Thousands gather for ‘No Kings’ protests in Huntsville

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — People gathered on Governors Drive in Huntsville and in communities across the state of Alabama on Saturday for “No Kings” demonstrations to protest the direction of the country under President Donald Trump.

Many protesters held signs and banners reading: “Defend the Constitution,” “Peace, Love and Democracy” and “No Lying King,” with passersby honking their horns in support.

People began gathering just before 9 a.m. and although there was no official count, organizers estimated that thousands of people remained on Governors Drive until 11 a.m.

Most are angered by the approach of mass deportations and ICE raids.

The No Kings protests follow a government shutdown that ended federal programs. Many, like Jim Chamberlain of Huntsville, used the platform to show how dissatisfied their country was with the leadership.

“I hope that our more moderate leaders and some within the Republican Party will start to oppose some of the more extreme measures that are being taken, then we can start to see some bipartisanship and get the government back on its feet,” Chamberlain said.

Lerisha Thompson said immigration detentions and troop deployments in American cities are alarming signs of the erosion of democracy.

“I feel like things in this country are moving away and we need to do something. So we’re here today to peacefully protest that there are no kings. We’ve fought a war against Tierney and we’re going to continue to fight it,” Thompson said. “We don’t have secret police in the United States, we don’t take people off the streets, we don’t ignore court orders, and we don’t trash the constitution.”

The Huntsville rally was one of dozens planned across the state of Alabama, including in Guntersville and Athens.