Boston ‘No Kings’ protest ends peacefully, calls on people to ‘move in radical love’
BOSTON — The "No Kings" movement — touted by national organizers as a "peaceful national day of action and mass mobilization in response to the increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration" — brought thousands to the Boston Common Saturday.
Follow along below throughout the three-hour event, which highlights speakers and talks to protesters throughout the Boston Common.
3:13 p.m. — Official programming wraps up
Rahsaan Hall concluded the event saying, "This is not the end, it is the beginning."
"As you leave, go in peace," he said, then calling upon a term Trump has used to describe Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. "... if this is the radical left, let's show them how we do ... how we move in radical love."
By 3:15 p.m., the crowds had begun to thin, with many protesters filtering out of the common into the rest of downtown Boston. The main stage was empty, but a row of tables set up by various organizations was still packed.
Boston Police confirmed to MassLive there were no arrests at the protest.
2:51 p.m. — Moulton met with boos; slammed for comments about trans youth
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton — who is challenging incumbent Sen. Ed Markey in next year's Democratic primary for one of Massachusetts' two Senate seats — was met with boos.
"Here in America, power belongs to the people," Mouton said. "... Just to remind the rest of the country, corrupt kings are cowards."
But some in the crowd did not forget about Moulton's comments to "The New York Times" last year about transgender athletes.
"Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face," Moulton told the newspaper in November 2024 . "I have two little girls, I don't want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I'm supposed to be afraid to say that."
"You sold out trans kids! [Expletive] you!" Christina Knowles, a trans rights activist and lobbyist, yelled from the crowd Saturday. "You don't belong here, Seth Moulton, you traitor! Trans kids matter."
2:48 p.m. — Pressley tired of people with 'heart full of hate'
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley said, "The only way to beat a dictator is with defiance."
Pressley said she's tired of people "who carry a mouthful of scriptures but a heart full of hate."
"You're here because you're tired, but we draw strength from one another."
2:44 p.m. — 'Kings build ballrooms'
U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark said Massachusetts has been fighting kings for more than 250 years.
"Patiots support free and fair elections and when patriots elect a congresswoman from Arizona, we swear her in," Clark said, referring to Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva .
"Patriots support communities," Clark said. "Kings build ballrooms."
Clark was referring to Donald Trump's construction of a $200 million White House ballroom .
2:40 p.m. — ACLU of Mass.: Dissent is patriotic
Carol Rose, the executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, said dissent is patriotic. She touted the many lawsuits the ACLU has filed, including one that helped free Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk from ICE custody.
"Authoritarians attack cities and town because they make America great and Boston is the greatest city in the world."
2:35 p.m. — Labor union weighs in
Kevin Brousseau, secretary-treasurer of the Massachusetts American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, said the labor movement "knows a little something" about standing up to bullies.
"A bully seeks to silence those who disagree," Brousseau said. "Look around, sisters and brothers. Do we look scared?"
The crowd screamed, "No!"
With attacks on federal employees, Donald Trump has "engaged in the largest act of union busting in American history," Brousseau said.
"We are on the right side of history," he said. "Keep using our voices today and every day."
2:25 p.m. — What the heck is that lobster?
John Hoyer, 63, of Lynn, was one of several people who wore inflatable suits to the protest.
Hoyer opted for a lobster, but chickens, unicorns and frogs could be seen through the park. He said he picked the lobster because of its connection to the region.
He explained the costumes were an effort to counter the narrative that the protesters were violent. Using humor is a "major way to fight an authoritarian regime," he said.
The huge crowd filling the common, Hoyer said, "makes my heart soar."
Laura Simpson, 52, of Cambridge, left and Tommy Savage, 31, of Boston were some of the very few counter-protesters on Boston Common Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 during the "No Kings" protest.(Charlie McKenna/MassLive)
2:15 p.m. — 'They just don't like Trump' - counter-protesters weigh in
Laura Simpson, 52, of Cambridge was one of a very few people at the rally who supports Trump.
Simpson, who wore a MAGA hat, walked around Boston Common with three other Trump supporters. The protesters, she said, were "crying like little babies every day."
"We love our president," she said. "These people are cooked."
Simpson denounced both Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Mass. Gov. Maura Healey, calling Wu a communist, adding Healey was "even worse."
"This isn't grassroots," added Tommy Savage, 31, of Boston.
Shawn Nelson, 47, of Boston, who wore a vest with the American flag on it, urged the protesters to go home. They have "no clue what they're talking about," he said. "They just don't like Trump."
