Toni Nelson, 101, with others at the Second No Kings rally in Newton Centre (photo: Tessa Gordon)
Upwards of 2,000 protesters filled Newton Centre Green on Saturday, October 18, for the second No Kings demonstration condemning the policies of the Trump Administration. The rally was one of more than 2,700 held nationwide, with organizers estimating roughly seven million participants across the country.
The Newton event was organized by Newton Indivisible, a local chapter of a grassroots movement dedicated to electing progressive leaders, rebuilding democracy, and defeating “the Trump agenda.”
Sen. Markey fires up the crowd
Senator Ed Markey opened the event with a fiery call to defend democracy, invoking Massachusetts’ revolutionary past and urging residents to “stand up and fight the White House.”
“We live in the birthplace of democracy,” Markey said. “It all began here 250 years ago, and it is good to be here together in this moment, because it is a moment that demands truth. It demands truth about corruption, truth about greed, truth about injustice, truth about hate.”
Markey accused President Trump of concentrating power “in the hands of too few,” calling him “a walking, talking Constitutional crisis every day that he is in the White House.” He cited recent mass deportations of immigrants as well as attacks on educators and marginalized communities. From abolition to women’s suffrage to marriage equality, Markey drew on Massachusetts’ history of social movements throughout his speech to frame the crusade against Trump.
“They got knocked down, but they were not knocked out,” he said. “They got up, they fought, they won.”
He concluded by pledging solidarity with marginalized groups such as members of the LGBTQ+ community and rallying the crowd to…