Andrew Kerley, Executive Editor

Over 10,000 marched in Richmond on Saturday against President Donald Trump and his increased deportations of immigrants, according to organizers. It was one of the largest public assemblies in Virginia since the summer of 2020. 

The “No Kings” protest was organized by 50501 Virginia, which is part of a larger national organization seeking to hold events in all 50 states. The crowd decried Trump’s treatment of immigrants and his deploying of armed forces on protesters in California.

The protest occurred on the same day as a military parade in Washington, D.C. celebrating the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary, which cost tens of millions of dollars, according to NPR. It also happened to be on Trump’s 79th birthday.

The 50501 Movement held over 2000 “No Kings” protests nationwide in response, with 35 in Virginia alone, according to a press release. Millions of people were estimated to have attended.

“While Trump and his enablers gather in D.C. to stoke divisions and cosplay as military dictators, we the people will be peacefully gathering in cities and towns across the country to send a message loud and clear to the regime: No. Kings,” the organization said in a statement.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin said on Friday he had prepared the Virginia National Guard ahead of demonstrations across the state in case of illegal activity, though they remained largely peaceful. 

A man who drove an SUV into a protest crowd struck one person in Culpeper, Virginia, though no injuries were reported, according to the Culpeper Star-Exponent. 

The former speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives was shot and killed the morning of the protests alongside her husband, in what Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called a “politically motivated assassination,” according to the Associated Press. 

Richmond rally featured prominent liberal leaders

Richmond’s protest began with a rally at the Bell Tower in Capitol Square and culminated in a march through downtown to Kanawha Plaza. 

Protesters chanted “Protect trans kids,” “Free Palestine,” “F**k ICE” and “Where is Congress, do your job” while waving upside-down American flags. 

Mary Bauer, the executive director of Virginia’s American Civil Liberties Union chapter, told the crowd they are not living in normal times under Trump, and they must protest to demand the government cease its outrageous and despotic abuse of power. 

“The courts alone will not save us. We will save us,” Bauer said.

State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, also spoke at the rally and criticized Trump for gutting the federal workforce and replacing it with his loyalists.

“We do not do kings, not in Richmond, not in Washington, because when you attack our federal workers, you’re attacking our working families, you’re attacking Black and brown communities, you’re attacking democracy itself,” Hashmi said. 

Hashmi is one of six Democrats running in a packed primary for lieutenant governor of Virginia, which will be voted on Tuesday, June 17.

“The revolution didn’t end in 1776, it started here with brave Virginians and it’s still not finished,” Hashmi said.

Wes Gobar is the Good Governance Director for Clean Virginia, an organization fighting corruption and corporate money in state politics. He took shots at some democrats running in statewide primaries for accepting campaign donations from Dominion Energy, the largest energy company and corporate donor in the state.Gobar named lieutenant governor candidate Levar Stoney, Richmond’s former mayor; and attorney general candidate Shannon Taylor, the incumbent commonwealth’s attorney for Henrico County.

Second, smaller march breaks off from crowd

Roughly 500 people broke from the protest after it culminated in Kanawha Plaza to continue up Canal Street, many of whom were younger than the general makeup of the “No Kings” attendees.

The new march had chants like “F**k Glenn Youngkin,” “ICE is coming for your neighbor, fight them now there is no later,” and “No ICE, no KKK no fascist USA.”

A protester going by the name Judas witnessed the march and said both protests were expressions of people’s First Amendment rights. Judas volunteered for the “No Kings” march and runs Punks for Liberation, a community organization for alternative leftists who provide mutual aid. 

“I’m just glad there was no police brutality for either of the marches,” Judas said. 

The second march was peaceful and ended in no property damage, aside from a protester spray painting several messages on the Delta Hotel.

“I believe in people over property, and as long as it wasn’t any small businesses I don’t really give a f**k,” Judas said. “We have bigger things to worry about than some spray paint. We have genocides and kidnappings and fascism.”

Staff Writer Kyler Gilliam contributed to this article.