“No Kings” protests Draw Thousandsโ in Arizona,Nationwide Demonstrations Condemn Trump Administration
Tucson,AZ – โขThousands of demonstratorsโ took to the streets across Tucson and southern Arizona on Saturday as part of a nationwide wave of “No Kings”โข protests targeting theโค policies and actions of President Donald Trump. Over 2,500 demonstrationsโ were โคanticipated across the country, fueled by widespread opposition to the current administration.
In Tucson, the protests began shortlyโ after 8:00 a.m.โ withโค hundreds โmarching into El Presidio Plaza, adjacent toโข City Hall. Thousands โขmore lined Speedway Boulevard, demonstrating aโ broad base of support for the movement. Similar protestsโ unfolded inโฃ communities throughout the region, including Oro Valley, Marana, Vail, Sahuarita, and Green Valley.
Organizers of the “No Kings” movement framed the demonstrations as a reclaiming of America “by the people,” โaโ direct โขresponse to โขwhatโ they describe as power grabs, corruption, and overreach by the Trumpโฃ administration.
Theโฃ protests resonated deeply with individuals on aโ personal โฃlevel. Adam Velasco, aโ local high school history teacher, โคexpressed fears for his job security dueโ to perceived attacks on the Department of education. “I’m reallyโฃ worried about the future,” Velasco stated.
Concerns extended to workplace safety as well.Shahar Ben-Yeoshua, an electrician, voiced anxieties over โpotential rollbacks to Occupational Safety and Healthโ Administration (OSHA) โregulations. “If we loose OSHA, โwe lose the standardsโ that protect us. Its a perilous situation when our rights and protections are stripped away,” he explained.
Protesters carried signsโ and waved flags advocating โfor โa diverse range of issues, from immigrant rights and federal worker support to the immediate seating of Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva. Grijalva’s delayed seating by โHouse Speaker Mike Johnson, despiteโ winning her election weeks prior, left over 900,000 Arizonans without portrayal in Congress and became a โfocal point of the โฃdemonstration.
Aโข common thread uniting the protesters was aโข sense โคof disillusionment and concern for the future of theโ country. Mabel Sproule, an immigrant from Mexico, shared her feelings of fear and frustrationโค with the President’s rhetoric and policies towards Mexican-Americans. “I love this country, I’ve worked and raised my family โขhere, โbut I’ve never seen it like this,”โข she said.
The protests drew โcriticism from some GOP leaders, including โคSpeaker Johnson, who labeled the events a “Hate America Rally.” however, protesters vehemently rejected this characterization