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Nearly 1,700 people gathered across Greater New Bedford Saturday to join millions of demonstrators across the country for the third round of “No Kings Day,” an organized day of protests aimed at President Donald Trump’s authoritarian tactics and his policies ranging from the economy to immigration to war.
Three demonstrations in New Bedford and another in Dartmouth were among the 12 that took place in Bristol County.
From the Route 18 pedestrian overpass to Buttonwood Park, to Faunce Corner Road in Dartmouth and a circuitous march from New Bedford District Court to City Hall, the demonstrators made their opposition to the policies of the second Trump administration known.
No single cause brought the thousands of demonstrators together, but signs and comments pointed to myriad motivations, including:
- Calls to defund and abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement due to their aggressive tactics over the course of the president’s mass deportation campaign.
- Fears around the lack of due process offered to immigrants in removal proceedings and warrantless arrests carried out by ICE and other federal police agencies.
- Allegations of rampant corruption leveled against the federal government and administration officials.
- Fears around U.S. foreign policy and perceived movement away from historical allies such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and toward historical enemies like Russia.
- Changes to health policies under Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in particular an embrace of vaccine scepticism.
- Administration attempts to claw back federal grants funding science research at universities.
- Fears around policies that appear to seek retribution against Trump’s perceived enemies.
About 3,200 demonstrations occurred in the U.S. with all 50 states represented — from small towns to cosmopolitan metropolises — according to the No Kings website. In Massachusetts alone, 162 demonstrations were planned. Other cities and towns that saw demonstrations in Bristol County included Attleboro, Bridgewater, Fall River, Mansfield, Somerset, Swansea, Taunton, and Westport. In nearby Rhode Island, there were demonstrations in Barrington, East Greenwich, and Providence.
By far the largest demonstration in the state took place in Boston, where organizers said 100,000 people rallied on the Boston Common. Scheduled speakers included Gov. Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and U.S. Sen. Ed Markey.
Highlights from that event included words from Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, a teenager from Brazil whose arrest by ICE agents in Milford last May made national headlines, and a musical performance by Dropkick Murphys, Irish-American punk rockers from Boston who have experienced a resurgence due to their vocal progressive and anti-MAGA politics.
Both Campbell and Healey focused on the state’s immigrant communities in their remarks on the Common, according to WBUR.
“In Massachusetts, we value our immigrants. All of them. We value their cultural contributions. We value their innovation. We value their art and so much more,” Campbell told the crowd. “And we know that without them, without our immigrant workers, this state, this country, would crumble economically.”
Crowds also protested against the Trump administration in about 16 countries around the globe including in cities such as Lisbon, Tokyo, Paris, Berlin, Munich, London, Rome and Sydney, Australia.
Vinny Lovegrove braved frigid temperatures to spread hope at the Route 18 pedestrian overpass early Saturday morning, using the winds to blow large bubbles over honking cars passing underneath.
Route 18
“The bubbles were exclusively for kids’ entertainment,” said Lovegrove, a member of the Toe Jam Puppet Band. “But people kept telling me they add a little bit of hope.
“I wasn’t very political before 2024,” he said.
Lovegrove was among the 100 demonstrators gathered at the overpass – the first of four different protests in the Greater New Bedford area – to proclaim their opposition to Trump and his policies.
Issues surrounding immigration dominated the concerns of the protesters above Route 18. There have been about 70 New Bedford area residents detained as part of the mass deportation campaign since Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025.
That’s one of the reasons Dan and Kate Cooney chose to travel to New Bedford from their home in Marion. They had participated in previous No Kings activities in the Wareham area.
“This is one of the centers of the immigration story,” Cooney said, referring to New Bedford’s history and the current moment. “So I thought we should be here.”
Kate Cooney’s reasons were more related to exhaustion.
“I’m just tired of the incompetence,” she said.
Christine LeJacq-Smith, of Indivisible SouthCoast New England, said the protests at the bridge will continue as they are viewed as accessible to those with disabilities and perhaps those with less protest experience.
