By Arnie Alpert, Active with the Activists
Arnie Alpert spent decades as a community organizer/educator in NH movements for social justice and peace. Officially retired since 2020, he keeps his hands (and feet) in the activist world while writing about past and present social movements.
With President Trump militarizing the federal government’s response to dissent against his administration’s policies, organizers say more than 1800 protests will take place nationwide next weekend, including some two dozen in New Hampshire.
Ever since the president said he wanted to have a massive military parade on June 14, which is Flag Day, the 250th anniversary of the US Army, and his 79th birthday, opponents of his anti-democratic rule have also designated the day as a day for protest. Following protests against ICE raids in Los Angeles and the federalization of 2000 members of the National Guard to suppress dissent, “we have to amp up as well,” said Christopher Farrell of NH 50501, which will sponsor a State House rally on Saturday afternoon.
“Instead of listening, the Trump Administration is escalating tensions. Against the guidance of local leaders, they are deploying military force to suppress free speech. They do not care about our safety—it’s about silencing opposition. It’s a blatant abuse of power designed to intimidate families, stoke fear, and crush dissent,” said a statement from organizers of the June 14 protests, which they have dubbed, “No Kings Day.”
“The No Kings mobilizations on June 14 were already planned as a peaceful stand against authoritarian overreach and the gross abuse of power this Administration has shown. Now, this military escalation only confirms what we’ve known: this government wants to rule by force, not serve the people. From major cities to small towns, we’ll rise together and say: we reject political violence. We reject fear as governance. We reject the myth that only some deserve freedom,” said No Kings organizers.
In New Hampshire, upwards of 25 demonstrations are already planned, as far north as Colebrook and along the Massachusetts border from Plaistow to Keene. (A full list will be posted by InDepthNH later this week.)
No Kings Day organizers have stressed the importance of actions maintaining a nonviolent character. “We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events,” they state on their web page.
“No Kings is a nationwide day of defiance. From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism—and show the world what democracy really looks like,” the group said. “We’re not gathering to feed his ego. We’re building a movement that leaves him behind.”
On Sunday, anti-Trump protesters held signs at overpasses on I-293 in Manchester, the Everett Turnpike in Nashua, I-95 in the Seacoast, and Route 101.
Signs from a neo-Nazi group were also reported at a Manchester overpass.