(The Center Square) – Thousands of people gathered in downtown San Diego Saturday to participate in the nationwide “No Kings” protest.
Two No Kings protests merged together at Waterfront Park to begin a march against President Donald Trump’s policies. An estimated 60,000 protesters were marching, according to a statement from the San Diego Police Department.
“This movement comes in direct response to President Trump’s recent deployment of military force in U.S. cities, and policies threatening to strip health care from 16 million Americans and escalate ICE raids on immigrant communities and protestors,” No Kings said.
Trump activated 4,000 California National Guard troops this week after a week of violent riots in Los Angeles targeted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers conducting sweeps of criminal noncitizens in the U.S. illegally.
The No Kings Civic Center Plaza protest made its way up Third Avenue to Ash Street and then down Ash Street to Waterfront Park, merging with the No Kings Waterfront Park protest. As the two groups joined together, volunteer organizers for No Kings San Diego led the protesters in a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance before sending them off on their march down West Harbor Dr.
Protesters said they were marching to “reject authoritarian overreach, defend democracy, and stand up for their communities.”
While marching, protesters were waving American flags, holding up anti-trump posters and chanting anti-trump phrases. Many of the signs mentioned democracy such as “It’s A Good Day To Protect Democracy,” or “I Miss My Democracy.” Other signs were targeted toward Trump, accusing him of acting like a king, and toward his administration, accusing it of being tyrannical.
Protestors told The Center Square the march made them feel hopeful for the future of the country because it showed them many people want to preserve democracy.
The march did not include any violence, with No Kings San Diego encouraging protesters to be peaceful and working with the San Diego Police Department to maintain the crowd.
After the march, the SDPD thanked the city of San Diego for acting “classy,” claiming there were “no arrests, and no incidents,” in a post on X.
