On Saturday, Oct. 18, Wayland demonstrators gathered on Boston Post Road as a part of the nationwide No Kings movement, protesting against the Trump Administration.
This demonstration was part of the second wave of No Kings protests, the first taking place on June 14, 2025. No Kings is an organization that arranges national protests with the goal of “defending democracy” and “rising against [President Donald Trump’s] authoritarian power grabs.” No Kings’s slogan reads, “No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.”
Wayland protestors held flags and signs, dressed up in costumes and chanted slogans, including, “Worst Sequel Ever” and “It’s Our Turn to Fight Tyranny.” For some, attending the protest was about more than political disagreement, it was a stand for democracy.
The protest in Wayland was organized by Jean Milburn, a member of Indivisible and a Wayland resident. Indivisible was created in 2016 after Trump was elected to his first term. Since then, Indivisible has expanded into a national organization with many local groups. Members of Indivisible have helped organize protests against the Trump Administration’s policies across Massachusetts.
“It’s important for people who support democracy to see that there are many of us,” Milburn said. ”We live in our private homes, we don’t know what our neighbors think. When you come out in public like this, in a group, you can look around and see that you are not alone.”
Over 7 million people rallied nationwide, joined by others around the world in countries such as Italy, France, Germany, Canada and more. The turnout of the second wave of No Kings protests surpassed the first, which had over 5 million protestors.
The name No Kings comes from the Revolutionary War. When America was under the rule of King George III, Americans would come out to protest the rule of the monarch.
“I mean this particular rally was intent to echo the major scenes of the initial American revolutions,” Milburn said. “Their concept was that there was no God-given power echelon of humanity who could take power and tell other people how to live.”
No Kings protests took place across Massachusetts. In Boston, thousands gathered, including Wayland High School junior Chase Carter. After hearing about the Boston protest from his mom, Chase decided to attend with his grandma, who made a sign reading, “No King.”
“I think it’s important because it shows that you could build community and how a lot of people have the same opinion [as you],” Carter said. “It kind of shows power within the community.”
METCO academic liaison Mike Liddell also attended a No Kings protest in Worcester.
“It was extremely exhilarating to see folks who were mobilized and had the desire to engage in what is probably the most American of activities, to protest,” Liddell said. “Being there, I felt lighter because I thought that I’m not by myself, because I’ve had a lot of frustration around what is going on in terms of policies with the current administration.”
The No Kings movement believes Trump is undermining American democracy and is moving America towards a monarchy. Some people say this due to actions such as his deployment of the national guard in cities.
Protesters signed up using Mobilize, a volunteer website where people can find local events to participate in. The Wayland protest received 188 sign ups. According to Milburn, it’s common for the number of people who show up to be greater than the number of those signed up.
“I was very proud of the community of Wayland for coming out and protesting,” Milburn said. “I look forward to all of them out there in the streets again in the near future.”
