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AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, as we continue our coverage of Saturday’s No Kings protests.
An estimated 8 million people took to the streets of all 50 states, as well as countries around the world. Organizers say it was the largest single day of protest in U.S. history, with protests in over 3,300 cities, towns, villages and hamlets.
In Denver, Colorado, protesters included longtime immigrant rights activist Jeanette Vizguerra. In December, she was released from an ICE jail after nearly 10 months in detention.
JEANETTE VIZGUERRA: [translated] My name is Jeanette Vizguerra. I am a local and national immigrant rights organizer, and I am also a person impacted by this administration. I was in the GEO processing center for nine months and seven days just for using my rights to criticize, to denounce, to fight with my community. I think it’s not just. It’s the dirtiest that one can see, that this administration is trying to shut up leaders. Pro-Palestinian, pro-immigrant, whatever struggle, they’re violating our rights.
For this, we are here in Denver, Colorado, fighting for our rights in community and unity. Marches organized by us on the national level are saying, “Enough of President Trump. He’s not the king of this country, nor the king of the world, and we are going to continue fighting for our rights and for our democracy in this country.” I have Indigenous blood, and you have to remember, I have more right than many here to be in this land, in my community. And here we are, struggling.
AMY GOODMAN: Longtime immigrant rights activist Jeanette Vizguerra, recently released from an ICE jail. She was at the No Kings protest in Denver.
We now turn to the No Kings protest here in New York Saturday.
AMY GOODMAN: I’m Amy Goodman. This is Democracy Now! We’re here on the south end of Central Park. Thousands and thousands and thousands of people are marching on this No Kings Day. Let’s hear what some of them have to say why they came out.
PROTESTERS: ¡La libertad es mi única bandera! ¡La libertad es mi única bandera!
War on Iran, we say no! Now’t the time for Trump to go!
AMY GOODMAN: Can you tell me your name and who you’re with and why you’re out here today?
LEAH: Hi. I’m Leah Gaida Lieberson [phon.]. I’m here today with We the Students NYC. We’re students from across the city in many different schools. And we’re here to put our voices together and show that we are paying attention. As much as the government wants to pretend and try to get us to not pay attention, we are paying attention. And so, we’re here to show that together we’ll put our voices together, and we’re going to change the system because we’re together.
AMY GOODMAN: How old are you?
LEAH: I am 16 years old.
AMY GOODMAN: Thank you. What grade?
LEAH: I’m a junior in high school.
AMY GOODMAN: What high school?
LEAH: High School for Environmental Studies.
LUNA: My name is Luna. I’m with the Revcom Corps for the Emancipation of Humanity. And we’re out here on No Kings Day because, look, this Donald Trump is a fascist. And all the millions of decent people need to be out here. And, look, they are waging an imperialist war of aggression on Iran right now.
JEAN BERMAN: My name is Jean Berman. My sign says “GrandparentsFightBack.org. We are nonviolent! That’s why we abhor ICE tactics and the January 6 insurrection. We are law-abiding. That’s why we detest the illegal actions of Trump et al. We love America. That’s why we fight for democracy, our rights, decency, our land and the well-being of all of us. Grandparents Fight Back! For the sake of our grandchildren.”
LEO: I’m 6. My name is Leo. My sign is about that, about — that was supposed to be, like, talking really loud, like my mega — like right here.
AMY GOODMAN: Oh, you have a megaphone. And your sign says?
LEO: “Time to use our outside voices.”
AMY GOODMAN: What’s your outside voice?
LEO: Shouting. Like shouting.
AMY GOODMAN: Very loud?
LEO: Yeah.
ROXANNE GRIFFITH: My name is Roxanne Griffith. I’m out here because we have to get rid of this fascist regime. This cannot continue. And my sign is we’ve got to get rid of this regime, and also, with the voter suppression that they are working night and day on, we’ve got to vote. We’ve got to vote. We’ve got to vote, and we’ve got to stop what they’re trying to do with this.
AMY GOODMAN: “Vote… while you still can!” it says. And then, your pin on your baseball cap says “Give a damn.”
ROXANNE GRIFFITH: “Give a damn.” There are so many people who don’t. And I hope it resonates with some people today. You’ve got to give a damn. This is serious.
PROTESTER 1: I remember this in the news, this gentleman being left in the cold, legally blind, and he dies. So, I’m holding this sign. New York is for all.
AMY GOODMAN: Your sign says, “New York for all would have saved Nurul Amin Shah Alam, beloved father and husband killed when local police colluded with ICE.”
PROTESTER 1: Yes.
PROTESTER 2: His is just a microcosm for the ways in which ICE and, you know, our government as a whole has targeted immigrants. And we’ve seen that it’s actually moved beyond immigrants. Many American citizens are being targeted. So, like many people out here, we’re here advocating for a stop to ICE and just an end to the targeting of immigration, immigrants and just our community members here.
AMY GOODMAN: And are you a student?
PROTESTER 2: I am a student, yes.
AMY GOODMAN: Where are you a student?
PROTESTER 2: I’m a student at Columbia University.
CHASE: My name is Chase. I am a psychiatry resident. I work in the Bronx. I work with patients in crises, and I see how this whole — all of this impacts their mental well-being every day, especially in the Bronx. We have a very significant immigrant population, and I see how the fear of persecution directly impacts their mental health and leads towards worse outcomes and impacts their care. So, this is from our union, our resident union, a sign that we had. We had a No Kings Day sit-in at our hospital. And so I wanted to bring it to represent it. It says, “Patients deserve care without fear.”
PROTESTERS: A different way to live! We need and we demand!
AMY GOODMAN: So, Norman Siegel, legendary civil rights attorney from the New York Civil Liberties Union, can you talk about what this day means?
NORMAN SIEGEL: It’s historic, because not only in New York City, but in cities and towns, villages all across America, people are rising up. We’re saying, “Democracy, yes! Autocracy, no!” And the fact there’s so many people here who’ve never been part of a protest movement inspires me. I’m 82, but I’m not giving up. Not only that, but we have a lot of young people here who are ready to pick up the torch of freedom, justice and equality for all. We will prevail.
AMY GOODMAN: Voices from the No Kings protest in New York, one of 3,300 protests in the largest day of protest in U.S. history.
Coming up, the New York police say they’ve thwarted a plot to assassinate the prominent Palestinian American activist Nerdeen Kiswani, the co-founder of Within Our Lifetime. She joins us in studio. Stay with us.
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AMY GOODMAN: Joan Baez, Maggie Rogers and Tom Morello performing “The Times They Are A-Changin’” at Saturday’s No Kings protest in St. Paul.
