Raleigh protesters declare there are ‘no kings,’ part of demonstrations across US

Thousands of people marched, chanted, honked and carried signs and American flags across the Triangle Saturday to protest the policies and tactics of President Donald Trump.

From Raleigh to Chapel Hill, Cary to Durham and sidewalks in-between, residents took part in dozens of “No Kings” demonstrations, rallies that organizers called a nationwide day of defiance against the Trump administration. They say Trump defies Congress, the courts and federal law through his executive orders and the unilateral slashing of government programs.

Camille Schiele said she came to a protest on Capital Boulevard in North Raleigh — the first of two Raleigh events held Saturday — because she wants “to live in a free America.”

“The more protests, the more anger, the more momentum that comes from having protests and building that every single time, creates more passion,” said Schiele, who runs an outfitting store in Asheville. “I can stand up for what I believe in with everybody else, because it’s not so scary.”

A few thousand people lined both sides of Capital Boulevard rather than gather in a park or march through downtown. On the busy seven-lane road near Triangle Town Center mall, they spread their message, frequently erupting in cheers as passing cars honked their horns.

The “No Kings” events were scheduled for Flag Day and to coincide with a military parade in Washington, D.C., organized by the Trump administration on the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and Trump’s 79th birthday. The parade, held Saturday evening as some protests continued across the country, hosted more than 6,000 military personnel. The day’s festivities were estimated to cost anywhere from $25 million to $45 million, CBS reported.

“If there’s money for a parade, then there’s money for Medicaid,” read one protesters sign at the Raleigh rally.

A second Raleigh rally, hosted by state and Wake County Democratic party groups, began at 4 p.m. at the State Capitol downtown, with cars honking to people carrying “No Kings” signs along Morgan Street.

Several hundred gathered on the lawn to hear from several speakers, including U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross, Anderson Clayton, head of the state Democratic Party, and state Rep. Phil Rubin of Wake County.

“Today’s threat wears a designer suit and not a crown,” Rubin said. “But it still looks the same.”

Clayton prefaced her speech with a moment of silence for the acts of political violence in Minnesota, two shootings that killed former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and injured another Democratic lawmaker.

UNC-Chapel Hill law professor Gene Nichol called Trump a “clear and present danger to American democracy.”

“On the first day of his second term, Trump issued an executive order attempting to override the 14th amendment,” Nichol said, referring to the clause on citizenship and equal protection adopted after the Civil War. “The next day, he unleashed the richest man in the world, utterly without authority and legality or accountability, to single-handedly dismantle much of the federal government, sacrificing particularly the lives and the plight of the very poorest people on the face of the earth.”

Between speeches, the crowd chanted slogans, such as “No hate. No fear. Immigrants are welcome here,” and “Love, not hate, makes America great.”

Adriana Cruz was born in Mexico but raised in North Carolina, calling the state home for more than 30 years. She brought her young son to the protest Saturday, herself wearing a Mexican soccer jersey and a lei necklace of red, white and blue polyester flowers. She waved both Mexican and American flags as traffic honked by.

“My son is Mexican-American, this is their future,” Cruz said of increased immigration enforcement activity. “We grew up in it a little bit but not like this.”

Julia Meder of Raleigh held a sign that read “Equal Rights for All Y’all.”

“I feel like we’re in a time when our rights are being stolen, quite frankly,” said Meder, who works for a financial services firm. “And so I think it’s important to stand up and voice our concerns, especially as someone who has a lot of privilege to stand up for those with less privilege.”

Meder said she thought the target audience for the rally was Congress and others with power to stop Trump.

“I think that’s still where our hope has to lie, with the fact that we’re supposed to have these balances of power and these checks and balances,” she said.

NC governor calls for protests to remain peaceful

Protests against the administration’s campaign to deport immigrants without legal status and its use of the military in California have grown violent in the last week.

Against that backdrop, N.C. Gov. Josh Stein issued a statement Friday urging people to be heard “peacefully and lawfully.”

“Our nation’s history has been shaped by powerful examples of nonviolent protest, and we are the better for them,” Stein wrote. “Turning to violence or destruction, however, risks harming people and property; it will not be tolerated. Keeping North Carolinians safe is an absolute must.”

Stein said state and local law enforcement agencies were working together “both to ensure public safety and to protect North Carolinians’ freedom to peacefully protest.”

“At a time of heightened tensions, let us work together both to protect our rights and freedoms and to keep everyone safe,” he wrote.

The protests were dubbed “No Kings” in a reference to the nation’s freedom from the British crown after the American Revolution. Organizers said a “core principle” of the gatherings is a commitment to nonviolence, according to the nokings.org website.

“I think we need to remember that the government works for us,” said Moralyn Lake, a 19-year-old student at Wake Tech.

Lake, holding a sign that says “Down with Trump,” came to the protest with his friend and classmate Samuel Whitmire. They both shouted at cars encouraging them to honk for the protesters.

“We don’t work for them. And I feel like protests are really good way to remind them of that,” Lake said.

Matt and Marianne Kersey of Raleigh said they’re good examples of bipartisan voters who “care.”

“I’ve voted for Democrats, I’ve voted Republicans, I’m not a fringe lunatic, like Trump would probably label everybody out here,” Marianne Kersey said.

The two said their Christian faith played a role in their involvement in Saturday’s protests.

“I just think from our Christian point of view, we have to care about people who are here,” Marianne Kersey said. “Everybody has a right to due process, and we know there’s evidence and not everybody is getting due process.”

Raleigh also saw protests earlier this week — in solidarity with ongoing protests in Los Angeles, and against increased ICE enforcement.

About 100 people marched through downtown Durham on Friday evening to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE raids and to support people opposing immigrant detentions and deportations in Los Angeles. Someone sprayed red paint on a Vietnam Veterans memorial during the march and a couple of metal trash cans were rolled into the street, but otherwise the event was peaceful.

Raleigh protest free of confrontations

The Raleigh protests also remained peaceful, with few outward signs of hostility from passing traffic. On Capital Boulevard, one motorcyclist displayed both middle fingers at the protesters, and two men in the back of a pickup flying a Confederate flag held signs that read “Happy Birthday Donald Trump and “Trump is your daddy.”

The Raleigh protesters remained along the side of Capital Boulevard for the first hour, before some made their way to the grassy median. Traffic continued to flow freely, though.

Many people waved American flags, though some were modified. Most were rightside up, but some were hung upside down, regarded as a symbol of distress.

Rory Carr-Wise, representing 5051 Veterans, traveled from Sanford to the protest with an upside down flag affixed to a pool noodle.

Meanwhile, Matt Woodard of Garner carried a version with a fist in place of the stars.

“I’m tired of people being oppressed,” Woodard said. “I’m not affiliated with any party, but I don’t believe in treating people like (Trump) is. He’s chasing people and trying to scare them. You don’t treat people like that, especially the leader of a country.”

Woodard said this was the first time he’d ever taken part in a protest.

“I’m proud I’m here,” he said. “It makes me feel like I’ve done something in a small way for my country.”

This story was originally published June 14, 2025 at 12:03 PM.

Drew Jackson

The News & Observer

919-829-4707

Drew Jackson writes about restaurants and dining for The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun, covering the food scene in the Triangle and North Carolina.

Ronni Butts

The News & Observer

Ronni Butts is a news and politics intern at The News & Observer. She is a rising junior at N.C. Central University.