Demonstrators will gather along Central Avenue Saturday as part of a nationwide day of action against Trump administration policies, with organizers expecting thousands to participate in the downtown Albuquerque protest.
The “No Kings 2.0” rally, scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. between 3rd and 8th streets on Central Avenue, is one of more than 2,500 events planned across all 50 states on Oct. 18. The demonstration marks the second major nationwide protest this year following June 14 rallies that drew an estimated 5 million participants nationally.
“This isn’t just politics. It’s democracy versus dictatorship,” according to a statement on the No Kings website, which describes the protests as a response to what organizers characterize as authoritarian overreach by the Trump administration.
The Albuquerque event is among 25 protests scheduled throughout New Mexico on Saturday. Major national organizations backing the demonstrations include the ACLU, American Federation of Teachers, Human Rights Campaign, MoveOn and SEIU.
The protests come amid a government shutdown that began Oct. 1, adding urgency to demonstrators’ concerns about federal workforce reductions and program cuts. The American Federation of Government Employees has called on its members to participate, citing threats to lay off furloughed federal workers.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., criticized the planned protests during a Fox News appearance Wednesday, calling them a “Hate America rally” and linking them to “the pro-Hamas wing and the antifa people.” Protest organizers rejected Johnson’s characterization, stating the demonstrations represent “millions of Americans who are peacefully coming together to say that America belongs to its people, not to kings.”
The coalition organizing the protests, known as 50501 — representing 50 protests in 50 states as one movement — has staged monthly demonstrations since February. Saturday’s action follows Labor Day “Workers Over Billionaires” protests held across the country.
The protests aim to build on momentum from the June demonstrations, which organizers say successfully countered what they described as Trump’s “attempt at a coronation” on his 79th birthday, which coincided with the Army’s 250th anniversary celebration.
March through the Plaza begins at 10 am at the Federal Courthouse
The Village of Tijeras will add its voice to a nationwide protest movement Saturday when demonstrators gather at the Tijeras Public Library for a “No Kings 2.0” rally against Trump […]
We have a Constitutional Republic, not a “Democracy” and thankfully so. A man that just freed Palestine, among so many other positive peace initiatives, still gets called a dictator. Stop with the rhetoric already. Fine, protest, but do it honestly.