“We’ve been out here for many bridge brigades,” she said. “This is convenient because it’s safe to protest here.”
Buttonwood Park
About 1,000 people rallied at Buttonwood Park carrying signs protesting issues ranging from aggressive tactics by ICE, mass deportations, arrests in courthouse, the Iran War and more.
But for 85-year old Edna Henderson of New Bedford, it represented a move away from her longheld seat on the sidelines of politics.
“This is my third ever protest,” she said, adding that she had participated in previous No Kings rallies locally. “I never had to do it until now.
“Before, the government was working for us,” she continued. “Now, it’s only out for itself.”
Unlike the Route 18 protest, New Bedford police maintained a relaxed presence of about a half-dozen officers.
There was no organized opposition to the demonstrators, with only some passing drivers shouting their disagreement.
“I’m here because we’re living under an authoritarian regime,” said Ricardo Rosa, a director with the Massachusetts Teachers Association. “We need to deepen and reclaim our democracy.”
Also among the demonstrators was Jeanne Plourde, a New Bedford resident who carried her friend, Kermit the Frog, on her back as the puppet displayed a “No Kings” sign. She said it harkened back to earlier protests in Portland, Oregon, where demonstrators dressed in animal costumes to mock federal authorities trying to suppress them.
“I hope that people will realize they’re empowered after seeing this,” Plourde said. “And that they will realize there are people who think like they do.”
Faunce Corner in Dartmouth
In Dartmouth, about 300 people gathered at the intersection of Route 6 and Faunce Corner Road at noon for a protest organized by the town’s Democratic Committee.
Jeanne Robinson, a member of the committee, said that protesting what is happening in the country and bringing attention to it is crucial.
“For the first time in my 78 years, I fear we’re losing our democracy,” Robinson said. No Kings Day, she continued, “represents that we’re a democracy — that way back in the 1700s, we did not want a king, and we don’t want one now.”
Wendy Lawton, co-leader of Indivisible SouthCoast New England, was in Dartmouth serving as a safety marshal. This was not the first protest she has helped with this year — and she is sure it won’t be the last.
“The country is still going in the wrong direction,” she said, pointing to a series of recent events that have intensified concerns, including the killing of protesters in Minnesota, the war in Iran and the capture of Venezuela’s president. “So if the concern is increasing, so do the number of protests,” she said.
Mark Fuller, a New Bedford resident, walked among the protesters holding a large upside-down American flag. He said he has received criticism from people who view displaying the flag that way as disrespectful, but Fuller said it carries a specific meaning he learned as a Boy Scout more than 50 years ago.
“It’s in the flag code that all military and Boy Scouts learn about the flag. A flag upside down is a show of dire distress or extreme danger to life or property,” Fuller said. “So it definitely has its meanings today.”
Paul Doran, a Dartmouth resident, held a “Veterans Against Trump” sign. A veteran and returned Peace Corps volunteer, he said his experiences have shaped his perspective on current events.
“I have a pretty broad grasp of the world, plus I have a degree in political science, so I studied a lot of the world, and I’ve lived in a lot of the world,” he said. “I can just see the mess that’s being made of our standing in the world, and I can’t stand it.”
Doran said it is a shame that many veterans continue to support the Trump administration. “We swore to uphold the Constitution as members of the military, and this whole gang that’s in power now cares nothing about upholding the Constitution.”
New Bedford District Court
A contingent of New Bedford police officers escorted about 400 protesters late in the afternoon, the rhythms of a Cabo Verdean batucada ensemble, Batucada Otu Level, marking time.
The demonstrators gathered at 3 p.m. one hour after the conclusion of the Buttonwood Park demonstration, in front of New Bedford District Court, a site of recent attention due to ICE civil arrests of immigrants at the facility.
“Every day, parents leave their homes with their hearts broken because they don’t know whether they will return home,” said Luísa Carina Cu Raymondo, a volunteer with Movimiento Cosecha and student at Bridgewater State University, who addressed the crowd in Spanish. “Our parks and our streets are silent because they have become violent and dangerous.”