2:15 p.m. — Ed Markey: Mass. does not believe in dictators
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said "It is important to be here together in this moment because it is a moment that demands truth, truth about hate, truth about greed."
Markey slammed the U.S. Supreme Court's handling of immigration enforcement, for giving "a green light to racial profiling in our country."
"Here in Massachusetts .. we do not believe in dictators," Markey said. "... we are the revolutionaries ... that's why Donald Trump has declared war on us, war on Massachusetts."
"Donald Trump does not want to make America great again; he wants to make America hate again," Markey said.
Markey said Massachusetts people stand up for what is right.
"We do not coronate — we liberate. We do not agonize — we organize," Markey said. " ... No kings. Not here. Not ever."
2:09 p.m. — Elizabeth Warren: 'Donald Trump is a bully'
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts said Boston know there are no throne or kings in America, and have known it since 1776 when its people kicked King George's army out of the city.
"Donald Trump is not a king," Warren said. "Donald Trump is a bully."
"They claim a 'No Kings' rally is anti-American," Warren said. "They are wrong. ... It is deeply American. It is patriotism. Standing up to a wannabe dictator, that is patriotism."
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, tells the crowd at the "No Kings" protest on the Boston Common, "Donald Trump is not a king. Donald Trump is a bully" on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.(John L. Micek/MassLive)
2 p.m. — The Rev. Mariama White-Hammond speaks
The Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, founder of the New Roots African Methodist Episcopal Church in Dorchester, told the crowd the people have pushed back for hundreds of years against the lie of leaders claiming to fix problems "if we just trust them."
White-Hammond dismissed the idea that this was a "Hate America" rally.
"We are standing in the tradition of the best this country has always been."
1:42 p.m. — Attorney General Andrea Campbell calls for action
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell takes the stage. "In America, we don't have kings, we have 'the people.'"
Campbell, touting funding she has helped to save, said she has filed 40 lawsuits against the Trump administration "and 40 times we looked them in the eyes and said, 'Not on our watch.'"
Campbell, met with cheering from a fired-up crowd, said, "they will keep on coming and we will keep on fighting ... If they come for Massachusetts, I say, bring it on."
"When we march, when we organize, when we vote," Campbell said, "we win."
Campbell called for leadership and action, saying that in Massachusetts "we don't back down — we are just getting started!"
Jonah Philibert, 30, of Foxborough, walks around the "No Kings" protest on stilts in order to create a spectacle on the Boston Common on Saturday, Oct. 18 2025.Charlie McKenna/MassLive
1:40 p.m. — Stiltwalker calls attention to issues
Jonah Philibert said he wore stilts to create a spectacle and draw attention to the protest.
"This is the sort of thing that needs as much attention as possible," he said. "This isn't the first and it won't be the last."
Being out in the community is heartening, he said. It "can feel very isolating" watching the news at home, Philibert explained.
He joked he had a great view of the increasingly large crowds on the common.
1:15 p.m. — TPS immigrants have 'held this country together'
Angela Palma, a daughter to immigrants and a member of the Massachusetts TPS [temporary protected status] Committee, called on Congress to protect thousands with temporary protected status.
These immigrants have "held this country together during natural disasters, pandemics and labor shortages," Palma said.
"They deserve permanent status," said said, having given the country "the best years of their lives."
1 p.m. — Immigration, climate change policies motivate activism
Many organizations set up tables on the common to distribute flyers and spread their message. Among them was Massachusetts Peace Action, which advocates for peaceful U.S. foreign policy actions.
Joseph Hunt, 82, was walking around the park handing out fliers on behalf of the organization.
"This is democracy in action," he said, recalling Boston's revolutionary history. "This is what matters."
The common remained calm around 1 p.m. — chants rang out occasionally but mostly, protesters milled about carrying signs.
Several people ran into coworkers or friends, including Bob Keener, 69, of Needham. Keener said he ran into an old coworker he hadn't seen in 20 years on Saturday.
The 69-year-old carried an American flag on his shoulder. While Needham is hosting its own demonstration on Saturday, Keener opted for the larger crowd in Boston. It was important, he said, to show just how many people opposed what he called the "Trump regime."
Keener pointed to two specific actions the administration was taking that made his "blood boil": the ramped up immigration enforcement and the rolling back of climate change policies. He specifically cited the "viciousness" of "unlawful deportations."
