Thousands of protesters filled streets and parks across Maryland on Saturday as part of the nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations, one of the largest coordinated protest actions of the year against President Donald Trump’s administration.

Demonstrators gathered in Baltimore, Bethesda, Columbia and dozens of other communities, waving signs and chanting in defense of civil rights and democratic institutions.

The Maryland rallies were among hundreds of similar protests across the country, drawing participants young and old, many wearing patriotic symbols and carrying messages calling for accountability, due process and the protection of constitutional freedoms. Organizers said turnout in Maryland reflected growing frustration and mobilization at the grassroots level heading into next year’s election.

The demonstrations came just hours after the shootings of two Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses inside their homes, an attack that has intensified concerns about political violence. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz urged residents of his state to avoid Saturday’s protests as the manhunt for the suspect continues.

At the Baltimore and Annapolis “No Kings” protests, organizers paused the rally to share news of the Minnesota political assassinations, calling for peace and denouncing violence against public servants. The crowds observed a moment of silence before resuming chants and speeches.

In Baltimore’s Patterson Park, what appeared to be more than 2,500 people gathered on the lawn below the pagoda and ran the spectrum in age and gender. But they were uniform in their feeling toward Trump. Signs calling him a dictator and those making fun of him were everywhere. “Flush the turd reich,” one read.

“I’m tired of seeing the fascist takeover of America. Tired of seeing a guy who got away with insurrection now leading this country,” Rob Warfel, a Baltimore resident carrying an upside-down American flag, said.

Elected Democrats including Sen. Chris Van Hollen addressed the crowd, urging them to continue to resist Trump no matter what.

“We have a hell of a fight,” Van Hollen said. “We have to carry on.”

The throng of people eventually marched down South Patterson Park Avenue and along Eastern Avenue before coming back into the park. Chants of “No kings!” and “This is what Democracy looks like!” rung out. A Baltimore Police helicopter occasionally circled, but officers were sparse on the ground.

Demonstrations like Saturday’s were important, said Maggie Masucci of Towson, because they show the world that Trump cannot silence dissent.

“We always see these regimes topple throughout history,” Masucci said.

‘Time for everybody to get off their butts’

In Columbia, the mood was similar.

Driven by concerns over cuts to USAID, Trump’s attacks on civil rights and what he sees as a disregard for the rule of law, 70-year-old Tom Collier walked alongside Broken Land and Little Patuxent parkways in Columbia with thousands of others. Collier, who had just had a knee replaced a week ago, said it was his first protest.

“It’s time for everybody to get off their butts and get involved,” said Collier, of Marriottsville. “It’s past time to get involved.”

Collier was one of thousands — many wearing Americana gear, T-shirts emblazoned with crossed-out crowns, and holding signs demanding the restoration of democracy — who gathered under gray skies and a light drizzle for the rally.

This protest falls in line with hundreds of others across the country, similar to May Day and Hands Off Democracy.

Amy Smith attended those and was in Howard County on Saturday donning a Founding Fathers costume.

The 30-year history teacher said concerns for her disenfranchised students, the right to due process and what she believes is the suppression of people’s rights keep her at these protests. Being among the thousands in Howard County on Saturday was inspiring and powerful for her, Smith said.

She hopes it encourages other people to get involved. “People can’t sit around and be complacent because, the moment you stop fighting for your rights, you’re going to lose them,” Smith said.

Joel Hughey attended the Hands Off Democracy protest in Catonsville this year.

The Columbia dad was at the “No Kings” demonstration Saturday with his 14-year-old son and octogenarian parents.

This year is Hughey’s first time coming to protests, he said.

“Things have gotten so bad that I want to make sure my voice is heard along with all these other wonderful voices,” Hughey said.

Although his experience protesting is limited to this year, Hughey said he’s seeing demonstrations like Saturday’s grow in numbers and diversity — an observation many found both heartening and saddening for how vast the impacts of recent policies have spread.

Due process and the federal workers and research scientists who live in Howard County are what led Councilwoman Deb Jung to join many of her constituents on Saturday.

As vehicles passed honking their horns and arousing the crowd, Jung, a candidate for Howard County executive, said she believes rallies will only get larger and louder heading into next year’s election.

“We will not put up with this autocracy for four years,” Jung said.

‘This is what Democracy looks like!’

In downtown Bethesda, thousands of protesters overran the streets on Saturday, lining up along Wisconsin Avenue and centering their demonstrations in front of the local Fox television news affiliate.

The sound of honking cars passing by and crowds cheering in response played on a loop throughout the early afternoon as the sun struggled to break through an overcast sky on a humid day.

A diverse crowd ranging from teenagers to senior citizens broke out into chants of “This is what Democracy looks like!” and “RFK has got to go!”

Most were carrying patriotic-themed signs about the Constitution. Larry Atkins, who works in health care, displayed a quote from Thomas Jefferson: “When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty.”

That quote, he said, is what brought him to the protest.

“We’ve clearly crossed the line of his constitutional authority,” Atkins said. “Without bringing people together and in very large numbers, we’re not going to be able to slow it down or reverse it.”

‘Protesting smarter, not harder’

The diffuse nature of the planned action on Saturday is reflective of a trend reported by the Crowd Counting Consortium, a project by the Harvard Kennedy School and the University of Connecticut that documents protests and other demonstrations around the country.

Although crowd sizes at protests in 2025 may seem small compared to the masses of people who took to the streets for protests like the Women’s March in 2017, there are many more — thousands more — protests happening across the country this year.

People are “protesting smarter, not harder,” said Heather Hax, an academic who studies social movements and who is part of the Baltimore Rapid Response Network.

Hax said her sense is that people remain politically and civically engaged in the second Trump administration.

“People are calling their members of Congress, doing other kinds of actions that might not read as visible protest but are still a form of protest nonetheless,” rather than showing up for mass demonstrations, she said.

Even the growing activity in Los Angeles, protesting against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Trump’s immigration policies, began as targeted demonstrations responding to immigration enforcement raids.

There’s a lot more energy and acute focus on protest over the last week, given what’s happened in Los Angeles, said Christopher England, a lecturer in the Department of History at Towson University.

In Baltimore, as many as 500 people marched through the streets protesting ICE in the eastern part of the city this week.

Gov. Wes Moore said safety is his administration’s top priority this weekend, and he said Maryland would protect the rights of people to protest and “uphold the law.”

“Over the weekend, thousands of Marylanders will gather to exercise their guaranteed and hard-fought-for First Amendment freedoms,” Moore said in a statement. “I swore an oath to protect these sacred rights both when I joined the United States Army and when I was sworn in as the 63rd Governor of Maryland. The ability to freely speak out and assemble is a cornerstone of American democracy — and one of our greatest heirlooms as a state and nation."