Implication of No Kings: Marching for democracy

As polarization increases nationwide, the No Kings movement highlights the importance of peaceful protest and civil dialogue.

Photo by Jacquie Traenkle/The Barnard Bulletin

By Margaret O’Halloran

December 2, 2025

On Saturday, October 18, more than seven million people gathered across the nation to take part in the second No Kings protest. Though centered in major cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, there were more than 2,700 events that spanned across all 50 states, garnering an even higher turnout than that of the original June 14 march.

The No Kings protests were organized to stand against what many see as a rise of authoritarianism in the United States under the Trump Administration. According to the No Kings website, the protests are organized because “America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people … This isn’t just politics. It’s democracy versus dictatorship. And together, we’re choosing democracy.” The Guardian reported that more than 200 organizations helped to arrange the marches, ranging from unions to advocacy groups. This was largely overseen, however, by Indivisible, an organization which describes itself as “a progressive grassroots movement of millions of activists across every state.”

New York City saw protests in all five boroughs, with the New York Police Department estimating that there were over 100,000 people protesting citywide. In Times Square, concerned citizens walked from Father Duffy Square to 14th Street. The protestors were a mix of all ages and walks of life — small children with their parents, groups of teenagers, people on bicycles, and people holding megaphones. Cardboard signs touted catchy phrases supporting access to healthcare, immigrant rights, and due process laws. 

Though there was a large police presence nationwide, they were peaceful protests, with major cities like New York, Chicago, San Diego, and Austin reporting no arrests. 

Among the millions who took to the streets were students from campuses all across the country, including many from Barnard, who carried the protest’s message back into their classrooms and dorms. On campus, the message of resistance against authoritarianism has sparked new conversations about activism, student power, and the role of higher education in shaping the nation’s future.

Regarding the protest, Zara Ghattas (BC ’29) said that Barnard fosters an atmosphere where she has met “so many different people with different political opinions,” in classrooms and in casual conversation. She continued, explaining that in the aftermath of No Kings, she “experienced a lot of different conversations, specifically with the mayoral election.” She emphasized that it is important to her that everyone in the community is able to express their political opinions, while keeping discourse respectful in nature. 

I feel the same way about my first months here at Barnard. Though there is no doubt contention around political opinions on campus, I have had productive conversations with people of varying political opinions, and I feel that most are largely receptive to feedback and pushback. Though I recognize that the College does not have the best rap at the moment regarding free speech, on a student-to-student basis I have only seen respectful, curious conversion. I hope the peaceful nature of the protests serves as a reminder to all students, whether on Columbia’s campus or beyond, that the respect and peaceful disagreement fostered in classrooms and dorm rooms around campus are essential to sustaining a healthy democracy.

With the mayoral election now behind us, the lessons of the No Kings protests remain important. Millions of people banded together and showed the world that dissent can be peaceful, and that civic engagement and political participation are hugely necessary, but they can go hand-in-hand with dialogue and mutual respect. For students at Barnard, Columbia, and across the country, the protests are a reminder that defending democracy is about both action and compassion — fighting for what you believe in while staying true to the ideals of political non-violence.