{"id":315838,"date":"2025-10-19T11:09:45","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T11:09:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/315838\/"},"modified":"2025-10-19T11:09:45","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T11:09:45","slug":"no-kings-protests-in-denver-across-colorado-draw-tens-of-thousands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/315838\/","title":{"rendered":"‘No Kings’ protests in Denver, across Colorado draw tens of thousands"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the lawn of Denver\u2019s Capitol to the streets of Grand Junction, Coloradans turned out across the state Saturday as part of the national \u201cNo Kings\u201d movement<\/a> to protest the policies and actions of President Donald Trump and his administration.<\/p>\n

\"DanDan Weitz of Niwot attends a “No Kings” rally at the state Capitol in Denver on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Photo by Katie Langford \/ The Denver Post)<\/p>\n

Tens of thousands of demonstrators in downtown Denver and in more than 50 Colorado cities and towns<\/a> marched against the deployment of federal agents and military forces into U.S. cities<\/a>, targeting of immigrant families, and threats to the country\u2019s electoral<\/a>, environmental protection, health care and education systems, according to organizers.<\/p>\n

Demonstrators gathered peacefully along streets and overpasses, in parks and downtown districts, in Aurora, Colorado Springs, Littleton, Arvada, Thornton, Commerce City, Loveland, Broomfield, Longmont and Boulder.<\/p>\n

Outside of the Front Range, organizers planned protests in small Eastern Plains communities, including Lamar and La Junta, and Western Slope towns such as Cortez and Steamboat Springs.<\/p>\n

In Denver, thousands filled Civic Center and spilled onto nearby streets, wearing everything from jeans and flannel shirts to inflatable unicorn and dinosaur suits. Demonstrators hoisted mostly handmade signs decrying Trump and fascism, while others wrote messages supporting democracy and collective action.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump skis in jeans,\u201d one sign stated. \u201cGerman soldiers were just following orders, too,\u201d said another.<\/p>\n

Niwot resident Dan Weitz, 62, was clad in a chicken costume \u2014 inspired in part by similar outfits worn by protesters in Portland, Oregon \u2014 and held a sign that read \u201cI hate American Nazis\u201d with a photo of the Blues Brothers.<\/p>\n

He said showing up to protests like the \u201cNo Kings\u201d gathering at the state Capitol teaches people that they\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have always been pro-America and pro-democracy, and to watch Congress abdicate their responsibility as an equal branch of government\u2026 it\u2019s got to be called out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Protesters of all ages milled about Civic Center for about an hour Saturday afternoon as speakers addressed the crowd, which ranged from families pushing babies in strollers to demonstrators in their late 70s.<\/p>\n

Thornton father-and-son duo Marcus and Mosa Farmer, 48 and 21 years old, said they came to the protest to air their opposition to the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important for people to make their voices heard, especially with our democracy being demolished before our eyes and our freedoms being taken away,\u201d Mosa Farmer said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis whole country started as a protest against decisions being made without the people\u2019s input,\u201d Marcus Farmer added.<\/p>\n

Littleton resident Tia Decolati, 26, said she turned out to support the community and because she feels the Trump administration is harming a lot of people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe administration\u2019s narrative is that protests are violent, don\u2019t make a difference, and mean we hate our country,\u201d she said. \u201cSo many people marching together shows that\u2019s not true. There are so many different things people are angry and upset about, and the fact that people want to come together\u2026 (shows) we are walking together in solidarity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking to the streets<\/p>\n

Crowds began marching out of the park and onto Colfax Avenue around 1 p.m., continuing west down 15th Street and beyond.<\/p>\n

A steady stream of demonstrators continued to join the march for at least 30 minutes, chanting\u00a0\u201cHey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go\u201d and \u201cNo hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Protesters have been marching out of civic center park down colfax for about 20 minutes and it\u2019s been a steady steam of people. Chants of \u201chey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go\u201d and \u201cno hate no fear immigrants are welcome here\u201d pic.twitter.com\/ZrOcdYYSFs<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Katie Langford (@Katielangford35) October 18, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Denverites Cynthia Strawbridge, 73, and Nelson Chase, 77, stood by the columns of the Voorhies Memorial and watched as marchers passed by.<\/p>\n

They have attended every Denver protest since January, angered by cuts to foreign aid, the firing of federal workers and what they said was government propaganda.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Boomer generation, some people get blamed for where we\u2019re at, so we feel like it\u2019s time to do our part again,\u201d Strawbridge said.<\/p>\n

She put her hand over her heart as she talked about how many young people she saw at the protest. \u201cIt feels really good to see,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Larger than June protest<\/p>\n

Chase said Saturday\u2019s event seemed double or triple the size of the June \u201cNo Kings\u201d protest in Denver, which drew an estimated 20,000 people. Event organizers could not be reached for comment, but previously had said they expected more than 12,000 people at Saturday\u2019s demonstration.<\/p>\n

