Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of San Francisco for the second national No Kings protest on Saturday.
Organizers claimed some 7 million people attended nationwide, even more than the first No Kings event in June.
Peaceful protesters today marched from the Embarcadero to Civic Center Plaza in one of several related demonstrations across the city, including others at Ocean Beach and in the Richmond District.
People of all ages united under the anti-Trump cause, holding American flags and homemade signs, and chanting slogans like, “This is what democracy looks like!”
Josie Gonzalez and Alex Hadzess, San Francisco State University students, emphasized the importance of young people attending protests like No Kings. “It’s our future. It’s our country, and nothing is going to change unless we get out there and make it happen,” said Hadzess.
Gonzalez attended specifically in support of their grandparents, who hail from Mexico, and “everything they’ve done to be here and stay here.”
September Jarrett was one of many protesters dressed in costume, sporting a black and red circus ringleader outfit and holding a sign reading “Not my king, not my circus.” She felt “emboldened” by the courage of those who attended and remains hopeful that showing up with “solidarity and conviction will overthrow this autocrat.”
The San Francisco protest was one of 2,700 No Kings demonstrations held across the country on Oct. 18.