12:50 p.m. — It's OK to heckle
Rahsaan Hall, CEO of Urban League of Eastern Mass. and the event's emcee, highlighted a moment during Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's speech when she was heckled.
"We have protests in the middle of a peaceful protest," Hall said. "This is what democracy looks like. It's not nice. It's disruptive."
12:46 p.m. — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu takes the stage
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu tells the crowd "in Boston, every day is no kings day" and that Massachusetts has kicked out a king "and we'd do it again."
Wu — who has been in President Donald Trump's sights as what he describes as a "radical left" leader of a sanctuary state — said Trump "mistakes cruelty for greatness ... these are the tools of a tyrant desperate for the respect he will never earn."
12:45 p.m. — 'This is not the America we envisioned'
Virginia Pratt, 68, of Jamaica Plain, said she came out to protest due to the administration's widespread funding cuts on education and to denounce what she saw as growing authoritarianism.
"This is not the America we envisioned," she said.
Pratt attended with Eileen Kurkoski, of Newton. Kurkoski said the "message is strong."
"I have hope," Kurkoski said.
12:15 p.m. — Donna Summer on the common in spirit
The Good Trouble, a brass band from Somerville, warmed up the crowd. One song included a reworked version of Boston legend Donna Summer's song "She Works Hard for the Money," which became "We Work Hard for Our Neighbors."
Tiffany Glaiser, 49, of Westborough, far right, brought her two kids, Violet, far left, and Gunner, center, to Boston for the Saturday protest, Oct. 18. 2025.(Photo by Charlie McKenna/MassLive)
12:05 p.m. — Mom, teens say youth should pay attention
Tiffany Glaiser, 49, brought her two kids with her to the protest. A resident of Westborough, Glasier said she feared the country was "heading to a dictatorship."
"I can't believe this is what's going on," she said.
Glasier said her children, ages 16 and 14, wanted to attend, and said she believed it was more important for them to be out protesting than for her.
The protest was a way to make sure people who may not follow politics understood what was going on, she said.
"It's scary," Glasier said.
Violet Shimer, 16, said she hoped people her age would pay attention to the protests. Still, she expected mostly older people to make up the crowd.
Gunner Shimer, 14, who is trans, said they feared losing their rights.
"Just let people be," Shimer said.
12:03 p.m. — Thousands gather ahead of noon start
Even before the protest's scheduled start time, several thousand had gathered on Boston Common on a sunny fall morning.
Protesters carried signs denouncing the Trump administration and fascism, with many opting for simple signs declaring "resist" and "no kings."
It was a relatively festive and tranquil scene Saturday around noon, with music emanating from various places in the park. A speaker near The Embrace statue blared "[expletive] Donald Trump."
Among those on the common Saturday was Laurie Langelo, who wore a Scooby Doo costume. The 62-year-old said the costume was an effort to "keep things light."
"I don't think I look like a terrorist," Langelo quipped, a reference to rhetoric from the Trump administration denouncing the protesters.
The administration is no longer following the rules, she said.
"It's illegal thing after illegal thing," Langelo said.
Protesters gather on Boston Common at the "No Kings" protest on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.(Photo by John L. Micek/MassLive)
What is 'No Kings'?
The organizers behind "No Kings" have asked people to publicly stand "together against the abuses of power, cruelty, and corruption," specifically targeting President Donald Trump.
"Whether you're outraged by attacks on civil rights, skyrocketing costs, abductions and disappearances, the gutting of essential services, or the assault on free speech, this moment is for you. Whether you've been in the fight for years or you're just fed up and ready to take action, this moment is for you," the website states.
Earlier this year, protests were held across the country on June 14, coinciding with Trump's birthday and a military parade planned in the nation's capital.
More than 100 rallies across Massachusetts included people carrying signs, wearing costumes and identifying themselves as members of everything from the Sisters of Saint Joseph to the American Legion, Mass Senior Action Council and the Young Feminist Party.
"This is the end of the beginning," said Ron Bucchino, of Agawam, who attended Northampton's June event. "We are going to be out here for a longtime. We are going to be out here for months. We are going to be out here for years."
Here's where to find an event near you.
Safety
The organization is stressing nonviolent action and no civil disobedience for Saturday.
It has asked people to "seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events." Plus, weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to the events.
Peacekeepers might be used to help direct crowds and de-escalate conflicts, which are trained volunteers.
MassLive editor Nicole Simmons contributed to this report.
More on Politics
Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
