Thousands Say ‘No Kings’ at Protests Across Vermont

For the second time in a matter of months, thousands of people around Vermont on Saturday took to the streets as part of a massive nationwide “No Kings” protest against President Donald Trump and his administration.

Some 50 Vermont cities and towns, from Vergennes and Underhill to St. Albans and Chester, held official protests. At each, dozens or in some cases thousands of people massed in green spaces and along busy thoroughfares to sing songs, wave signs and American flags, and voice their opposition to the way Trump has lead the country during his first nine months in office.

The largest gatherings by far were in Montpelier, where thousands of protesters filled the Statehouse lawn to listen to speakers, and Burlington, where separate groups of marchers converged on downtown City Hall Park for a colorful, musical and somewhat joyous gathering of community.

Creative signs and costumes were abundant among the throngs of people.

In South Burlington, dozens of people holding “No Kings” signs crowded onto a narrow sidewalk along Patchen Road at the Interstate 89 overpass. Most were over 40, with some exceptions, including a man and a woman with two toddlers. They made giant bubbles that floated over the crowd.

A woman wearing an inflatable dinosaur costume would not give her name. “My husband is an immigrant so I’d rather not,” she said. “I’m glad I can represent both of us today. We thought a green card would be enough safety for us.”

Her costume, she said, was a nod to “what’s happening in Portland. I think that humor and silliness seem to be really effective against this administration.”

Another woman who declined to give her name described herself as a member of the “inflatable rebellion.” She wanted to show up with humor — “no anger, no hate, to stand up for integrity.” A nurse, she said she turned down an overtime shift for double pay to be there.

She’s from Thailand and grew up in a country with a king — a good one, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who united the country. Not like Trump, she said. “I want this to be a wake-up call. That’s what I’m here for.”

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The “No Kings” demonstrations were under intense scrutiny from right-wing media and Trump administration officials, who dismissively referred to the gatherings as “Hate America” rallies. But the scene at the Statehouse was filled with American flags, children playing and smiling faces.

Prior to the demonstrations, an email from “No Kings” organizers briefed protesters on etiquette for the day. Stand two feet back from the street curb and keep sidewalks clear, it read. Smile and wave at any potential hecklers or disruptors, and put down signs and step back when an ambulance or fire truck passes, the instructions said. There were no signs of anything amiss at the Montpelier rally, which went off without a hitch.

U.S. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) was the first speaker to take the stage on the Statehouse steps. “We need less Trump and more Vermont values in Washington,” Welch said to cheers. He invoked Matthew Lyon, a Vermont senator who was sent to jail in the 1790s for criticizing the president, only to be reelected by Vermonters.

A young child in a firefighter costume popped bubbles blown by protesters wearing inflatable animal suits as speakers took their turn at the podium. One demonstrator in a gray flying squirrel suit held a sign that read “Antifa” in stylish cursive, a reference to the Trump administration’s rhetoric about the antifascist group in Portland, Ore.

Introduced as a “fearless, feisty, ferocious fascist-fighting motorcycle mama from Brattleboro,” U.S. Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) began her speech with a call-and-response chant of “No Kings, No Tyrants, No Dictators!”

“They’re trying to reframe this, and that’s because they’re scared,” Balint said. “We don’t hate America, Donald Trump. We just can’t stand what you have done to our country!”

Nikhil Goyal, a sociologist and former senior policy advisor for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), spoke to the crowd about the impact of Trump’s policies in Vermont. The crowd booed when Goyal made reference to state Sen. Sam Douglass (R-Orleans), who was outed this week by Politico for participating in a racist and sexist group chat of national Young Republicans.

After days of intense political pressure to resign, Douglass announced on Friday that he would step down effective Monday at noon.

Geri Peterson, lead organizer of 50501 Vermont, sang an original song while trans flags were passed out in the crowd. “Our existence, our basic biology, has been turned into a political talking point,” Petersen said of the Trump administration’s attacks on trans rights. “Behind every headline is another person trying to survive another day,” she said.

“It’s OK to feel overwhelmed about these things, but worrying does not have to be the end of the story,” Clara White, a 14-year-old student at Montpelier High School, said from the podium. “People my age, we’re not just sitting around waiting. We’re more connected than generations before us.”

Rae Carter of Plainfield was also at the first No Kings rally in June. She attended Saturday’s Statehouse protest adorned in bright colors, including a neon green wig. “Things have gotten worse, and the power is with the people,” she said. “Transformation and change is something that requires all of us.”

Loretta Gaidys came from Barre to protest. “I have a lot of relatives that are in the service, and I just look at the man that is leading this country, and it scares the hell out of me,” she said.

Isaac Jensen, a construction and excavation business owner from the Northeast Kingdom, took the stage “to reject the current subversion of American patriotism and the assertion that, because we refuse to allow them to seize unlimited power, we are somehow anti-American.”

As the last speaker, he led the crowd in the pledge of allegiance.

Cathy Resmer contributed reporting.