"No Kings" protests were held across the country on Saturday as people took to the streets to protest President Donald Trump and his administration, decrying everything from current immigration policies to rising healthcare costs and the War in Iran.
Springfield
Holding signs, wearing costumes and displaying the American flag, among others, hundreds of people gathered in Springfield on the steps of City Hall.
For Jesus Rivera, this was his first political protest in the city, but it won't be his last.
"I've been following them [No Kings protests] since they did the first one. I have seen the people protesting on the [highway] overpasses and I always honk and all that," he said. "But things are getting way crazier lately and I realized that if we don't become part of resisting it, then it is one less person [standing] against it. It's really becoming way too dangerous."
Rivera donned a Puerto Rican flag around his shoulders and said Trump's policies are damaging to many people.
"And me as a Puerto Rican, even though we are citizens, we were forced to be citizens, to be cannon fodder for world wars," he said. "I know that that that he himself[Trump] has shown a lot of disdain for Puerto Rico and its struggle. So I'm doing this for my family in Puerto Rico and for my family here. And because fascism has no room here."
The Springfield event featured various speakers, including John Rucci, an East Longmeadow resident and former U.S. Marine who told the crowd this is not the America he fought for.
"I'm standing here today to remind you, but [also] to remind myself, this country belongs to the people, not the agencies, not the strongmen. Not to anyone who thinks a badge or a title puts them above the Constitution, " he said. "And if we forget that, if we stay quiet, if we let fear win, then we are not honoring the freedoms we claim to defend."
Rucci said people have to decided what they stand for.
"Because in a moment like this, decency is not weakness, it's courage. And courage is what this country has always demanded from those willing to defend it. So use that courage, one protest at a time and at the midterms, vote them out," he said referring to the upcoming elections this November.
West Springfield
Ron Stillman is an organizer for the rally that took place in West Springfield. He said these events are meant to raise awareness about the current state of the nation.
"When we get enough people together, we'll make a difference. We've been making a difference already and we're going to make more and more of a difference as time goes on," he said.
Stillman passed out "Know Your Rights" cards at the protest, with a list of rights American citizens should know about, he said. Stillman also had ICE whistles, to warn neighbors if Immigration and Enforcement officers are in the area.
He also had a petition for people to sign to bring before the Town Council in order to get the city's police department to rescind the memorandum of understanding it has with ICE.
Greenfield
In Greenfield protesters gathered at City Hall to sing protest songs and speak out against the Trump administration.
"I feel like it's not so much about a specific outcome that I'm hoping will be a direct result of this. Instead, it's about making it heard across time, now and forever, that we, the American people, will not stand for... [a] dictatorship," said Noah Lawes, of Shelburne. "So, I think that this movement can only grow. By people like all of us coming out and making our voices heard and by showing solidarity with other people who are fighting for the same cause everywhere."
Western Mass. held protests across all four counties
"No Kings" rally in Easthampton, MA. on March 28, 2026. Karen Brown/NEPM
People gathered at "No Kings" protests across the region including events in Northampton, Amherst, Wilbraham, Palmer, Lee, North Adams, Pittsfield and several other locations.
