This story originally published online at NC Newsline.
Thousands of peaceful protesters encircled the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh for hours Wednesday as part of a nationwide movement opposing President Donald Trump and his agenda.
A sea of banners, signs, and slogans surrounded both the Capitol and Legislative Building—with demonstrators flying American, Mexican, and Canadian flags in protest of Trump. The event was part of the “50 Protests, 50 States, 1 Day” (50501) rally movement that erupted across the U.S. Wednesday afternoon. Passing cars and trucks honked in support as protesters jeered Trump and his policies.
North Carolinians marched counterclockwise around the Capitol and chanted in support of LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights, protection for immigrants, and in opposition to “Project 2025,” the conservative policy plan that dominated headlines throughout the 2024 presidential election.
But perhaps even more vitriol was directed at billionaire Elon Musk, the influential Trump adviser who heads up the newly initiated Department of Government Efficiency. Protesters chanted “Deport Elon Musk,” “Elon Musk has got to go,” and “One, two, three, four, Elon Musk is out the door,” to condemn the Tesla founder’s growing influence in the administration.
John Hejka, a business consultant from Charlotte, took the train over to Raleigh with his teenage grandson.
The pair said some of their biggest concerns about Trump and the current political climate revolved around Musk, immigration, and healthcare.
They brought a sign denouncing Musk as well as Trump’s most controversial cabinet nominees: Tulsi Gabbard, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Kash Patel.
Hejka’s grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Poland in the early 1900s. He said he supports immigration reform, but not the mass deportations and ICE raids of the Trump administration.
Hejka is no stranger to protesting. His first time voting in a presidential election was 1968 — a year mirroring 2024 in the sense that the sitting Democratic president withdrew months before the election and the Republican candidate eventually won.
“I rallied against the Vietnam War, I rallied for civil rights, and I’m teaching my grandson that you can speak out,” Hejka said.
At one point, a man dressed in traditional attire held up his fist and waved a Mexican flag in front of the Capitol. He was shortly joined by a man with an American flag, and the two stood in unity.
Other protesters wore pink pussyhats and keffiyehs, while some wore more unique costumes, including an alien mask and a Spider-Man costume. As the protest began, one demonstrator could be heard strumming his guitar and singing Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone.”
Jennifer Griffith of Durham and Wade Daniel of Franklinton—veterans of the U.S. Army and Navy, respectively—met at the protest and found they shared similar concerns. In particular, they said they felt outraged about Musk’s role as well as Trump’s suggestions of sending American troops abroad, including to occupy Gaza.
“We’ve got an unelected individual with no security clearance who has employees that have no security clearance and they have been given access to some of the most sensitive computer systems in our government,” Griffith said. “Some of them are as young as 19.”
Of Trump’s proposals to take over Gaza as well as Greenland, Panama, and Canada, Griffith said, “there’s something wrong in his head.”
“I don’t think we need to be back in there,” Daniel said of the prospect of more Middle East conflict.
The protest was unique in its decentralized nature—flyers and QR codes circulated across social media websites including Reddit, Bluesky, and TikTok—and soon, organizers took it upon themselves to form more detailed plans over group texts and messaging apps like Discord and Signal.
While groups like the ACLU helped watch over the protest, it was sparked by anonymous social media users spreading general posters calling to come together at “Your State Capitol.”
That lack of official involvement gave pause to some would-be protesters—including Griffith, who said she feared “this was going to be a trap” before a friend reassured her that some local organizations would be joining in the protest.
Kaitlin Aufenthie, who wore an orange reflector vest and started chants through a bullhorn, said she was “with the people of America” when asked what organization she was part of.
“This is inspiring. This is what America is about,” Aufenthie said. “The people are stronger than billionaires.”
Kenneth Humphrey, 85, who served twice as Carteret County Democratic Party chair, said “this is 1776 again.”
“Every person who sees this has to know democracy is going to live,” Humphrey said. “These Trumpers, these MAGAs—I regard them as villains—we will outlast them.”
Comment on this story at backtalk@indyweek.com.