St. Paul, MN – The capitol lawn swelled with 200,000 protesters, according to organizers, with some arriving from around the country, to join in on the third national No Kings event protesting the presidential administration of Donald Trump. Law enforcement estimated the crowd to be 100,000.

“This is the largest protest in Minnesota history,” Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin said at the rally in front of the capitol building to uproarious applause. “Good job, everybody.”

Protesters marched from several locations around the city, some pouring through the streets of downtown St. Paul as they made their way to the Minnesota State Capitol building, where events began at noon. People of all demographics were present, many flying American flags and carrying signs with crossed out crowns and anti-ICE slogans.

The No Kings rally, the first of 2026, was organized by progressive non-profits Indivisible and 50501 and a number of smaller groups like the Third Act Movement. Initially organized as a reaction to the federal immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis that resulted in federal agents killing South Minneapolis residents Renée Good and Alex Pretti, the protests came to also encompass opposition to the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran that began on Feb. 28. 

St. Paul’s No Kings protest was just one of more than 3,300 such protests occurring across the country, but it was also the flagship location for this version, bringing on U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders as a speaker as well as musicians Bruce Springsteen and Joan Baez, among others.

“Today we remember and honor two brave Americans, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who lost their lives in the struggle,” Sanders said, opening his segment of the rally. “These two heroes will not have died in vain. Their sacrifice has inspired and will continue to inspire the American people in the never ending war for justice.”

Responding to the president’s hateful focus on Minnesota’s Somali community, Reviving the Islamic sisterhood for Empowerment Executive Director and Somali-American Malika Dahir articulated the community’s ability to survive in the face of hardship.

“As a Somali-American, we carry the stories of 1,000 sunrises over the Horn of Africa,” Dahir said. “We come from people who have survived war, displacement and started over from nothing. If we have survived all of that, we will survive your harsh words.”

The escalation of Operation Metro Surge earlier this year can be connected to the far-right influencer Nick Shirley’s video in December 2025 traveling around the Twin Cities accusing Somali daycare owners and health providers of committing millions of dollars in fraud without any proof. The video went viral, and caught the attention of President Trump, who made several Truth Social posts disparaging the wider Somali community in Minnesota.

“We will never leave the side of our Somali Minnesotans,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said at the rally. “Here’s our pledge to you, our Somali Minnesotans, your great grandchildren will still be here when that orange clown is in the dustbin of history.”

At the bottom of the capitol mall, several large screens were set up to magnify the speaker on the capitol’s steps in a stadium-like fashion, reflecting the funding and organization that went into the rally.

Protests occurred outside of the country as well, with events planned in Central America, Australia, Japan and Western European countries like France by organizations like Democrats Abroad. 

The Minnesota rally was heavily marshaled by volunteers in tandem with law enforcement who closed down several streets in the city.

Officials in Minnesota said 300 law enforcement officers were out in the streets, including but not limited to Ramsey County Sheriff’s Deputies, St. Paul Police, Minnesota Conservation Officers and State Troopers. The state authorities stationed a Special Response Team bearcat near the main rally point along with DNR trucks and riot vehicles all laden with Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRAD), an acoustic weapon that can cause permanent hearing loss.

Large amounts of militarized police in Denver and Los Angeles used crowd control munitions and made arrests after No Kings rallies.

The next No Kings action is a general strike planned for May 1, Levin said. The strike will be based on the day of action held in Minnesota on Jan. 23 earlier this year.

“It [will be] a tactical escalation,” Levin said. “It [will be] an economic show of force, inspired by Minnesota’s own day of truth and action.”

This story will be updated. Niko Georgiades contributed to this article for Unicorn Riot.

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