For a small state, Vermont boasted a mighty response with more than 40 planned events on this national day of “No Kings” protests, which coincided with Flag Day and the birthdays of Trump (age: 79) and the U.S. Army (250). A costly — and controversial — military parade and celebration was scheduled to begin later Saturday evening in downtown Washington, D.C.
In Vermont, blue skies and seasonal temperatures — a rarity this wet spring — likely boosted the turnout. The vibes were mostly positive and the police presence was decidedly low-key. There were no immediate reports of violence or arrests.
The rallies here started at 8:30 a.m., when about 50 people marched up Mount Philo in Charlotte armed with signs bearing messages such as “No Faux-King Way” and “Liberty & Justice for All.”
Meantime, a “flag relay” followed U.S. Route 7 on the western side of the state, starting just on the other side of the border in Massachusetts and continuing north to Swanton, with stops in dozens of towns and cities along the way. Thousands of protesters lined the roadway, waving signs and cheering as the convoy rolled through.
At a stop in Rutland, an organizer explained that the flag making the journey had flown over the U.S. Capitol in 2019 in honor of a World War II veteran from Richmond who’d stormed Utah Beach in Normandy, France, on D-Day — June 6, 1944. The organizers then led the crowd in a rendition of “My Country ’Tis of Thee.”
Several hundred more people gathered on the Statehouse lawn in Montpelier, where a counterprotest — to celebrate Trump’s birthday — had also been planned. “Hail to the Liar in Cheat” read a sign held by someone sitting on the steps of the capitol building.
Stowe on Saturday morning resembled peak foliage season as traffic slowed to a crawl and people crowded the sidewalks on both sides of Route 100 through the ski town’s picturesque main drag. Speakers decried the Trump administration as a steady stream of passing vehicles honked loudly in support. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also addressed the crowd.
By far the state’s largest gathering was on the shores of Lake Champlain, where many thousands turned Burlington’s waterfront park into a scene resembling a summer carnival. Protesters waving signs, along with a large contingent carrying Palestinian flags, assembled in different sections of the city before marching down main thoroughfares and converging on the grassy green space.
There were games, music and food trucks to occupy the time as people waited to hear from speakers. One diversion encouraged people to “Thump-a-Trump” inflatable effigy using a baseball-bat-shaped U.S. Constitution.
“My Hen Would Be a Better President,” read one particularly Vermont-y sign, held aloft near another that read “No Kings Only Champs” with a drawing of the infamous local lake monster. Humor and puns ruled the day, including one sign that read: “If Kamala Had Won, We’d Be at Brunch Right Now.”
But the ultimate message was a serious one. Many signs read “ICE OUT,” a reference to the unprecedented immigration raids happening across the country. Protests in Los Angeles last week, some of which turned violent, prompted Trump to send in thousands of National Guard soldiers and hundreds of U.S. Marines. California officials decried the move as an overreaction and provocation that usurped local authority.
“I’m here to help raise awareness of the abuses to our country by the executive branch, Donald Trump, his cabinet of unqualified people, and the entire Republican party who continues to do this man’s bidding,” said Doug St. Amour of Huntington.
A large group in Burlington waved Palestinian flags and marched behind a banner that read “Free Them All!” above the first names of three high-profile people who had been detained for speaking out against Israel’s war in Gaza: Mohsen Mahdawi, Rumyesa Ozturk and Mahmoud Khalil.
Mahdawi, a Palestinian resident of Vermont’s Upper Valley who recently graduated from Columbia University, took the stage on Saturday to speak about his ordeal. In April, he was taken into custody by immigration officials and locked up for about two weeks before a Vermont judge ordered him released on April 30 while his case is pending.
“I spent 16 days [behind bars], but in that prison, I never, in my life, experienced the amount of love, the amount of support, the amount of solidarity that I experienced in my own cell, and that’s because of you Vermonters,” Mahdawi said. Later, he added: “We are here in the fight together, to heal not only Vermont, not only this country that we love, America, but the whole world, for our humanity.”
Mahdawi was followed on stage by U.S. Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), who led the crowd in chants of “No Kings!” and “Not on our watch!”
“Our democracy, our rights and our laws are under threat daily, not just by Donald Trump, but by all the apologists and enablers that go along with it,” Balint said. “Today is an urgent call for every American, no matter who you voted for or if you voted at all. No matter your political party or persuasion, today is the day we set our intention.”
Next up was Alison Bechdel, who quipped, “You know things are bad when a cartoonist comes to a political rally.”
“Trump says protesters hate our country,” Bechdel told the crowd. “One of his many bizarre traits is that he’s constantly accusing other people of doing the exact thing he is doing. He is the one who hates this country; he is the one trying to destroy it. Our loving dissent has made this country a better place.”
She continued: “The right has put on a big show about patriotism for so long, acting like they have a monopoly on it, going on about things like morality, decency, the rule of law, making the world safe for democracy. But they’ve made it very clear that they don’t care about those things. But you know who does? We do!”
The timing of Saturday’s protests came at a particularly tumultuous time. The Los Angeles protests have continued, and, early Saturday, a Democratic member of the Minnesota state legislature, Melissa Hortman, was assassinated by an gunman. A second lawmaker was shot and wounded.
Authorities in that state warned people to avoid No Kings protests, saying that the shooter, who had not been captured, may have been planning to attack those events.
The news was on the minds of those gathered in Burlington, including Balint, who mentioned the victims during her impassioned speech.
“On this day, when two legislators in Minnesota were gunned down, you don’t know what it means to me to stand in front of you today, to see that you have not lost hope, that we can get to better days,” Balint said to cheers. “Thank you for turning out today.”
In a statement, Vermont House Speaker Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington) said she knew Hortman, describing the Minnesota lawmaker as a friend who “was a passionate advocate for her community and was a dedicated, thoughtful public servant.”
“We are witnessing an incredibly divisive time in our country and political violence is not how a nation solves its differences,” Krowinski wrote. “The rhetoric and the words used to target differences of opinion have escalated dramatically, and unfortunately, it has led to violence and the loss of innocent lives.”