MARQUETTE, MI— Thousands of people lined US-41 in Marquette on Saturday as part of nationwide “No Kings Day” rallies.
The event was sponsored by Lake Superior Region Indivisible and Yoopers Unite. It coincided with the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday.
Paul Hughes is with LSRI. He says the purpose of the rally was to protest actions taken by the Trump administration.
“The purpose of the rally is simply to demonstrate that a significant portion of the population does not approve of executive branch overreach, the breaking of laws passed by Congress, the loss of due process for all... and the list is actually seeming to be endless. In a nutshell, we're voicing our opposition to the actions of an authoritarian regime and the erosion of democracy.”
Participants were cautioned to be as peaceful as possible, says Hughes.
“Historians, such as Erica Chenoweth, Heather Cox Richardson, and numerous others have stated that the only way to successfully overcome the advances of an authoritarian regime is through peaceful protest. Not only do the protests need to be peaceful, but there is apparently a ‘magic number’ of participation: 3.5 percent of the population is needed to cause the momentum to start moving in the correct direction.”
Officials estimate up to 5,000 people took part in the Marquette rally.
