Actors Ayo Edebiri and Mark Ruffalo were among the stars to protest against Donald Trump at the “No Kings” marches across the US on Saturday (14 June).
The protests, which happened in hundreds of cities including New York and Los Angeles, coincided with Trump’s military parade for the US Army’s 250th Anniversary in Washington, and the president’s 79th birthday.
Millions turned up at the demonstrations to protest what organisers described as President Trump’s authoritarian agenda, including recent immigration raids that have rattled communities across the country.
“The corruption has gone too far,” protest organisers wrote on their website. “No thrones. No crowns. No kings.”
The Bear star Edebiri shared two photos on her Instagram Stories of protest signs. One read: “I love you and I have your back! Stay brave!” Another stated: “History is screaming. Are you listening?”
Poor Things actor Ruffalo, meanwhile, was asked by MSNBC at a protest in New York why people were out protesting in the rain, to which he responded: “Because we see our democracy is in real trouble.”
He added: “We see a president who has made himself a king and dictator, and we don’t seen an opposition that’s powerful enough to stand up against the trampling of our rights and the trampling of the Constitution that’s happening every single day with executive orders, with the refusal to obey court orders, kidnapping of immigrants, people who are here legally, people who their children are being taken from them.
“We’re disgusted and we’re scared, and we know that the only way to fight this now is to come together.”
Late night host Jimmy Kimmel joined a rally in the South Bay of Los Angeles. He shared a photo on Instagram of himself and his parents at the protest, writing: “A huge, inspiring and yes – peaceful – turnout in the South Bay. I met many people who love this country and still believe it to be a force for good.
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“I am grateful to see so many Americans take action to stand up for our friends and neighbours, most of all, my parents. I know how fortunate I am to have been born into a family that taught me to care about others and that the most important words ever spoken are ‘Love one another.’ It really is as simple as that.”
Scandal star Kerry Washington posted photos of herself at a protest, writing on Instagram: “#NoKings, just some QUEENS I found marching, speaking up, and fighting for Democracy.”
White Lotus star Natasha Rothwell shared a photo of herself holding a protest sign with the to-the-point message: “You Are Trash.”
Veep’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus shared a photo of herself on Instagram holding a sign that read: “The only monarch I like is a butterfly.”
The peaceful “No Kings” protests came at the end of a week where Trump deployed national guard and US marine troops to Los Angeles to crack down on protesters who demonstrated against his deportations, in a show of military force that hasn’t been seen in the country since the civil rights era.
