Thousands of people gathered around the Texas Capitol in Austin for a “No Kings” demonstration that coincided with President Trump’s birthday and a military parade marking the Army’s 250th anniversary in Washington, D.C.
Many in attendance at the Saturday evening protest said their opposition to the Trump administration's actions, ranging from immigration policy to cuts to the federal workforce, brought them out.
"We want to be able to tell our grandchildren that we did everything that we could to bring democracy back to America, because it is sadly lacking right now," biologist Blinda McClelland said.
McClelland and her husband, who identified himself as an environmental engineer, said they are concerned for family members who work for the federal government and are upset with the proposed funding cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
"We're just basically turning the clock back years, decades," McClelland said.
Thousands of "No Kings" protests were held across the country. The name of the protest came about as organizers have compared the administration to a monarchy or dictatorship.
"When someone in power starts acting like a monarch — defying checks and balances, enriching elites and turning government into a personal stage — the whole system starts to look like a circus. So we’re flipping the script and reclaiming the big tent for democracy, accountability, and the rule of law," organizers said in the event post.
Robbie Albracht and several of her friends wore gold paper crowns that said, "No Kings," for what they said was their fourth protest in the last week.
“We haven’t had a king since 1776,” Albracht said. “I am worried about the violation and degradation of our Constitution and the coalescing of executive power. And I just want to make sure my voice gets heard. There are thousands of people in this country who don’t support what’s going on. We don't want a king."
The scene at the Capitol remained peaceful as crowds listened to speakers including U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett and state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, both Democrats representing Austin.
While many left the event following the speakers' remarks, hundreds marched through the streets of downtown Austin that took them back to the Capitol. At the same time, another group of a few hundred protesters gathered in front of the J.J. Pickle Federal Building, which has housed Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees, KXAN reported.
A line of Austin police stood in front of the building and ordered protesters to clear the street or face arrest. Demonstrators eventually left peacefully, split into different directions and continued marching through downtown Austin, with police following behind.
Just after 11 p.m, the Austin Police Department posted online that the protest had concluded.
"With the exception of a small number of agitators, the event remained largely peaceful," it said on X. "Additional details regarding the event will be shared in the coming days."
One arrested following threat to state lawmakers
Law enforcement was on heightened alert ahead of the event after the Texas Department of Public Safety said there was a credible threat toward state lawmakers planning to attend. One arrest was made in connection to the threats against lawmakers. DPS said in a post on X that the person was in custody after a traffic stop in La Grange and that there is "no additional active threat."
The threats in Austin came after two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses were shot Saturday morning. Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed. State Sen. John Hoffman and his spouse were shot and are in critical condition.
DPS officials said the Capitol and its grounds were evacuated around 1 p.m. out of an abundance of caution and temporarily closed but reopened before crowds started to arrive.
The agency closed the Capitol grounds to the public at 8 p.m. following the planned protest.
National Guard deploys to Texas cities
Earlier this week, hundreds of people gathered in front of the Capitol to protest the Trump administration's nationwide crackdown on the country's immigrant community. While Monday's protest started out peacefully, things escalated into the evening. Texas troopers deployed tear gas, and 13 people were arrested.
Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the Texas National Guard to cities across the state to “ensure peace and order.” Members were deployed to assist with anti-ICE protests in San Antonio on Wednesday.
City officials said they support people's right to peacefully assemble and will not tolerate violence.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said he disagrees with the governor's deployment of the National Guard.
“That was not my decision or anyone’s at the city, nor do we think it's necessary,” he said. “Much of what you see out of Washington is an attempt to create fear and chaos. We should not play into these politics of fear.”
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said APD would do everything it could to support the right to assemble Saturday.
“We will be blocking off traffic. We will help them with our motors and escort them through town — however they want to do that — and facilitate that,” she said. “But we will be looking for that violent behavior and remove those violent people from the area and allow people to continue. That’s the goal.”
She said the department is working with event organizers to ensure a safe and peaceful event.
Nathan Bernier, Katya Lemus and Chelsey Zhu contributed to this story.
