The “No Kings” movement made a return Saturday across Connecticut and other parts of the country.
Dozens of rallies were held around the state, with a focus on early voting for the Nov. 3 election. That included events at the state capitol in Hartford, as well as Middletown City Hall, the New Haven Green, New London’s Parade Plaza, and the Havemeyer Building in Greenwich.
In New Haven, protesters took aim at President Trump’s investment in military technology, cuts to social welfare programs, and authoritarian posture, according to Jacob Rooney, a protester who attended the rally.
Rooney said Trump’s politicized pressure is causing more people to turn to more radical social groups, like Democratic Socialists of America.
“Electoralism in general isn’t getting the working class what it absolutely needs at this point, ” Rooney said.
Organizers also slammed the uptick in activity by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE) across Connecticut, which hit New Haven early into Trump’s second term.
In January, ICE agents arrested three New Haven residents. ICE has also had a continued presence at Tweed New Haven Airport.
Local gatherings were aimed at drawing attention to moves by the Trump administration that organizers see as anti-democratic, said Jim Chapdelaine, founder of Indivisible CT, one of the organizing groups.
“The efforts to roll back voting rights, to impede voting, to redistrict, to now take control of elections away from the states and put it into the hands of the federal government, which is completely unconstitutional,” Chapdelaine said in an interview before the day of rallies.
Rooney expressed dismay at the redwashing in government and what he called flimsiness of the Democratic Party’s politics.
“Between the Democrats and Republicans, left populism, right populism, is not delivering what a lot of these candidates run for, and people are frustrated by that constant betrayal,” Rooney said.
The state capitol rally in Hartford, which took place on the south lawn, featured "teach-ins" that covered a variety of topics, including how to document federal immigration agent activity and ranked-choice voting, according to CT 50501, the event host.
"No Kings 4 is a day designed to reclaim our power from the self-serving billionaires and politicians who believe they are above the law," organizers said in a statement. "We will turn people power into voting power, encouraging people to vote early to lock in their vote and to support leadership that works for them and their communities."
National organizers said more than 3,000 events were scheduled across the country.
Back in March, thousands of Connecticut residents rallied at dozens of events across the state as part of the national “No Kings” protests. Similar events took place last year.
Learn more
Learn more about rallies planned in Connecticut and beyond at the “No Kings” website.
Connecticut Public's Chris Polansky contributed to this report.