Thousands of protesters congregated near the steps of the Rhode Island State House in Providence on Saturday, one of many “No Kings” rallies held across Rhode Island and the South Coast.
The protesters chanted and marched against the ongoing war in Iran, radical changes to federal immigration policy and the concentration of power in the executive branch.
“What we’re experiencing and what we’re observing is that voting rights have been truncated and suppressed,” said Gene Thompson-Grove, president of the Rhode Island branch of the League of Women Voters, one of multiple civic engagement groups tabling and sharing pamphlets during the rally. “We’re about enlarging voting rights, about making sure everybody who can vote knows that they have the right to vote, is registered to vote, knows how to vote. And what we’re seeing is exactly the opposite, right? Suppression of voting and trying to narrow who it is can vote and can safely vote.”
MK Getler, chair of Indivisible Rhode Island, one of the groups that organized the Providence protest, said Saturday’s rally saw more attendees than the October No Kings rally, which organizers claim drew more than 30,000. The number of attendees could not be independently verified.
The throng of protesters made its way from the State House in a loop around downtown Providence and back again, before speakers including Secretary of State Gregg Amore, Sophia Wright of the Alliance to Mobilize Our Resistance, and local union organizers, vehemently criticized Trump and voiced the need to protect immigrants from federal authorities.
Some protesters said they saw democracy declining in the United States.
“I am deeply alarmed at the state of our democracy at the federal level. I think we are teetering towards the ends of authoritarian leadership, if not there already,” said Kim Ziegelmayer of Smithfield.
Ziegelmayer said it was comforting to see so many people come out to show support, saying she was excited “to see participation is growing across time.”
Ziegelmayer said she hopes Saturday’s rally will inspire attendees to engage more with their immediate communities and talk to their neighbors about creating positive change.
Thompson-Grove of the Rhode Island League of Women Voters, urged the people who stopped by her table to participate in the democratic process.
“It’s crucial that you vote in these next two elections, 2026, and 2028. The numbers matter,” Grove-Thompson said. “When you look at the last election, the number of people who didn’t vote, who were eligible to vote and even registered to vote, was higher than the people who voted for either of the presidential candidates. So in effect, the people who didn’t vote are the ones who chose the candidate.”
