White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson replied "Who cares?" when asked about the “No Kings” rallies and accusations that Trump was behaving like a monarch. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said in an interview on Fox News last week that the DC-area “Remove the Regime March” would be filled with “the pro-Hamas wing” and “the antifa people.”
Connecticut organizer Chapdelaine says the demonstrations are about love for American democracy, rejecting claims from leading Republicans in Washington that Saturday’s events were “hate America rallies.”
“We are stressing patriotism. Bring your American flags. Let’s profess our love for America publicly, loudly and peacefully,” Chapdelaine said. “We love America.”
Local leaders speaking at the Hartford event include Connecticut U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, as well as advocates like Kica Matos of the National Immigration Law Center, Bishop John Selders of Moral Monday CT and Tabitha Sookdeo of CT Students for a Dream.
Chapdelaine said despite the protest’s serious subject matter, the Hartford rally will also be “fun.” He said the gathering outside the state capitol at noon will include live music, puppets and poetry readings.
“I think the way to achieve this peaceful sort of vibe is to make people enjoy things,” he said. “You know, it's okay to do this kind of work and have fun.”
Performances include singer Nekita Waller; Hartford’s Proud Drill, Drum and Dance Corp; Manchester Poet Laureate Nadia Sim; and Anne Cubberly’s giant puppets “Muchos Colores” and “Mother Earth.”
Learn more
See where the Connecticut protests are scheduled here.
This story has been updated to include comments from Connecticut Republican House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora.
