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Thousands of people gathered in downtown Atlanta on Saturday for a “No Kings” protest that ended with a march to the Georgia State Capitol.
The demonstrations are part of a broader movement that began in June, when large crowds across the country gathered peacefully to protest policies linked to President Donald Trump’s administration. Organizers say the events aim to oppose immigration policies, cuts to health care and education, and rollbacks of environmental protections.
Saturday’s protest — the third held in Atlanta this year — drew a large crowd to the Atlanta Civic Center. Participants traveled from across the state, including from Atlanta, Decatur and Macon.
Speakers and performers took the stage before the group marched to the Capitol under a police escort. The City of Atlanta confirmed it issued permits for the march and worked closely with organizers to ensure safety. The Atlanta Police Department said it would actively monitor the demonstrations, which were scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“It’s important because what’s happening in our country is not okay,” said one protester. “It’s important for us to use the rights that we still have to bring our voices together, to fight against it and stand up for the values that matter to us.”
“We watched the movie ‘Truth and Treason’ last night, and we are so close to being Germany, 1938, and it’s so terrifying,” said Linda Kelley of Macon. “I never thought in my lifetime we’d be somewhere like this. People don’t realize what will happen if we don’t stand up.”
“I know people wanted change, but this is just not good, what’s going on right now,” said Kevin Kelley.
“This doesn’t make it better. We can’t see anything that’s gotten better. It’s all gotten worse,” added Linda Kelley. “I’m a retired RN, and people don’t realize what’s going to happen when they can’t get their health care.”
The protests have remained mostly peaceful, but earlier demonstrations this year have occasionally turned tense.
In June, an anti-ICE protest in DeKalb County that took place the same day as the “No Kings” protests escalated when police used crowd-control measures to disperse demonstrators. During that protest, Mario Gueveria, a longtime Hispanic journalist, was arrested and later detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement before being deported to El Salvador.
About 30 different “No Kings” protests took place across metro Atlanta and North Georgia on Saturday. Those include: Athens, Atlanta Civic Center, Calhoun, Canton, Carrollton, Cartersville, Summerville, Woodstock, Clairmont Lake, Dalton, Marietta, Suwanee, Cleveland, Gainesville, Greensboro, Hiram, LaGrange, Lavonia, Toccoa, Newnan, Tucker, Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Rome, Smyrna, and Suwanee.
Dozens of other protests took place nationwide Saturday.
Kim Leoffler is scheduled to speak with Georgia Republicans about the protests and get their thoughts on them.
