Amid an unpopular and destructive U.S. war on Iran and President Donald Trump’s falling approval ratings, organizers are trying to build a national opposition movement ahead of calls for a general strike on May 1 and midterm elections in November that could flip control of Congress and provide a check on executive power.
About 60,000 protesters filled the streets of San Francisco to oppose the Trump administration on March 28, joining more than 8 million people who attended thousands of “No Kings” events around the country. It was the third such day of coordinated rallies of Trump’s current term, with turnout growing steadily.
“It was peaceful, no incidents, joyous, and it allowed people to meet in their communities,” said Liliana Soroceanu with Indivisible SF, an organizer of the No Kings march.
Turnout in San Francisco seemed a little smaller than the last one, in October, something Soroceanu acknowledged. But she noted that there were 3,300 events around the country this time, compared to 2,500 in October. Overall turnout increased to more than 8 million, from about 6 million.
“Some events were small and we love those,” Soroceanu said. “Even in deep red states, people are upset about the same things we are, from the Iran war to ICE invading our cities,” she said, referring to agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Next, Soroceanu said organizers want to transform these one-off protests into a sustainable opposition movement.
“This is our challenge — that’s why connecting our communities is so important,” she said, citing the event’s 40 information booths that sought to enlist more people to participate in the movement. “By May 1, we’ll have a better idea how successful we were.”
She said labor movement organizations are leading the push for a general strike on May Day, calling for, “no school, no work, no shopping — it’s a major economic boycott.”
In San Francisco, protesters focused their outrage on a range of grievances: overly aggressive immigration, the escalating war in Iran, the president’s embrace of autocrats abroad and mistreatment of allies, and what many characterized as the corruption, cruelty and incompetence of this administration.
There was a colorful and playful flair to the protest, with attendees donning costumes and wielding sardonic signs. One sported a colonial era officer’s costume and compared Trump to the despotic King George III.
The march began at Embarcadero Plaza, where a contingent of musicians from the local chapter of Playing for Change entertained the crowd with a spirited brass band performance.
Many protesters said they were alarmed by Trump’s authoritarian excesses. “We must stop Trump,” said Berkeley resident Pamela Blair, referring to ICE detention facilities. “The concentration camps he set up for people who aren’t citizens, it’s like the Nazis in World War II.”
“I think he’s getting worse,” said Blair’s friend, Mary Ann Huckabay of Sebastopol.
“We’ve got to show up here, there’s nothing else we can do,” she said. “People across the world need to know we don’t support this.”
Thousands of protesters marched up Market Street behind a truck driven by event organizers.
Counterbalancing the joyful enthusiasm of the crowd was the dark messaging of protest signs, often jabbing at the perceived lawlessness of administration officials.
The daily drumbeat of war waged against Iran by the U.S. and Israel — which has roiled financial and energy markets — animated many protesters. Recent polling by the Pew Research Center revealed that 61% of Americans disapproved of the war, which Trump launched on Feb. 28 without congressional approval.
The political fate of the Middle East was a key focus. The Iranian opposition flag featuring a lion-and-sun theme pointed to some protesters’ hopes for a democratic transition.
Along the route, participants and spectators said they were cheered by protesters’ energy and creativity. Among them was Catherine Sharp from Cookeville, Tennessee, who was in town visiting family.
“We’ve been having protests, but nothing at this scale. It really feels good,” said Sharp, who grew up Christian in a conservative community but opposed Trump since 2016. “We need to send a message, but it’s hard to see the next steps.”
Charles Seliger of Oakland said he showed up because “it’s important to not feel alone in my disbelief and anxiety.” He called protests like this “quintessentially American.”
The march ended at Civic Center Plaza with a large rally, speakers and entertainers. Representatives from Bay Area veteran’s groups, including Veterans for Peace, took turns addressing the crowd.
Before musician Pete Kronowitt led the crowd through protest songs, he referenced the magnitude of the day’s No Kings events.
“You didn’t just march up Market Street from the Embarcadero today,” he said. “You marched into history. Today is shaping up to be the single largest day of protest ever in our country.”
Bay Area unions and community service organizations were out in force among the demonstrators. Service Employees International Union Local 2015 carried “Tax the Rich” signs in support of Proposition D, the “Overpaid CEO Tax” measure on San Francisco’s June ballot.
Dozens of members of the California Nurses Association carried a pair of banners demanding the Trump administration “Abolish ICE” and stop its invasion of U.S. cities.
A dozen members of Glide Memorial Church were led by board member Andrea M. Henson, demanding the restoration of cuts made by the Trump administration to their meal programs and housing assistance to support the LGBTQ+ community.
Steven T. Jones contributed to this report.
