{"id":216873,"date":"2025-10-22T19:44:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T23:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/?p=216873"},"modified":"2025-10-22T19:44:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T23:44:10","slug":"seven-million-people-unite-at-peaceful-no-kings-protests-to-defend-our-first-amendment-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/civil-liberties\/seven-million-people-unite-at-peaceful-no-kings-protests-to-defend-our-first-amendment-rights","title":{"rendered":"Seven Million People Unite at Peaceful No Kings Protests to Defend Our First Amendment Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"metadata":[1764,1765,1763,1783,1757,1750,2024,1752,1755,1769,1768],"class_list":["post-216873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","metadata-advocacy-news","metadata-breaking-news","metadata-context","metadata-general-commentary","metadata-historical-commemorative","metadata-layout","metadata-length","metadata-longform","metadata-narrative-frame","metadata-national-affiliate-staff","metadata-voice"],"acf":{"header_layout":"full-bleed","header_image":216875,"mobile_header_image":216877,"description":"ACLU Justice Division leader Ellen Flenniken saw people across the country come together to stand up for free speech, protest peacefully, and show that our power grows when we act as one.","authors":[52733],"components":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":{"text":"On Saturday, October 18, more than seven million people across all 50 states came together to make it clear: when we, the people, see attacks on our democracy and freedoms, we will not be silenced.\r\n\r\nWith more than 2,700 events taking place nationwide, it was a day of peaceful, lawful protest against abuse of power \u2014 a bold and joyful assertion of our rights that demonstrated the power of organizing our communities, and the power of unity in the face of repression. I joined the ACLU\u2019s organizing team to help our communities show up.\r\n\r\nThe \u201cNo Kings\u201d gatherings wouldn\u2019t have been possible without the First Amendment; a cornerstone of U.S. democracy. It gives us freedom of speech, to peacefully protest, and to gather without fear of government intervention. In this country, everyone is entitled to their beliefs, and to act on them lawfully and without fear of punishment \u2014 no matter how \u201cunpopular\u201d or \u201cdisfavored\u201d those beliefs may be.\r\n\r\nBut the Trump administration continues to abuse its power to silence and punish people and organizations who express viewpoints it doesn\u2019t like. Despite fearmongering from those who would prefer that the public stay quiet, millions of Americans refused to stay home and instead channeled their courage to show up and speak up for each other. Because the best way to protect our First Amendment rights is to keep using them \u2014 and to do so peacefully, knowing the power of nonviolent protest to make repression backfire."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"heading","heading":{"":null,"text":"The Power of The People","anchor":"","sub-heading":"","type":"h2","heading-style":"mark"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":{"text":"Although we now know this was one of the biggest single-day demonstrations in American history, I was still struck by the passion and energy driving every single event, big or small, on Saturday, even before we knew the full scale of the turnout.\r\n\r\nEven my small, conservative hometown of Brenham, Texas held a No Kings Rally with at least a hundred people in attendance, and it was far from being the only small town to show up for our rights and for each other.\r\n\r\nGrowing up queer in a deeply red, rural area of Texas, I often felt isolated and alone before finding my path in organizing work. I can only imagine how young people in similar communities felt across the country, seeing that hundreds of their neighbors are in this fight, side by side with them.\r\n\r\nWhile I was supporting the coalition and ACLU affiliates all across the country as we participated in over 2,700 events, my mom took my five-year-old Jack to No Kings \u2014 his first ever protest. Even at such a young age, he\u2019s already clear-eyed about one thing: we are supposed to take care of each other. Hopefully, this has sparked a lifetime of taking action to protect our rights in him, as it did in so many other attendees.\r\n\r\nThat\u2019s why it\u2019s important to continue showing up for our rights. We often find that we\u2019re not really alone, and that there\u2019s an entire community ready to share your strength, joy, and courage. Moments like these remind us that solidarity itself is an act of resistance."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"heading","heading":{"":null,"text":"Keeping the Momentum Going Together","anchor":"","sub-heading":"","type":"h2","heading-style":"mark"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":{"text":"It might seem overwhelming to figure out how you can continue to fight back against the abuses of power that continue to escalate. Supporting No Kings Day by going to safety trainings to keep our protests peaceful and lawful, sharing Know Your Rights Materials with your friends, and attending the day of protest was a great step to take. But you don\u2019t have to wait until the next protest in your city to keep speaking up.\r\n\r\nOne of the most important parts of contributing to a movement like this is keeping it moving forward, even when it doesn\u2019t seem as exciting or you aren\u2019t sure where to start.