Atlanta "No Kings" rally draws Trump critics ahead of US midterms
About 300 people marched in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday in an anti-Trump "No Kings" rally aimed at mobilising voters before the November 3 midterm elections. Participants also criticised immigration agency ICE and the war in Iran.
A "No Kings" rally took place on Saturday, October 17, in Atlanta, the capital of the US state of Georgia. It was one of many events across the United States opposing the policies of President Donald Trump, held as the country prepares for the November 3 midterm elections, in which voters decide the makeup of Congress.
The event began at Piedmont Park in the city's midtown, and around 300 participants walked roughly a mile to a local church, St. Mark's. City police secured the route, and a street band led the march. The atmosphere was reported as defiant but not menacing, with grandparents and toddlers in strollers among the crowd.
A call to vote
In the opening address, Atlanta City Council member Kelsea Bond, a labour organiser, called for a society that works for working people rather than billionaires. Bond, 33, is the council's youngest serving member and its first member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a progressive political group that is not a party. She won her District 2 seat last year running as an independent.
Bond stressed the protection of voting rights in Georgia, saying Republicans, who have governed the state for decades, have worked to roll back them. After an April 29 Supreme Court ruling allowed mid-cycle redistricting, several states redrew their congressional maps. Georgia's Republican legislative leaders rejected such a bid in June, fearing voter backlash, but some Democrats worry the issue will return after the midterms.
According to organiser Kimberly Diemert, communications director for the community group 50501 Georgia, the aim was community engagement: encouraging people to vote, ideally early, and to bring neighbours with them to polling places.
Issues on the signs
Participants criticised US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the administration's foreign policy. One man opposed the war in Iran, saying it has lasted more than eight months with no end in sight.
After the march, a workshop was held in the church for those willing to serve as election observers. Trish Murphy of Necessary Action Georgia, a grassroots political action group, said the goal is a free and fair election without interference.