Denver Police Department officials said the agency does not estimate crowd sizes.<\/p>\n

A little after 3:30 p.m., Denver police said on social media<\/a> that it appeared most demonstrators had left the Capitol and downtown following what they called a peaceful march. Lincoln Street at 14th Avenue remained closed, but other intersections along Colfax Avenue and Broadway had reopened.<\/p>\n

Denver police said they made only one arrest during Saturday afternoon\u2019s main demonstration \u2014 for possession of a knife. But officials later said<\/a> police dispersed a small group of marchers who were trying to get onto Interstate 25 near 20th and Chestnut streets. Denver police said they arrested 11 people<\/a> \u201cduring secondary marches, not the primary event.\u201d<\/p>\n

Officers started closing more roads Saturday evening because of ongoing protest activity, the agency said on social media.<\/p>\n

As of 7:20 p.m., rolling road closures<\/a> were happening along South Broadway south of 10th Avenue; near Sixth Avenue and Santa Fe Drive; and on Lincoln Street south of 13th Avenue.<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s demonstration appeared to cause fewer disruptions to public transportation in downtown Denver compared to June, when Regional Transportation District officials closed Union Station and suspended most light rail service for several hours.<\/p>\n

The agency detoured at least seven bus routes on Saturday afternoon because of the Lincoln Street closure near Civic Center, but all service at Civic Center and Union stations was back to normal as of 4 p.m., officials said on social media.<\/p>\n

\u2018I just think that\u2019s unfair\u2019<\/p>\n

In northern Colorado, thousands of people gathered along Eisenhower Boulevard in Loveland<\/a> on Saturday afternoon with signs and costumes, and played music as they demonstrated against the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

Loveland resident Cheryl Barry, 68, said she joined the protest because she believed it could change the direction of the country \u2014 adding that she had witnessed nonviolent protest work firsthand in the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeaceful protest changed how we feel about Vietnam \u2014 it changed how we feel about civil rights. Hopefully, it will change how we feel about Donald Trump, too,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Longmont<\/a> on Saturday afternoon, far exceeding the roughly 1,000 people organizers say had registered for the event.<\/p>\n

Susan Conversano said she attended Longmont\u2019s \u201cNo Kings\u201d demonstration for many reasons, including to support immigrants and oppose tariffs. She was impressed by the signs her fellow protesters were holding.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am overwhelmed by the immense creativity and the heart that people have put into this,\u201d Conversano said. \u201cSometimes, it actually brings me to tears.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Greeley, Naomi Valles Perez , 19, and her boyfriend, Bryan Mendoza , 18, had a very specific reason for showing up Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s unfair ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) can just go out on the streets, profile people and just take them away,\u201d Mendoza said. \u201cTo hear that my family can be taken away just like that, not even for any reason, I just think that\u2019s unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse said he stopped by the Longmont, Lafayette, Louisville and Fort Collins protests on his way to the Boulder and Erie events. Neguse, a Democrat representing Colorado\u2019s 2nd Congressional District, said it was \u201cincredible\u201d to see so many people at the Longmont protest.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a privilege to be able to walk with the folks here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\""No“No Kings” demonstrators march through downtown Colorado Springs between the Pioneer Museum and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Photo by Bruce Finley \/ The Denver Post)
\n\u2018In this country, there are no kings\u2019<\/p>\n

Coloradans who demonstrated on Saturday were among nearly 7 million protesters across the country, \u201cNo Kings\u201d organizers said in a news release, an increase of 2 million participants compared to June.<\/p>\n

People joined demonstrations in more than 2,700 cities in all 50 states, the group said. Demonstrators packed New York City\u2019s Times Square, Boston Common, Chicago\u2019s Grant Park and hundreds of smaller public spaces.<\/p>\n

This is the third national mass protest since Trump returned to the White House in January, and comes as a government shutdown has shuttered federal programs and services and tests the country\u2019s core balance of power.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, millions of Americans stood together to reject authoritarianism and remind the world that our democracy belongs to the people, not to one man\u2019s ambition,\u201d Indivisible co-founders Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg, who are part of the \u201cNo Kings\u201d coalition, said in a statement.\u00a0\u201c\u2026This movement isn\u2019t about a single protest; it\u2019s about a growing chorus of Americans who refuse to be ruled. Trump may want a crown, but in this country, there are no kings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prairie Mountain Media reporters Dana Cadey, Will Costello and Trevor Reid, and The Associated Press, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"DemonstratorsDemonstrators gather in front of the Colorado State Capitol Building during a “No Kings” protest in Denver, on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Cheney Orr\/The New York Times)<\/p>\n

Originally Published: October 18, 2025 at 11:25 AM MDT<\/p>\n