Thousands gathered at Broadway Park in Bangor on Saturday for the No Kings rally, one of 37 planned across Maine as part of a nationwide protest against the policies and actions of President Donald Trump’s administration.
Speakers included Democratic gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson and State Auditor Matt Dunlap, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Jared Golden in next year’s Democratic 2nd District Primary.
Other speakers included Reps. Amy Roeder and Sean Faircloth, both D-Bangor.
“I know things feel dire right now, I feel it in my heart and I know you feel it too,” Jackson said. “But despite all the pain, all the heartbreak and downright cruelty that’s happening around this country, I still remain hopeful, fueled by my belief in ordinary people that are here today. People just like us.”
In his speech, Dunlap referenced his 2017 legal victory against Trump’s Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity during his time as secretary of state.
“A dangerous time is again upon us. It is bad, and it can get worse, as Trump and his henchmen take our democracy apart, we are called by our future to rescue it. It is not enough to have won before,” Dunlap said. “We can and must do more. We owe it to ourselves and the future of this nation to be bold and not afraid, to be hopeful and not despondent, to strive for our independence and reject subjugation by a king.”
After the speeches, protesters marched for several blocks.
Organizers said more than 2,600 rallies were planned nationwide, with events being held within a one-hour drive for most Americans.
No Kings is a coalition of more than 150 organizations, including political advocacy groups, environmental groups, labor unions and human rights organizations.
This is the second “No Kings” rally and the third nationwide event, which organizers said was aimed at building a more unified opposition movement. Top Democrats including Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, as well as Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, were slated to appear at some of the rallies.
Trump and GOP leaders have dismissed the gatherings as “Hate America” rallies.
The first mass protest, the “Hands Off” rally in April, targeted proposed government spending cuts. That was followed on June 14 by the first “No Kings” rally, timed to coincide with a military parade in Washington marking the Army’s 250th birthday — and Trump’s birthday — which organizers called an “attempt to turn June 14 into a coronation.”
That day, more than 1,000 people rallied in Bangor and thousands more attended protests across the state.