Massive bay Area Protests draw Over 224,000 Demonstrators Against Perceived Authoritarianism
October 20, 2025 – Over 224,000 people participated in “No Kings” protests across the Bay Area on saturday, demonstrating widespread opposition to what organizers describe as authoritarian tendencies. The demonstrations, held in cities throughout the region, drew a diverse crowd and represent a significant surge in activism, with national organizers claiming the nationwide turnout was 14 times larger than both of Donald Trump‘s inaugurations combined.
Estimates for total Bay Area attendance ranged from a low of 162,000 to a high exceeding 224,000, according to calculations by the Bay Area News Group utilizing aerial photography analysis, crowd density assessments, and police counts.
San Francisco saw the largest concentration of protesters, with Harvard University’s Crowd Counting Consortium estimating between 101,193 and 144,163 attendees, according to Indivisible San Francisco organizer Liliana Soroceanu.
Oakland’s march and rally drew an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 participants, more than double the approximately 10,000 who attended a similar protest in June, Indivisible East Bay reported. In San Jose, organizers with 50501 San Jose estimated between 10,000 and 15,000 people joined the presentation, a turnout comparable to the 12,000 protesters who participated in June’s event.
“We were thrilled with the turnout. It showed that as with in June and many of the prior events, people care deeply about these issues,” said James Kuszmaul, an organizer with 50501 San Jose. “It is indeed also a sign of the severe problems that we’re trying to address – that the abuses of the Trump management have been so egregious that people still feel a need to keep turning out when many of the people at these protests have never been to a protest before, have only started attending protests this year.”
other cities also saw considerable participation. Walnut Creek’s protest attracted between 7,950 and 11,930 attendees, according to Kathryn Durham-Hammer of Indivisible ReSisters. Palo Alto’s parade and “democracy fair” drew approximately 10,000 attendees, while a protest along El Camino Real between Sunnyvale and Palo Alto saw an estimated 7,500 participants.Smaller demonstrations were held in Berkeley (approximately 1,000 attendees) and Colma (around 500 attendees), with San Mateo drawing a crowd of about 4,000.
“We are thrilled with the enthusiasm people showed,the peaceful and joyful crowds,and the support of our communities,” said IdaRose Sylvester,an organizer with Together We Will,regarding the El Camino Real protest.
indivisible co-founders Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg released a statement emphasizing the importance of the widespread participation. ”Authoritarians want us to believe resistance is futile, but every person who turned out today proved the opposite,” they said. “This movement isn’t about a single protest; it’s about a growing chorus of Americans who refuse to be ruled. Trump may want a crown, but in this country, there are no kings.”