\r\n\r\nThis was never meant to be a single day of outrage. The ACLU will channel the energy and courage of Saturday\u2019s protests to continue to do everything in our power in the courts and our communities to defend and strengthen our democracy and push back against the Trump administration\u2019s encroachment of our rights.\r\n\r\nThere will be more actions, more creative tactics, and more moments to stand up for one another, because it\u2019s going to get worse before it gets better, and we will make it better together. No Kings is a springboard for future action, and sustaining it will take persistence and care for one another.\r\n\r\nOur communities can keep our continued engagement simple. Contact your elected representatives, connect with your neighbors on the issues you care about, or display a sign in your front yard or window.\r\n\r\nWe can also continue to learn about what we can do through our We the People Activist Toolkit,<\/a> and even join our next People Power Training<\/a> on October 28, 2025 for an update on where this fight stands and how you can help. All are welcome and encouraged to join."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"heading","heading":{"":null,"text":"How We Define the Future","anchor":"","sub-heading":"","type":"h2","heading-style":"mark"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":{"text":"Every act of engagement \u2014 no matter how big or small \u2014 builds momentum. Mass mobilization isn\u2019t just about numbers; it\u2019s about shaping the public narrative. When our opposition spreads misinformation to justify repression, or sows fear in an attempt to divide us, our collective, peaceful response becomes a truth that cannot be manipulated or ignored.\r\n\r\nOctober 18 was not the finale. It was the next step in something bigger. The protests transformed fear into courage and isolation into collective strength. Our movement\u2019s power comes from the joy and solidarity that make resistance not just possible, but unstoppable.\r\n\r\nJoin us<\/a> to stay ready, stay connected, and keep fighting back."}}],"featured_cases_section":{"enable_featured_cases":false,"title":"Featured Cases","description":"","featured_cases":null},"action":[148399],"issues":[46373],"related_content_cases":"","related_content_documents":"","related_content_publications":"","related_affiliates":"","content_layout":"standard","theme":"light","drupal_nid":""},"yoast_head":"\nAmerican Civil Liberties Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"ACLU Justice Division leader Ellen Flenniken saw people across the country come together to stand up for free speech, protest peacefully, and show that our power grows when we act as one.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Seven Million People Unite at Peaceful No Kings Protests to Defend Our First Amendment Rights | ACLU\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ACLU Justice Division leader Ellen Flenniken saw people across the country come together to stand up for free speech, protest peacefully, and show that our power grows when we act as one.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/civil-liberties\/seven-million-people-unite-at-peaceful-no-kings-protests-to-defend-our-first-amendment-rights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-22T23:44:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets.aclu.org\/live\/uploads\/2025\/10\/liberty-and-justice-for-all-s.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ellen Flenniken\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets.aclu.org\/live\/uploads\/2025\/10\/liberty-and-justice-for-all-s.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@aclu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@aclu\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/civil-liberties\/seven-million-people-unite-at-peaceful-no-kings-protests-to-defend-our-first-amendment-rights\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/civil-liberties\/seven-million-people-unite-at-peaceful-no-kings-protests-to-defend-our-first-amendment-rights\",\"name\":\"Seven Million People Unite at Peaceful No Kings Protests to Defend Our First Amendment Rights | ACLU\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-22T23:44:10+00:00\",\"description\":\"ACLU Justice Division leader Ellen Flenniken saw people across the country come together to stand up for free speech, protest peacefully, and show that our power grows when we act as one.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/civil-liberties\/seven-million-people-unite-at-peaceful-no-kings-protests-to-defend-our-first-amendment-rights\"]}],\"author\":{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#\/schema\/person\/ellen-flenniken\",\"name\":\"Ellen Flenniken\",\"jobTitle\":\"National Campaign Director, ACLU Justice Division\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/bio\/ellen-flenniken\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#\/schema\/person\/photo\/ellen-flenniken\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/assets.aclu.org\/live\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EllenFlenniken_high_res-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/assets.aclu.org\/live\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EllenFlenniken_high_res-1.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Ellen Flenniken\"}}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/\",\"name\":\"American Civil Liberties Union\",\"description\":\"The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union \u2014 beyond one person, party, or side. 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