“ICE has kidnapped and murdered men, women, and children,” she continued. “They break cars and break down doors without any legal processes, just because of your skin color. … We don’t want ICE in New Bedford!”
The demonstration was the third outside the courthouse. The first occurred on Feb. 5.
Another protest outside the courthouse occurred on March 19, shortly after reports that more than 600 immigrants had been detained by ICE in Massachusetts courthouses over the preceding years. Demonstrators there called on legislators and the governor to pass the PROTECT Act, a bill which would further limit law enforcement and trial court cooperation with ICE in Massachusetts, requiring that agents provide a signed judicial warrant to a judge at a state court before performing a civil immigration arrest. The bill passed the House 134-21 on Wednesday and now heads to the Senate.
The demonstrators then marched down Sixth Street to the Hastings Keith Federal Building next door. They passed two men standing in opposition to the protesters, one waving a large Trump flag and another with a “Make America Great Again” hat. They were the only two counter-protesters confirmed by The Light at any of the demonstrations and left before they could be interviewed.
At the federal building, Rosa, of the MTA and master of ceremonies for the event, called on municipal officials, including Mayor Jon Mitchell and members of the City Council, to speak up for the city’s immigrant community.
“We demand you choose the people over complacency,” he said in comments directed at the officials. “Stop treating our lives as expendable.
“Not taking a position is a position,” he continued. “You’re allowing for power to have its way.”
Dean Haleem, a public defender, also spoke to the importance of keeping ICE out of courtrooms and giving people their due process.
“We need to stand up against this,” he said.”
Also among the speakers was Tonianne Wong, a member of the First Unitarian Church of New Bedford, who spoke about assaults on LGBTQ+ rights across the country, including the abolition of the right to self-select gender on a passport in November 2025.
“Their goal is to create a world where everyone who exists beyond a rigid gender binary is erased,” she said.
Afterward, the demonstrators marched to the Frederick Douglass mural before ending the day’s events at New Bedford City Hall.
No Kings ‘history’
The organized protests were the third in the short history of the movement, which arose in opposition to President Donald Trump a few months after his return to the White House in January 2025.
Multiple towns in Bristol County have participated in all three protest days, with each round showing incremental growth in attendance.
The first No Kings protests, on June 14, attracted about 1,350 people combined to demonstrations at Hazelwood Park in New Bedford and along Route 6 outside Fairhaven High School. On Oct. 18, over 2,000 people attended demonstrations in Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, and New Bedford.
Kevin G. Andrade can be contacted at kandrade@newbedfordlight.org. Eleonora Bianchi can be contacted at ebianchi@newbedfordlight.org.
Thank you so much for this comprehensive overview of WHY people are compelled to attend these rallies. It is the unconstitutional polices of this administration that will continue to bring us out in protest. By doing so, we hope to effect a change in policies and a change in congressional leadership in November. This is our duty as citizens.
Yes Jane, absolutely correct. Thought I would weigh in before the “others” comment and call us communists. A change is needed, but not just a change and complete 180. I never thought in my life time I would see such a disregard for the rule of law and our Constitution, insulting our founding fathers. I thought Nixon was evil and back then his own party stood up for what was right. Today it’s so different and divided. For those who will be commenting to the contrary, think about this, doesn’t the rule of law apply to everyone? When do have a federal police force with masks who do not follow due process and the law including the killing and detaining of American citizens? When does a President enrich him self making billions, this is a fact, it is truth, billions dealing with the Saudi’s, this also includes all his family? Last, how can the President utilize military for his own private war, and yes Iran is a bad actor, but use the military at the suggestion of the Saudi’s, yes fact, to attack Iran, and then play a game about when we attack, ground trips deployed, peace deal almost in place, and the stock market rises and falls based on what he says, and yes, FACT, people close to the White House for some reason know when to buy and sell based on what the Prez says. Said enough, if this what the others support god help us.
