No Kings Events in 2300 Locations with Up to 13.14 million People

Marches, rallies and protests with the theme No Kings happened at more than 2300 locations across the USA with a reported total of about 13.14 million participants.

That tally was by Alt National Park Service. Mainstream media showed maps of only a fraction of the events and put total attendance at 5 million, give or take a million.

A few places abroad such as Berlin held No Kings events too, but no count of their attendance was available.

Total participation in the USA was approximately 3.5% of the entire population. A study of history has shown that when at least that percentage of a population engage in persistent non-violent resistance to a regime, the record of driving out the regime is 100%. Many people who have been actively objecting to Donald Trump’s regime did not attend No Kings events, so the movement includes more than enough of the population.

Mainstream media in or closely associated with the USA downplayed the No Kings events, publishing maps of the events that showed only a fraction of them and saying thousands turned out when the total was visibly in the millions. This meshed with the White House stance that the events were “complete and utter failure with minuscule attendance.” Some foreign media covered the events more accurately. Social media was full of photos and videos.

Most of the events were resolutely non-violent and often joyful. In some cities, local Pride events merged with No Kings. Counter-protesters were few, and were dealt with peacefully, such as in one Tennessee event when a handful of Proud Boys were drowned out by an enthusiastic brass band including tubas and trombones.

Officials in Minnesota asked people not to attend No Kings events there after the assassination of one lawmaker and her husband, and attempted assassination of another lawmaker and his wife. The gunman was still at large. People attended anyway without any significant trouble.

Counter-actions against No Kings events were very few, but some were deadly.

In Salt Lake City, at 19:56 a gunman shot into the crowd, critically wounding at least one person whose injuries were described as life threatening. Police later arrested three people in connection with the shooting. Identities of the suspects and the victim were not released.

Police in Culpeper, Virginia, arrested 21 year old Joseph R. Checklick Jr. after they saw him “intentionally accelerated his vehicle into the dispersing crowd.” His vehicle struck one person, who did not file a police report of injury by that night. He was denied bond.

Police in San Francisco arrested another driver for a hit-and-run collision with at least one pedestrian at the No Kings event there.

Police in Austin, Texas evacuated the state Capitol and its grounds due to a credible threat against lawmakers. They arrested one man in connection with the threats.

The No Kings event in Los Angeles was generally non-violent despite high tensions in the area as Trump deploys military troops against civilians there and police employ harsh tactics. As it became time for the event to end, police used tear gas, flash-bang grenades and officers mounted on horseback to violently disperse the public outside a federal building downtown that has been the epicenter of tensions.

Click here for more details about the attack in Salt Lake City.

Click here for more details about the attack in Virginia.

Click here for more details about the attack in San Francisco.

Click here for more about evacuation of the Capitol in Austin.