Boston’s March No Kings Day rally exceeded turnout expectations, with more than 100,000 participants flooding the Boston Common.
No Kings, founded in early 2025, was formed to tackle the growth in authoritarian action within the U.S. government.
According to the group’s website, the collective follows the philosophy: “We the People — the people who care, who show up, and who fight for dignity, a life we can afford, and real opportunity. No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.”
While each city’s rally adheres to these principles, Boston’s notoriously rebellious spirit shone through. Displays and tables surrounded the Common, beginning to shape the rally’s message hours before the event officially began.
Deb Paul, leader of the Mass Indivisible Coalition and co-organizer of No Kings Boston, was a driving force behind the event.
Paul expressed the urgency of the rally.
“We’re all affected by this. We are paying for it through our taxes. We are paying for it through higher costs when we go to the grocery store and fill up our car,” Paul said in an interview with the Voice. “It is more critical than ever to use our voice and people power and push back on this regime.”
Although the rally officially began at 2 p.m., crowds gathered well beforehand. As a means to bring
awareness to the protest, attendees were encouraged to get off at a stop or two before they needed to and hold up their sign as they made their way over.
Some of the displays highlighted the stories of those impacted in the current administration. On a patch of grass, various stuffed animals, shoes and other children’s clothes were laid out, each representing the life of a child in Iran that had been taken in the war.
As of early March, approximately 180 Iranian children have passed away, with many more being injured.
Elaborating on the decision to highlight the current conflict, Paul stated, “It’s an unlawful war, unplanned, a war of choice, not necessity and [it] consumes millions of dollars daily.”
Within the first six days of the war, the U.S. Department of Defense reported to Congress that an estimated $11.3 billion was spent, primarily on munitions.
Just as much as international tensions played into the event, current immigration issues did too.
Homemade signs cluttered the stage, ranging from critiques of Congress to comparisons of President Donald Trump to a pig.
Before, during and after the rally, a giant “End Ice” sculpture was on display, along with an interactive art exhibit open to the public to add to throughout the day.
The lineup of speakers and performers was particularly notable, featuring Gov. Maura Healey, Emcee Rahsaan Hall (president and CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts) and The Dropkick Murphys.
Despite some of the chants being considered cliché by the audience, it wasn’t what the speakers said that made an impact.
The power of No Kings Day came from the more than 100,000 people who gathered on Boston Common and from organizers like Paul working to turn rally turnout into continued action.
Just as Bostonians fought back in the 1700s against the British regime, the revolutionary spirit was in full motion, just this time amplified worldwide.
