In the Defense of Democracy

We the People Fight for No Kings

Ella Gibney and Summer Gardner • December 9, 2025

No Kings protester leads the crowd by chanting the words, “Tell me what democracy looks like,” as the crowd answers, “This is what democracy looks like!”

On October 18th of this year, over seven million Americans took to the streets with shouts of “No Kings!” in the largest single-day mobilization movement since 1970. The nationwide peaceful protest attracted participants from every single state to join one of the local city—and county—wide events held that day. While the first No Kings protest occurred on June 14th, 2025, the October 18th protest was designed to be bigger, more visible, and protest the government shutdown—a governmental stalemate that went on to last more than six weeks, the longest shutdown in United States history.

With over 2,700 No Kings events across the nation, this groundbreaking scale of participation brought an equally large amount of divided views regarding it. According to the No Kings website, the goal of this protest was to peacefully resist tyranny.

Many protestors carried demonstrative art pieces, such as this papier-mâché Statue of Liberty, to illustrate their sentiment that democracy and pillars of the country are being stepped on. (Ella Gibney)

However, many right-wing sources developed a view of this protest that contrasted its true purpose. The term “Hate America Rallies” became popular in describing No Kings Protests after Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, first mentioned it.

This isn’t the only instance of political figures speaking out against the No Kings movement. Johnson also described protesters as the “Pro-Hamas crowd,” and Tom Emmer, a Minnesota representative, described the movement as a result of the “terrorist wing” of the democratic party. Most notably, President Trump responded by posting an AI video of himself wearing a crown, flying over crowds of protesters, and dumping heaps of refuse over their heads. Additionally, there have been various speculations surrounding the idea that protesters were paid to demonstrate by American billionaire George Soros(MSNBC).

The reality of the No Kings Protest contrasts with its oftentimes hateful and violent depiction. According to American Progress, participants displayed remarkably low levels of violence nationwide, especially considering the breadth of the protest.

At the No Kings Protest in Boulder, there were no injuries, arrests, or instances of violence, much like many other locations. As we joined the crowd, we were struck by the immense size of the protest: the thousands of protesters included everyone from infants and toddlers to the elderly and local politicians. While massive, the protest was entirely peaceful, with bubbles blowing for the kids and volunteers working to help pedestrians safely cross Canyon and Broadway.

Many protesters donned yellow attire, a symbol for unity and peaceful resistance. Others wore costumes, which ranged from Handmaids and Statues of Liberty to sillier, less explicitly political costumes. One person in an alien costume stated, “The only real way to fight stupid is with silly.” Many others were seen wearing wacky inflatable suits on this day as a creative way to lower tensions and increase visibility.

A group of women dressed as Handmaids from Margaret Atwood’s infamous novel protest against the oppression of women’s rights and certain political leaders’ demonstrated disrespect for women. (Ella Gibney)

To get a better insight into the motivations behind the No Kings protest, we asked various attendees why they decided to show up on the 18th.

“This country was built on democracy,” commented one protester. “One of the most important rights is free speech. For that to be taken away from people is really scary. So I’m here to speak out for people who don’t have a voice.”

“‘No Kings’ is more than just a slogan; it is the foundation our nation was built on,” the official No Kings website proclaims. The ultimate goal of the movement is to unite people to “fight dictatorship together” and “defend democracy”.

Many protestors were seen waving American flags, a reminder that the protest advocates for values and rights that have long been claimed as inherently American. (Ella Gibney)

This seems to be the uniting goal of all protestors across the nation and in Boulder – a demographic that includes veterans, politicians, and other Americans fighting for the values that their country was founded on through expressing their freedom of speech: certainly not an anti-American demonstration. “This country was founded on people who didn’t want a king,” said the son of a veteran. “My dad fought in World War II for his son’s freedom. They understood that freedom and democracy were worth dying for.”

The No Kings protests have demonstrated that this country still believes in these values. Furthermore, it is a chance for Americans to speak out for the rights of people that are being suppressed by the current government. These protestors bear signs speaking out against everything from the repression of trans and women’s rights to immigration policies and the government shutdown.

Some protestors chose to cover their faces, and many opted to do it with a silly costume to take away from the narrative that No Kings demonstrators are violent and scary people. (Ella Gibney)

“We’ve had enough of women being repressed in any way, shape, or form,” said a group of Handmaids. “It’s time to fight back.”

“Both of my parents are immigrants, and we need to protect our incoming people as well as our existing people,” added another protestor when asked about their personal reason for demonstrating.

“My dad was in Vietnam, and so I grew up in a household that really valued the symbolism [of the flag],” said a protester holding a rainbow American flag, advocating for governmental protection of gay rights. “I had lots of queer friends who were part of the military. It’s as much their flag as it is any [American’s].”

All protesters seemed to agree on one thing: “The best way to fight back is peacefully, and make sure the people know exactly how we feel.”

Despite some who view the protests as violent or anti-American, the focus of the movement is to support American values such as democracy, and the equal right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. “This country does not belong to kings, dictators, or tyrants,” reads the website. “It belongs to We the People — the people who care, who show up, and who fight for dignity, a life we can afford, and real opportunity. No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.”

The upside-down American flag symbolizes distress and political protest. This citizen carried it to signify dissent against policies that threaten democracy. (Ella Gibney)

About the Contributors

Ella Gibney, Editor-in-chief

Ella Gibney is entering her third year with The Owl fueled by overpriced coffee, the crystals in her pockets, and Love Island USA. Current BHS senior and co-editor-in-chief, Ella is excited to continue covering the events affecting the student body by openly writing about mental health, getting the behind-the-scenes of the school’s inner workings, and voicing her opinions on everything from pop culture to diet culture. Ella is passionate about volunteering and gives weekly presentations about depression and suicide to middle and high school classrooms. Outside of the school setting, she can usually be found thrifting jewelry, falsely believing she can read palms, or working at her part-time job to finance her full-time concert-goer identity. The only thing Ella fears more than math homework and highways is purple grapes, due to their horrifying likeness to the taste of cough syrup.

Summer Gardner, Writer

Summer Gardner is a second-year staff writer for The Owl and a senior at Boulder High. She enjoys writing about social issues and sharing her opinions on whatever else is on her mind at the moment. When Summer is not in school, she enjoys reading, spending time outside, and pestering her sister whenever possible. Over the summer, she works as a farmer at Growing Gardens, where she mainly harvests produce and sneaks the occasional snap pea when no one is looking. One of her favorite activities is enjoying a good picnic with her friends, where she hopefully eats as many grapes as possible. These would, of course, be of the purple sort. Although purple grapes are a slightly bigger risk than green grapes (the rate of mushiness is higher), the reward is much greater, and the act of eating a solid purple grape is said to be one of the most enlightening human experiences known to man.