Thank you! We love our country! That is why we are compelled to offer this feedback to our government, in the hope of effecting change.
This administration has labeled our protests “Trump derangement syndrome therapy” .
I would like to tell them that I could tolerate his arrogant, boorish, disrespectful behavior if not for the following:
–A Cabinet whose members’ primary, and often only, qualification is loyalty to him above loyalty to their oath of office
–A total disregard for the laws and powers of Congress and for the US Constitution and individual rights.
–The alienation of our allies and the embrace of authoritarian leaders.
–The dismantling of the agencies that protect our health, safety, and environment, and the transformation of our immigration services into a quasi-military agency that has been turned against us.
There is so much more I could add here. It is the policies that we abhor and that will continue to bring us out in protest until there is a change.
I’m so glad the Light articulated what the protestors were protesting because these articles in the past contained comments by the protesters such as “our freedoms are being taken away” or “our democracy is in peril”…I’m glad to see that the liberal media and these folks are on the same page now. And tell your readers again what this protest accomplished? Was it “hope”?
The New Bedford Light’s and other media coverage of these events is important…for those who were able to attend, as well as for those, like me, who were not.
What we are witnessing across our country and the world is the people rising up in a peaceful way to say “No, we will not be divided and made to hate one another while being distracted by a common enemy of all of us.”
The face of that enemy is greed, hunger for power, and complete lack of humanity.
History has seen this before.
Billions spent on wars, unchecked and unconstitutional paramilitary operations taking place on our streets, and an economy that eliminates the middle class.
I pray it is not too late to save us from this madness.
Thank you for your coverage of the protests, and the people who recognize and stand against the critical threats against our democracy. Keep up the great work!
Excellent journalism. Really appreciate that the reporter attempted to interview counter-protesters exercising their right to be visible and heard.
I am joining others in thanking both journalists for covering the rallies and writing a well-detailed article. Also, I am writing to encourage readers who have not yet participated in these acts of democracy and freedom to join us next time. If you need a chair, that’s fine–bring one. If you can’t stay the entire time, that’s okay, too. But I warn you: being among a community of upbeat, like-minded people is wonderful; so you may decide to stay longer!
I agree! And I would like to join in to praise New Bedford Light for their strong, detailed coverage of this day and the movement.
The No Kings March in downtown New Bedford offered a vivid snapshot of civic engagement at a moment when questions about power and accountability feel especially urgent. Marchers filled the streets not just with signs and chants, but with a shared insistence that leadership should remain grounded in democratic principles rather than drift toward unchecked authority.
What stood out most was the tone: determined but not chaotic, passionate yet purposeful. Families, students, and longtime activists walked side by side, suggesting that concern about concentrated power is not limited to any single group. At times, the messaging was broad, even diffuse, but the underlying theme was clear: people want transparency, balance, and a voice in decisions that shape their lives.
Whether one agrees with every slogan or not, the march underscored something essential: democracy depends on participation, and in New Bedford, that participation was unmistakably alive.
Eileen J. Marum
Marion
Thank you! We love our country! That is why we are compelled to offer this feedback to our government.
I only have one thing to say PRAY FOR THEM.
I find it interesting that there was no reporting about the U.S.-Israeli illegal war against Iran that I spoke about! Once again, the New Bedford Light is proving that it will refuse to be critical of ANYTHING that is critical of Israel, which is the MAIN reason for the ILLEGAL attack by Israel and the U.S.A. on Iran. Meanwhile, DNI Tulsi Gabbard and her second in command have both stated that this attack was not legal and that there was no credible U.S. intelligence that indicated that Iran was about to strike Israel or the U.S.!
The Democratic Party leadership is once again showing that it is fully controlled by the Israeli government, despite its engagement in the horrible genocide against the Palestinian people. That is why Kamala Harris lost the election to a convicted felon! The Democratic leadership refuses to release the results of the autopsy of why Harris lost! While this wasn’t the ONLY reason she lost, it was the most important. When she blew off the lifelong Democratic supporters in Michigan who asked her why she is supporting Joe Biden’s support of genocide, she cemented her fate! Now we have to deal with this criminal president Donald J. Trump!
