Thousands of Princeton community members gathered outside the Princeton Battle Monument on Saturday as part of the National “No Kings” Day of Action to protest the Trump administration and defend democratic rights.
As part of “No Kings,” more than 2,700 demonstrations took place across all 50 states on Saturday, in addition to international protests in about 20 different countries. The demonstrations responded to many of President Donald Trump’s actions and policies, including most recently his attempt to deploy federal troops into American cities like Portland, Ore. and Chicago. The most recent rally in Princeton follows similar action from the previous June 14 “No Kings” protest.
“The Trump administration needs to know that we have them on their back foot. They are not in control. They do not represent the majority of Americans,” said speaker Ben Dziobek, a New Jersey-based climate action organizer, in an interview with The Daily Princetonian.
More than 5,000 people attended Princeton’s rally, according to Mayor Mark Freda, who spoke at the protest. The crowd skewed towards older, white demographics, with noticeably fewer young adults in attendance.
“I stand on the shoulders of the Civil Rights Movement, of the labor movement, of the environmental movement, all those people who came before, and I just want to pass that on,” Rutgers Law School Professor Cymie Payne said in an interview with the ‘Prince.’ “I’m tenured, so I’ve got a job and I’m more stable, and I think it’s important for us to protect people who are more vulnerable.”
Still, speakers and attendees emphasized the need for youth representation.
“I think it’s really important for young people to … recognize how important it is to have free speech, free universities that are still able to attract international students … [and the] free pursuit of knowledge,” Rutgers Law School Professor Alec Walen said.
Of the younger protestors that were in attendance, many said that the rally served as a reminder of the importance of sustained activism through generations.
Elizabeth Hu / The Daily Princetonian
Crystal Tran, who recently received her master’s in Legal Studies from Seton Hall University, said that, even after Trump administration issues are resolved, “there’s going to be other issues that we’ll want to fight for, more rights that we’re going to rally for. So it’s important to see these movements to inspire us in the future, to teach our children and our children’s children to always fight for what's right.”
Dziobek highlighted the protest’s scale as one of the largest coordinated single-day protests in U.S. history: “That says something to the rest of the world, that we will not go down quietly.”
Speakers, community members, and live musicians all gathered at the event. Key speakers, including Freda, Dziobek, and Executive Director of Coalition for Peace Action Reverend Robert Moore, also argued for constant need for protests, the value of democracy, and the importance of resisting dictators.
“When asked what we did when tyrants rose again, let it be said we stood our ground beneath this monument and declared once more that the American Revolution is unfinished,” Dziobek said in a speech to the crowd, referring to the monument depicting General George Washington in the Battle of Princeton.
ACLU-NJ Director of Appellate Advocacy Ezra Rosenberg also encouraged attendees to not only fight back, but also “fight forward, because times of peril are times of opportunity.”
The demonstration started at 2 p.m., with police cars and protest marshals in blue vests present. Attendees held up signs featuring messages like “No Kings In America Since 1776” and “History Has Its Eyes On Us” while passing cars honked continuously throughout to display support.
Scheduled events concluded just before 4 p.m., but protestors continued to line the streets, waving their signs and cheering as cars drove by.
“Probably the administration is not going to care about us, but maybe someone driving by might see us and they might have a change of heart,” freelance musician and attendee Emi DeLia stated in an interview with the ‘Prince.’ “You never know.”
Elizabeth Hu is a News contributor from Houston, Tex. She can be reached at eh9203@princeton.edu.
Julie Kim is a News and Podcast contributor. She is from Northvale, N.J. and can be reached at julie-kim@princeton.edu.
Please send corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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