An American flag pictured at the No Kings demonstrations in Atlanta on Oct. 18, 2025. Maya Homan/Georgia Recorder
Thousands of people gathered Saturday in Atlanta as part of the No Kings rallies taking place nationwide, where speakers sounded the alarm against the potential for authoritarian rule under the Trump administration.
Speakers, which included prominent Georgia political figures and leaders of civil rights and advocacy organizations, described the current climate as a move away from democracy. It was a noticeable shift in tone from the No Kings events in June, when organizers warned of some of the administration’s undemocratic behaviors, such as hosting a military parade coinciding with President Donald Trump’s birthday.
Former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams framed the political battle as a fight over the nation’s direction.
“It used to be that we were all headed to the same destination. We just had different routes,” Abrams said to the crowd. “We may have a different way to get there, but the route we were going to take was democracy … but on the other side, they decided that the route they wanted to take was not democracy, but authoritarianism.”
Organizers say more than 10,000 people turned out Saturday at the Atlanta Civic Center, one of over 40 events held across Georgia, before marching to the state Capitol, but the actual number could be closer to 12,000, said Laura Judge with Indivisible North Metro, which is one of the event’s organizers. Martha Shockey, a convener of the Indivisible Georgia Coalition, said more than 5,000 people registered ahead of the protest.
Andrea Young, executive director of the ACLU of Georgia, told the crowd that the Trump administration has created a two-tiered system of justice where some are “above the law” and others are below.
“We love America too much to give it over to a wannabe king,” Young said. “The Trump regime puts billionaires above the law … at the same time, the Trump regime acts like some of us are below the law.”
In an interview Friday ahead of the rally, Young cited several examples of the current administration’s alleged abuses. She pointed to the administration’s actions on immigrant rights, including the denial of due process for people suspected of living in the country unlawfully and the attempt to abolish the 14th Amendment’s citizenship provision by executive order — a move the ACLU is challenging. She also raised concerns over the deployment of military personnel in American cities like Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as the “dismantling” of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and what she called the undermining of “facts and science.”
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Abby Tighe, a founding member of Fired but Fighting, a coalition of terminated CDC employees and public health allies, described the latest mass terminations at the agency as “another deliberate attempt to traumatize federal workers and attack the American public.” The CDC workforce has shrunk by about 3,000 this year, with the latest round of layoffs in October affecting about 600 workers.
“Donald Trump continued to spread lies about vaccines, medications, and research. Their lies about vaccines have led to mistrust and violence. Their dehumanization and vitriol is directly responsible for the August attack on CDC that claimed the life of DeKalb County’s officer (David) Rose, while my friends and own child cowered in fear,” Tighe said.
Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock urged the audience to stand up for democracy and fight for their rights. Warnock pointed to the importance of unity and cooperation, regardless of political affiliation, and called for the end of the government shutdown and the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies.
“We don’t have to do one or the other. We can do both at the same time,” he said.
He also warned against the dangers of fascism and the need to fight for the rights of all people, including Palestinians, Israelis, Ukrainian children and American citizens.
“You cannot outsource democracy to anybody. You cannot outsource citizenship. It is all of us. That’s why they’re trying to divide us, because when all of us stand together and raise our voices, we win,” he said.
James Salter said he participated in the rally because he’s “trying to rebuff fascism while we still care,” saying he’s concerned about law and order under Trump.
“If the Constitution is no longer understood and taken seriously, then we slip into a fascist dictatorship that is ruled by the ultra rich. And we lose,” he said.
James Threatt, who also attended the rally in Atlanta, said that the name of the No Kings march spoke for itself.
“This man is setting himself up as the king, and he’s not,” he said. “This is America.”
Threatt also said he was concerned about how the Trump administration was treating immigrants, saying the mass arrests were violating people’s civil rights, which he compared to the struggle for Black civil rights.
“They’re taking civil rights away from people, period,” he said. “Not only Black people but everybody else.”
Lloyd Norman said he hoped to be a “small voice” to help hold power to account.
“Hitler had something called the Big Lie theory, that if I say it long enough and loud enough, people will say it for me,” Norman said. “That’s why I’m here, because we have to say ‘you’re lying.’”
Speakers also called for ongoing, non-violent action and engagement in local elections. U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson of Lithonia urged the crowd to embody Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of the “beloved community,” which King used to describe a society that is free from discrimination and poverty and is based on peace, justice and equality.
“We, the people, are the ones to create the beloved community, and we do it through love, passion, non-violence,” Johnson said before the crowd marched to the Capitol.
Amanda Solberg-Bowen, who lives near Watkinsville, showed up Saturday in a newly acquired inflatable frog costume. She was one of many people who showed up at a No Kings rally Saturday dressed up in inflatable costumes as a nod to the so-called “Portland Freedom Frog.” Earlier this month, a federal agent in Portland shot pepper spray inside of a protester’s inflatable frog costume while demonstrating outside of an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.
“Somebody said a minute ago that it’s a great way to be present but also be obviously nonviolent – a disarming sort of presence,” Solberg-Bowen said of her costume, adding that being there Saturday felt like “the least that we can do.”
Taffy Jo Mayers said her sense of patriotism is what brought her to the rally. She also expressed concerns about how the government is treating immigrants.
“I’ve been an immigrant,” she said. “I’ve lived and worked in foreign countries, and the way that America is treating the people that are coming here is abhorrent. It’s inhumane.”
This was Julie Runk’s second No Kings rally. As she waited for marchers to reach the state Capitol, the Atlanta resident waved to passing cars and held a sign that said “Stop pretending your racism is patriotism. Oh, and release the Epstein files.”
“People ask me, ‘Why are you doing it? It’s not going to change anything,’” Runk said. “I’m just unhappy with what’s happening and I want to do whatever I can. This is a small bit.”
Runk said she relishes the sense of community she finds at the No Kings events, but she also said she believes that speaking out helps to empower others to do the same.
“I also know that this administration doesn’t like to look bad and this makes them look bad,” Runk said of the No Kings rallies. “And when ICE is fighting with people in inflatable frog suits, it makes them look like idiots, and they don’t like to be embarrassed. So, this to me is a good way to get under their skin if nothing else,” she said.
Georgia Recorder reporter Maya Homan and editor Jill Nolin contributed to this report.
