Juneau joins nationwide ‘Hands Off!’ protests against Trump administration and Elon Musk

Hundreds of people rallied at the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau on Saturday, part of a “Hands Off!” day of action protesting the Trump administration’s agenda.

“We face an epic struggle for democracy, for justice, for equality, for the very future of our country!” said Claire Richardson, one of the event organizers with the group ReSisters, to cheers from the crowd.

She read a long list of recent actions by the Trump Administration, and the crowd echoed, “Hands off!”

“We are here to tell Donald Trump and Elon Musk, hands off our democracy!” she said. “Hands off our children’s education. Hands off our jobs. Hands off our veterans. Hands off our bodies and gender choice. Hands off our elections, hands off Medicaid, hands off our libraries and museums. Hands off Social Security, hands off Greenland and hands off Canada!”

Many demonstrators carried Canadian flags, in a nod to support for Alaska’s closest neighbor and in protest of Trump threatening economic sanctions and even annexation of Canada. 

Alaskans joined demonstrations across the state, including Skagway, Haines, Gustavus, Petersburg, Sitka, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Soldotna, Wasilla, Healy, Dillingham, Bethel, Nome, Homer, Seldovia and Glennallen, as well as large crowds in Anchorage and Fairbanks. 

The mood was high spirited, with the crowd singing together — some original songs by local artists — cheering, and waving signs. 

Speakers evoked the origins of the United States and the fight for independence from an oppressive monarchy, and condemned U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and U.S. Rep. Nich Begich, R-Alaska, for allying with Trump, alleging they violated the Constitution and their oath of office.

“Have you no outrage at the detention and deportation of lawful residents?” said Juneau resident Tristan Knutson-Lombardo to the crowd, directed at Sullivan and Begich. “Have you no concern for Trump’s attempts to quell freedom of the press, defy judicial orders and seek retribution toward political opponents, and supporting imperialistic land grabs?

“Shame on you for standing idle as our government whitewashes our history, represses scientific study, suppresses creative thought and erases the notion that anyone could identify as something other than the sex written on their birth certificate,” he said. “Shame on you!” 

Lauryn G̱úud Gíigangaa Framke, a Haida language teacher, made a powerful plea for action on behalf of youth and the next generation. “We are told that children are sacred, but that is only true until they are born poor, or until they are gay, or until they are trans or brown, or until it is time for them to go to school and the right to arms will always be more important than their lives,” she said. “But there is one thing we can have hope in, and that is community …. We can make sure that this community is a safe place for our children to grow up in. Because our youth are sacred, and they deserve better than this.” 

Ernestine Hayes, a former Alaska writer laureate and award-winning Tlingit author and professor, addressed the crowd and focused on the history of colonization being repeated. 

“They are taking our land. They’re telling us we have to speak English only. They want everyone to believe in their God. They’re removing our history and seizing our wealth. Does any of that sound familiar?” she said. “It’s still time to decolonize.” 

Mike Williams, a Juneau resident and small business owner, protested with a sign that towered over the crowd – on a 24-foot pole reading, “We’ve had it up to here.” He said he’s most concerned about the mass federal firings and cuts by the arm of the White House named DOGE, or “the Department of Government Efficiency,” coordinated by Elon Musk. 

“It just blows my mind that only 4% of our federal budget is on staffing. So to cut staff at all just makes little sense… I heard a really good metaphor. All of this is like cutting off your legs to try to lose weight,” he said. “Sure, you lost the weight, but at what cost? The outcome is much worse.”

He said the most difficult part is talking with close family members who continue to support Trump.  He said he’d like to see more people push back against “blind faith” in Trump and stand up against these kinds of actions of the Trump administration. 

“It’s okay to say that someone’s doing something wrong,” he said. “Like, we thought Biden has made a lot of mistakes. We thought Obama had some mistakes, and we can admit that. So, I just don’t understand why we can’t admit that about all this that’s going on too.”

Demonstrators and speakers noted the large crowd size for Juneau, with families with children, seniors and friend groups attending. Crowd size estimates exceeded 1,000, with organizers saying there were 1,550 based on photos taken from the fifth floor of the Capitol. More protests and demonstrations are expected, according to organizers.

Protests were planned for Saturday in more than 1,200 locations across all 50 states, as well as cities in Europe, including London, Berlin and Paris. 

Editor’s note: The list of communities with demonstrations has been updated.