Nearly seven million people participated in more than 2,700 “No Kings” protests across the United States and abroad on Saturday, October 18, 2025. One of those rallies took place in Acton, where local officials estimated about 600 residents gathered peacefully outside Town Hall.
The turnout was more than double the size of Acton’s first “No Kings” rally in June. The growing movement, organized by a coalition of national and local groups, including Indivisible, calls attention to what participants see as threats to democratic institutions under the Trump administration.
On Saturday, the crowd filled the green between Main Street and the Isaac Davis Monument, waving handmade signs and chanting “No Kings!” as cars passing by honked in support. Among the marchers was a person dressed in a giant chicken costume, a visual echo of the event’s message: political courage over fear.
The rally opened with remarks from Jim Snyder-Grant, a member of the Acton Select Board, who welcomed participants and reminded them that the event was peaceful by design.
“What a beautiful day to be outside building community and fighting fascism,” Snyder-Grant said. “We are part of a long-term project to create a better world — one ruled by justice, love, peace, and democracy. No Kings!”
He thanked the Acton Police Department for its cooperation and noted the Town’s “policy of non-cooperation in civil immigration enforcement,” adding that Acton’s officers “are here to protect everyone who lives, works, or travels through Acton.”
Snyder-Grant urged attendees to look after one another, calling community-building “a fundamentally anti-authoritarian action” and “some of the simplest but most important resistance work.”
Next, State Representative Simon Cataldo (14th Middlesex District) took the microphone. His energetic speech drew cheers and laughter from the crowd as he rebutted claims by right-wing commentators who dismiss protesters as “unemployed” or “unpatriotic.”
“When I look out at this crowd in Acton — in the cradle of American liberty — I see grandmothers who still work full-time, veterans, teachers, nurses, and people who love this country,” Cataldo said. “Donald Trump thinks he has a monopoly on patriotism. He doesn’t.”
Cataldo invoked local Revolutionary War heroes, including Caesar Robbins of Concord and Isaac Davis of Acton, as examples of Massachusetts’ enduring fight for freedom. “When someone threatens the legacy of natural rights crafted 250 years ago in First Parish Church and Wright Tavern, I’m willing to skip the things I love most,” he said, referencing time away from his young family.
He concluded to loud applause: “History tells us this is no land for he who would be King. The future belongs to us — the Patriots. No Kings!”
The final speaker, State Representative Dan Sena (37th Middlesex District), spoke passionately about what he described as attacks on social programs and democratic institutions.
“We’re here because the Republican administration is trying to shut down our education system, our healthcare, and our social safety net,” said Sena, the first Brazilian immigrant elected to the Massachusetts legislature. “They want government so small that it’s just Donald Trump ruling the nation, but we won’t let them do that.”
Sena listed the causes uniting protesters across the Commonwealth: immigrant rights, women’s rights, climate action, disability inclusion, and LGBTQ equality. “History shows that the power of the people is greater than the people in power,” he said. “Massachusetts has always called out tyranny. This isn’t the first time we’ve overthrown a king.”
He ended with a rallying cry: “We’re here because we give a damn. Let’s mobilize, organize, and agitate — for our democracy, our community, and our future.”
As the rally concluded under clear autumn skies, participants lingered on the Town Hall green – sharing conversations, waving signs, and taking photos beneath banners reading “No Kings”.
For many in attendance, the event was both a protest and a celebration of civic engagement. “We are responsible for each other,” Snyder-Grant had said at the outset. By the time the last chants faded, that message seemed to have taken root.
Greg Jarboe is the Council on Aging beat reporter for the Acton Exchange but writes about much more. He is a member of the Acton Finance Committee.
