New Hampshire protesters join nationwide ‘No Kings’ demonstration against Trump

A crowd that appeared to number in the thousands packed the lawn in front of the State House and lined North Main Street in Concord Saturday, joining a nationwide protest against President Donald Trump.

Concord’s demonstration was one of more than 30 planned throughout the Granite State. On the Seacoast, protesters gathered at Market Square in Portsmouth. Additionally, an anti-ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) protest in Manchester Friday drew hundreds, and protesters returned for another rally in the city on Saturday. No Kings, the national group organizing the event, also advertised protests in Nashua, Enfield, Dover, Littleton, and Milford. Protests took place in all 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and Canada, according to No Kings.

Protesters in Concord held signs, participated in chants, and listened to speakers denouncing ICE raids, threats to curtail the rights of trans Americans, and Trump’s efforts to consolidate power, among other actions. A podium was also set up where protest organizers, activists, politicians, candidates, and others spoke.

The event was scheduled to coincide with a military parade in Washington, D.C., that Trump hosted on both the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army’s founding and his own 79th birthday. Trump said parade protesters would be met with “very heavy force.” Saturday’s demonstrations also come amid tense protests that have been taking place for over a week in Los Angeles against Trump’s deportation raids. Trump has mobilized the National Guard to Los Angeles to respond to the protests, which have at times gotten violent, and to protect immigration officials as they carry out deportations, according to press reports from California.

Earlier Saturday, two Minnesota Democratic state lawmakers and their spouses were shot by someone posing as a police officer. State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed, and Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were seriously injured. In the wake of the assassination, New Hampshire House Democratic Leader Alexis Simpson sent an email to her colleagues, which was obtained by the Bulletin, warning them to “consider keeping a lower profile today than we might normally keep,” encouraging them “to not identify ourselves as state reps,” and “pay attention to your surroundings and trust your instincts.”

“This tragedy does not exist in a vacuum,” Simpson wrote. “We are living in a time of rising political violence and it is incumbent upon us to make sure that not only are we calling it out, but that we are protecting ourselves appropriately. It is a good idea to be in touch with your local law enforcement and let them know of the situation especially if you are having a rally in your town or city.”