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Arkansas Advocate: ‘No Kings’ protests to proceed as potential storms loom

Joel Phelps

NO KINGS: Thousands of protesters marched across Little Rock’s Veteran’s Memorial Bridge on June 14, 2025, as part of a national “No Kings” demonstration against Trump administration policies and actions. Another No Kings protest is set for Oct. 18, 2025. | Photo by Ainsley Platt/Arkansas Advocate

By AINSLEY PLATT | Arkansas Advocate

Arkansans are planning to take to the streets in more than a dozen cities for “No Kings” rallies and marches Saturday as part of a national day of protest against the Trump administration, despite predicted severe weather across the state.

They will join thousands of protests in other states, part of a second round of demonstrations against actions that organizers say are “terrorizing our communities” and driving up the cost of living.

Millions of people participated in the first No Kings rallies and marches on June 14, which coincided with a military parade in Washington D.C. and President Donald Trump’s birthday. The June protests happened against a backdrop of growing anger over what some saw as Trump’s attacks on everything from international trade to immigration to higher education.

Since then, Trump has “doubled down” by pressuring Republican states to eliminate Democratic seats in the House of Representatives via mid-decade redistricting; attacking health care and education, and continuing with aggressive immigration enforcement operations, according to No Kings organizers.

In Arkansas, Saturday’s protests come as the risk for severe weather ratchets up. There is a low risk for tornadoes, golf ball-sized hail and winds between 60 and 80 miles per hour across the state, according to the National Weather Service.

Storms are expected to start around midday Saturday, when many of the protests are scheduled, and will track across the state in the afternoon.

In Little Rock, the protest coincides with the 13th annual Central Arkansas PRIDEFest and Parade. Following a rally at 10 a.m., protesters will join the festival’s parade at 11 a.m. in a “solidarity march.”

The People’s Protests and Marches of AR is hosting the Little Rock rally. Scott Holladay, a member of the group’s organizing committee, said they have been carefully watching Saturday’s weather forecasts.

“We did take a poll of our organizers, and we decided that if it’s drizzling, then we would march anyway,” Holladay said.

Central Arkansas Pride, Indivisible LRCA and 50501 Arkansas are also listed as organizers of the Little Rock protest on the No Kings website.

Protests like the one in Little Rock draw people from rural parts of the state “that are looking for a place to join a group and be part of the movement,” with some protesters driving 40 to 60 miles to attend, Holladay said.

Organizers are “reluctant to cancel” but “don’t want to jeopardize anybody’s health and safety,” Holladay said. Event organizers will do what they can to move the protest time if more severe weather, such as thunderstorms and lightning, remain in the forecast, he said.

“We’re just going to do our best and try not to get people caught out in an unsafe situation,” Holladay said.

Maritza Munich, co-leader of Indivisible NWA, also said the protest her group is organizing in Rogers would go forward as long as the weather remained relatively mild. Munich has been in active communication with others and said an official decision on whether the protest would go forward would come once there was more certainty about the forecast. Munich said she was hopeful the earlier start time for Rogers’ protest — 9:30 a.m. — would help them avoid the worst weather.

“Some news reports have the weather, the more concerning weather, moving into here into the afternoon,” Munich said. “If there are some sprinkles, we won’t worry about it. But if we are looking at severe weather, we’re responsible people and we’ll do the responsible thing.”

Local protests 

According to the No Kings website, protests are scheduled in the following Arkansas cities:

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