They came with signs, with chants, with honking car horns and collective anger.
Saturday’s ‘Hands Off’ protests drew massive crowds to Concord, Portsmouth and other communities across New Hampshire, as opponents of President Trump sought to voice their unhappiness with a wide array of his policies.
“I’m a pretty cynical guy, but this is pretty amazing,” said Jay White of Exeter, who attended the Portsmouth event. “It’s just good to see that this amount of people are pissed off.”
The protest in Portsmouth filled the sidewalks in the city’s downtown, forcing police to close roads to make room for demonstrators. Many people held signs and cycled through near-constant chants, voicing grievances against the administration.
“I feel like I wake up everyday and the things that are meaningful to me are under attack,” Marnie Terhune of Lee.
Terhune cited public education as a top concern, while other protestors raised worries about Trump’s handling of civil rights, international relations, climate policy and immigration.
The “Hands Off” rallies were organized in more than 1,000 communities in all 50 states, according to the group, which described it as the single largest day of action since Trump took office.
“Together we can do big things,” said Ariel Schmitt, a protester in Portsmouth. “We don’t want to tear this country down; it’s not about destruction.”
Some in the crowd, though, admitted that a single day of protests likely wouldn’t result in any real deterrence to Trump.
“I just want people to be a little bit more disruptive,” said Sharon Imhoff, a longtime Portsmouth resident. “We need massive boycotts. We need massive financial disruption.”
Last week’s stock market tumble following the newly announced tariffs was enough disruption for some, though. Nancy Hamilton said her retirement account was battered by the Wall Street crash. She said her son was a federal worker who was laid off as part of the cuts orchestrated by Elon Musk.
“I feel like we are just going over a cliff, and I’m here to try and put the brakes on,” said Hamilton.
