No Kings rally draws hundreds to New Philadelphia square in Tuscarawas County

The No Kings rally is a pro-democracy protest movement where people gather to push back against what they view as government overreach and to emphasize that leaders are accountable to the public — not above it

More than 400 people attended the No Kings rally held in downtown New Philadelphia on the square March 28 as part of a nationwide day of protests.

A No Kings rally is a pro-democracy protest movement where people gather to push back against what they view as government overreach and to emphasize that leaders are accountable to the public — not above it.

Nationwide, there were more than 3,100 rallies held across all 50 states, with 9 million expected to participate. In Ohio, more than 100 events were coordinated.

A mix of grassroots and progressive groups organized the events, but there is no single leader — it is intentionally decentralized. Locally, the rally was coordinated by the Tuscarawas County Democratic Party.

People gathered to oppose what they see as authoritarian leadership or abuses of power — especially tied to President Donald Trump’s current administration.

Opposition to policies or actions seen as too powerful or “king-like” at the local rally included immigration enforcement, executive power and overreach, war and foreign policy decisions, health care, civil rights concerns and the cost of living.

After an introduction from local advocate Karen Izzi Gallagher, Pastor Robert Eller of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in New Philadelphia opened the rally with a prayer.

“We gather here as your hands, calloused, raised and reaching. As your feet, planted on this ground, ready to march. As your voice, refusing to be silent when silence is complicity,” Eller said.

“We have the strength today to stare down apathy and call it by its name. Give us courage to stand before cruelty without flinching, to name corruption in the halls of power and not be moved.

“Remember the one who walked into the temple and would not look away, who flipped over the tables of those who took advantage of the least of these. Make us like him.

“Let us make good trouble, holy trouble — the kind that bends the long arc that love demands. And when we are weary and the powers seem immovable, remind us the stones that rolled away, waters that parted — the last word has not yet been spoken.

“So send us now — your hands, your feet, your voice — into the streets, into the struggle, into the good and holy trouble this moment requires.”

Candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 51 Amanda Fontana read the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, the introductory statement of only 52 words adopted in 1787 that defines the document’s purpose and guiding principles, beginning with “We the People.”

Mike DiDonato, Tuscarawas County Democratic Party chair, said the work of Democrats and progressives across the nation is making a difference.

“It does make a difference. It has made a difference. I give you evidence. Look at every special election over the last year. They are getting trounced,” he said. “We are also holding Democrats in Washington accountable because they are standing their ground. They fought to get ICE defunded and they won that battle.”

DiDonato explained that many Republicans up for reelection are retiring.

“They see the writing on the wall. The walls are closing in and they know it. They’re afraid.

“It’s a positive experience seeing like-minded folks out there that think like you. It puts a smile on your face and makes you feel more positive.”

DiDonato described every election as being the most important election.

“We need your vote in every election, local, state and federal, not just in May, not just in the fall and not just in 2028. It’s going to take a long time to fix the atrocities they have done to this country. We need to be patient with our representatives we elect. Give them the time to fix this mess.”

Other speakers included local advocate Bill Fritz; Genaro DeMonte, president of the Tuscarawas County Young Dems; and Kari Sommers of the League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan, nonprofit civic organization in the United States that focuses on voter education and participation.

The White House dismissed the nationwide protests as the product of “leftist funding networks” with little real public support.

“The only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.