MONROE — This past weekend, the latest coordinated No Kings protest took place across the country, drawing more than 7 million protesters, the second most in American history behind the first Earth Day march in 1970. The protests weren’t just limited to major cities and state capitols. Rural America joined in — and that includes southwestern Wisconsin.
Both New Glarus and Monroe drew between 500 -600 protesters to each of their rallies. Albany, Darlington, Dodgeville and Freeport were among the many local communities to hold rallies, which included predetermined speakers, crowd chants and song singing, and handmade protest signs. Some protesters wore their military colors, while others dressed in Halloween costumes like frogs, dinosaurs, unicorns or characters from the dystopian television series A Handmaid’s Tale, based on the 1985 novel by the same name. Attendees included young toddlers all the way up to centenarians. There were no reports of violence or disturbances locally, outside of traffic and parking complaints.
The protests, organized across the state and the country, aimed to unite Americans across the political spectrum. Grievances include Trump administration’s policies on tariffs, stripping of women’s rights, the cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, the cuts by Elon Musk and DOGE, the kidnapping and warrentless detainment of thousands of people by supposed ICE agents, and the varying degrees of corruption in all three branches of federal government working in unison — the Executive Branch (president), the Judicial Branch (courts) and the Legislative Branch (Congress).
Nationally, more than 2,700 rallies are estimated to have been held. More rallies were held yet internationally with allied countries, including multiple locations across Europe, Canada and Australia.
Overall, there were more than 90 rallies across Wisconsin. As of Oct. 20, it is estimated 95,800 people protested in the state. Nearly 20,000 marched in Madison, Milwaukee had more than 18,000, Green Bay had 3,000-plus, 6,000 showed up in Eau Claire, 4,000 in Appleton, Brookfield and Stevens Point, 2,500 in Kenosha, 2,000 in Sheboygan and Racine, 1,700 in La Crosse, 1,500 in Shorewood, 1,200 in Janesville, Hayward and River Falls, 1,100 in Wausau, 1,000 in Menomonie, Manitowoc, West Bend, Delavan, Rhinelander and Juddville (a community in Door County), nearly 800 in Dodgeville and Middleton, Baraboo and Sauk City had 700 each, more than 600 in Chippewa Falls, 500 in Sun Prairie and Marinette, 460 in Wisconsin Rapids, 400 in Muskego, 360 in Watertown, 350 in Beaver Dam, 300 in Shawano, 250 in Waupaca, 200 in Antigo, 100 in Waterloo and Adams-Friendship 176 people.
In the city of Ripon, the birthplace of the Republican Party, 350 came out to protest against Trump and Republicans in office.
