America Says “No Kings.”

Times Square in New York is packed with thousands of people—flags, banners, improvised stages. In the South, in Atlanta, dozens of columns are marching toward Georgia’s State Capitol. The permit for the march was granted just a day before the event—Mayor Andre Dickens gave his approval at the last moment. Organizers describe the protests as “the largest act of civic mobilization since Donald Trump’s return to the White House.”

“We’re here because we love our country too much to hand it over to a self-proclaimed monarch!” shouts Andrea Young, executive director of the Georgia branch of the ACLU, through a megaphone. The crowd responds with chants of “No Kings!” According to her, the protests are “a declaration of independence from tyranny and lawlessness.”

From Atlanta comes the voice of Senator Raphael Warnock—a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. once preached. He calls the protesters “the moral surgeons of democracy”: “When a president tells the military that ‘the enemy is inside the country,’ that should alarm every citizen. We should all be concerned about what is happening.”

He condemns the ICE raids carried out by masked agents and helicopters in Chicago. “What the hell is going on?” the senator exclaims. He vows to push for an end to the shutdown and to defend the independence of the CDC, adding: “Robert F. Kennedy is the one who poses a threat to the nation’s health, not the doctors.”

In Washington, marchers converge on the Capitol building. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont—one of the symbols of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing—is scheduled to speak. “Throughout this nation’s history, people have fought to preserve democracy,” he says in a video message. “We will not allow Trump or anyone else to take it away from us.”

In the crowd are signs reading “We The People,” “No Kings in the U.S.,” and “Democracy Lives Here.” Many have come with their families; some hold portraits of King and Roosevelt. On the bridges of northern Virginia, columns of people can be seen walking toward the capital. Several hundred gather near Arlington Cemetery—close to the site where, according to Reuters, Trump is considering building an arch across the river from the Lincoln Memorial.

Meanwhile, Democratic leaders are expressing support for the protests on social media. Chuck Schumer urges people to “not let Trump and the Republicans intimidate you.” Gavin Newsom calls the marches a “declaration of independence from tyranny,” while Kamala Harris says, “Power belongs to the people. Use your voice.”

The “No Kings” marches are sweeping the nation—from coast to coast. The atmosphere recalls the great waves of civic movements from past decades: placards, drums, chants, and a shared sense that American democracy is once again being put to the test.