EVERYWHERE A SIGN — Protesters carry signs across the Broadway Bridge between Little Rock and North Little Rock on Saturday, June 14, 2025. Thousands of people gathered for the No Kings march and rally, part of a nationwide show of dissent against President Donald Trump’s administration. | Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate
By TESS VRBIN | Arkansas Advocate
Arkansas activists expect rallies in 19 cities around the state Saturday in the third nationwide “No Kings” protest movement since President Donald Trump began his second term last year.
The “No Kings” effort stems from liberal and progressive advocacy groups uniting in opposition to what they call authoritarian overreach by the Trump administration. Past protests have specifically highlighted the administration’s deployment of the National Guard to Democrat-led cities and dismantling of institutional diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Since the last protest in October, immigration enforcement agents occupied Minneapolis and killed two United States citizens in January, and the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February.
The People’s Protests and Marches of AR is hosting the Little Rock rally, which will start at noon with a march across the Broadway Bridge into North Little Rock and continue until 3 p.m. with a “Community Connect Fair” and several speakers.
Indivisible LRCA, the League of Women Voters of Arkansas and 50501 Arkansas are also hosting the Little Rock event, according to social media.
On Wednesday, event organizers posted on Facebook a list of Arkansas cities where protesters are expected to gather. The list includes smaller, Republican-represented municipalities such as Harrison, Monticello, Clinton and Mountain Home in addition to the Democrat-represented major metropolitan areas of Little Rock and Fayetteville.
The list of cities includes Arkadelphia, where protestors are set to assemble from 10-11 a.m. Saturday at the corner of Pine Street and W.P. Malone Drive.
Thousands of Arkansans from throughout the state turned out for the first two No Kings rallies in Little Rock in June and October 2025. The second protest coincided with Little Rock’s annual LGBTQ+ Pride march.
A wide range of smaller cities held their own rallies, including in Mountain Home in June, where a few hundred protesters saw a handful of pro-Trump counterprotesters.
Arkansas’ “No Kings” protests have been peaceful. Protests against the arrests of immigrants in Los Angeles and Minneapolis over the past year have seen occasional violence.
Supporters of a proposed citizen-led ballot measure to protect direct democracy will be collecting signatures at several Saturday events, including in Texarkana and Eureka Springs, according to ballot question committee Protect AR Rights’ website.
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