I think that many people who object to the policies of Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israel’s Right Wing Likud Party do not wish to be labeled anti-Semitic if they criticize these policies. There are many Israelis who object to his policies. This is also true in this country. These are two separate issues, but that doesn’t stop the labeling.
So, you have said the quiet part out loud, and I believe that you are right in saying that this contributed to last year’s election results.
I also believe that our involvement in the current war with Iran benefits the leaders of Israel and Saudi Arabia, and not our country. You are also right in your comments about the DNI saying there was no imminent threat to the US from Iran.
I also believe that it serves as a convenient distraction from the many other issues now confronting this administration.
..”contributed to the 2024 election results”…
The most powerful tool of peace is a bank run. If just the vets withdrew their savings as cash it’d collapse the currencies and take All power from the dictatorship. BANK RUNS are the trump card
3 Years in a state of emergency that the governor created and imposed on the taxpayers. Stopped the pipe line which skyrocketed our utility bills. Think about it !
Stopped the stench of more burned hydrocarbons.
The rate of rise in our utility bills is no higher than Texas.
Which continues to expand it’s use of wind.
Think about it.
Joe Biden gets rich and owns multiple homes from fifty years of politics, Hunter gets rich from Ukraine and doesn’t have a job now. Obama is a green new deal guy but as reported by Cape Cod Times has a 2500 gallon propane tank to heat his MV home but isn’t there. Hillary the former First Lady of Arkansas moves to NY to become senator, don’t get me going on Al Gore. Bobby Kennedy was friends with Chavez of Venezuela to get home heating oil as he was strangling his own people. Bernie Sanders hates millionaires until he became one, now he hates billionaires until he becomes one. Wake Up
While I do not agree with everything that President Trump has done, I feel the same way about the message from the no king rallies. The politics in Massachusetts has drifted way to far to the left and doesn’t represent the ideas and values of all of our state’s residents. It’s time for Massachusetts to get back to a more moderate common sense approach to politics that will offer a brighter future.
The claim that Massachusetts politics has drifted “too far to the left” and no longer reflects the values of its residents oversimplifies both the state’s political identity and how representation works in a diverse democracy. Rather than signaling ideological excess, the state’s policy direction reflects the evolving priorities of its voters.
Massachusetts has long combined progressive ideas with pragmatic governance. Its high rankings in education, healthcare access, and economic innovation are the result of deliberate policy choices supported by voters over time. Policies often labeled as “left-leaning,” such as strong public education systems, environmental protections, and expanded healthcare access, have repeatedly received public backing through elections and ballot measures. This indicates alignment between government action and voter preference, not a disconnect.
The argument also assumes that moderation is missing. However, moderation is better defined by effectiveness and balance than by ideology alone. Massachusetts maintains balanced budgets, fosters economic growth, and continues to attract businesses while supporting worker protections. This blend of economic strength and social investment suggests a calibrated approach rather than an extreme one.
Additionally, no political system can fully represent every individual viewpoint, especially in a state with diverse communities and perspectives. Democracy functions by reflecting majority preferences while protecting minority rights, and Massachusetts continues to provide avenues for dissent and participation in public life.
Political values are not static. Issues like climate change, healthcare, and economic inequality have become more urgent, and voters have adjusted their priorities accordingly. What some interpret as a leftward shift may instead be a practical response to modern challenges. In this sense, the state is not abandoning common sense but redefining it.
Calls to return to a more “moderate” past often rely on selective memory. Policies that once seemed sufficient may no longer address current realities. Progress requires adapting to new conditions, not reverting to outdated frameworks.
Massachusetts politics reflects an engaged electorate making informed choices. Its direction is less about ideological drift and more about responding to the needs of today while preparing for the future.
Oh, thank you so much for this response !
Thank you!
