At least 13 cities around Alabama have scheduled “No Kings” protests for Saturday, joining more than 1,800 communities across the nation in “a day of defiance” to challenge President Donald Trump and his unprecedented acts of authoritarianism.
The protests are also meant to counter Trump’s military parade, which even some notable Republicans, such as Sens. Rand Paul and John Kennedy, have criticized as a sign of weakness and “something you’d be more likely to see in places like Russia, North Korea or China.”
The folks at Indivisible Alabama, a nonprofit organization whose president says it has a mission to “keep America as America was intended,” agree with the Republican senators. That’s why they’ve helped organize the protests, including their main event that will be held Saturday morning in Montgomery.
“We’ve become alarmed over the last few years to see some of the things that have happened, because those things seem to be unAmerican,” Indivisible Alabama president Linda Fisher said. “The events (No Kings Day) is a reaction to the military parade that’s going to be held in Washington D.C. It’s a day of defiance — a way to protest what we see as the monarchy appearing in our country.”
In addition to the event in Montgomery, protests are also planned for Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Auburn, Mobile, Huntsville, Scottsboro, Guntersville, Fort Payne, Jacksonville, Dothan, Selma and Dadeville. Across the nation,
While Republicans have focused on the alleged potential for “violence” at the protests, Fisher said their events will be family friendly, including a children’s area at the event in Montgomery, and she said they will focus on peaceful protesting.
Several of the protests are also being held in coordination with other events and with other groups. In Montgomery, for example, the No Kings protest will be held on the lawn of the Alabama Archives and History Museum and starts at 10 a.m. and ends at noon, when another event at the Rosa Parks Museum begins. The Birmingham protest is being held in conjunction with the Central Alabama Pride event.
Organizers are expecting particularly large crowds, given the national climate and ongoing ICE actions across the country and in Alabama. Fisher said she had been pleasantly surprised by the increased attention and participation Indivisible Alabama has experienced over the past few months. A rally held in Tuscaloosa to oppose Trump’s visit to speak during the University of Alabama graduation exercises drew more than 1,000 people.
“We’ve been very pleased with the response we’ve seen so far, and we’re very hopeful that a number of people will come out and stand up for America,” Fisher said. “That’s what this is all about.”