What a far left liberal lunatic love fest, all the long winded responses tells the story. For the ratio of people versus the current population that show up to these clown fests, it falls far short of a majority. Stop with the nonsense, you can’t try and force feed your far left liberal ideology down everyone’s throat, and think everyone is buying into it.
Labeling the discussion as a ‘far left love fest’ doesn’t address the actual point being made. The policies in question didn’t appear out of nowhere; they’re the result of repeated choices made by Massachusetts voters over many years.
Participation levels vary in every election, but the people who show up shape the outcome. That is not ideology being ‘forced’ on anyone; that’s how representative democracy functions. If someone feels the state is moving in the wrong direction, the most effective response is to engage, vote, and make the case for a different direction, not to dismiss the majority of participants as illegitimate.
Nice try, but it’s real simple, if you want to protest and make a statement that you feel things are not moving in the right direction that’s fine. But when people dress up in dinosaur costumes, like clowns, fly our flag upside down, and most importantly bash everything that does not go along with the far left liberal agenda, they lose all credibility.
I hear what you’re saying about voter participation shaping policy, and you’re right — the people who show up determine the direction of the state. But that’s exactly why some residents are speaking out. They feel that the political landscape in Massachusetts has become so dominated by one viewpoint that alternative perspectives rarely get a fair hearing. When people feel shut out of the conversation, they look for other ways to make themselves visible.
You might not agree with every tactic or every style of protest, but the presence of frustration doesn’t mean those concerns are illegitimate. In a healthy democracy, dissent — even from a minority — matters. If we want a stronger civic culture, it helps to recognize that disagreement isn’t a threat to the process; it’s part of it. Acknowledging those voices, rather than dismissing them, is how you keep people engaged in the system rather than feeling pushed to the margins.
You’re welcome to your opinion and you made some very good points. After all these years I will never expect the New Bedford Light to be fair and balanced (it’s a far left liberal soap box). But I do read the articles and acknowledge some of the problems that are being addressed, but the majority of the articles and comments are just to far left liberal for me. So even though I am in the minority, I will continue to offer my thoughts, and I hope everyone has a Happy Easter!
Great coverage of NB areas participation in MASSIVE 8 million strong protest to defend our human and democratic rights in all 50 states towns large,and small..not a,FAR LEFT Jeff Rogers but movement that welcomes ALL dinosaurs included to non violently protest direction our country going in..contrast that to 5-10.000 Jan 6 th 2020 that tried to VIOLENTLY impose its will on our Constitution and trash the,Capitol all who were given immunity by Donald Trump..Protest has always been part of or rich American tradition that won women right to vote and choice Afro Americans right to civil rights Labor to organize and has stopped unpopular wars..we welcome ALL to join and defend that tradition.And yes Richard Drolet is correct about our support to Israel..how many Palestnians have to die in how many wars because Israel and the USA oppose a Palestinian state which is the issue w Iran as,well..where are the Arab states in defending Palestine..Many Americans even Maga,supporters are joining in protest bcuz all the things Trump promised have proven to be false. Food and gas and housing are NOT more affordable..Job growth is NOT w 25% of Gen Z unemployed and w ICE raids terrorizing and locking up thousands of Americas hardest workers and never ending wars are NOW WARS THAT NEVER END..that is why we need TWO THREE MANY protests to protect and extend our Democratic Republic
George Kontanis you’re welcome to you’re opinion and you can repeat, repeat, and repeat all the far left liberal mumbo jumbo, but Kamala Harris lost for good reason, her and Sleepy Joe ran this country into the ground. At these rallies no one ever talks about how the Far left Liberals created the illegal problem by letting 15 million illegals into our country with their open border policy, flushing Billions of Taxpayer Dollars down the toilet. It’s time to stop repeating the dinosaur nonsense and owning up to pain that the Far Left Liberal Agenda caused Americans, all that money could have been used to help our Veterans, Seniors, Families, and Hard working Americans. I know it’s hard, but sometimes the truth just hurts.