Thousands of demonstrators gathered at the Saint Paul Community College in the afternoon to march toward the Minnesota State Capitol on Saturday in defiance of President Donald Trump’s administration. 

Gov. Tim Walz and a variety of other politicians were scheduled to attend the event, but canceled their appearances due to recent shootings. Walz also issued a public safety announcement discouraging anyone from attending the protests. 

Despite warnings, about 10,000 protesters came together out of urgency, turning the fear into motivation to speak for their rights. 

June 14 serves as Flag Day and marks the 250th anniversary of the American military. At the same time as the protests around the nation, a $45 million dollar parade was held at the United States Capitol to commemorate the military’s achievements.

A peaceful walk to the Minnesota State Capitol was coupled with chants underlining solidarity with other movements such as the Palestine liberation, advocacy for undocumented immigrants, and the Black Lives Matter movement.  

Crowds shouted “Free Free Palestine”, “Immigrants are welcome here,” and “No more Minnesota Nice” as protesters walked side by side, declaring “No more kings.”

At the Minnesota State Capitol, the chairman of the Minnesota 50501 organization, Zachary Lindstrom, gave the introduction speech criticizing the military parade in Washington and the “oligarchy ruling” of Trump’s America. 

“250 years ago, America stood up to a tyrant king, and generations later, our great-grandparents defeated fascism abroad. Now, it’s our turn to beat fascism at home,” Lindstrom said.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison followed the speech and asked for a moment of silence for DFL Minnesota House of Representatives Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman. The two were assassinated at their home in Brooklyn Park.

“She proved you could be a politician and still be a good person. She understood that everyone is entitled to due process,” Ellison said. “She understood that the rule of law is very important, and she understood that kids learn better on a full stomach, so she fought for free school meals.”

A variety of speakers followed after him, such as Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and founder of Racial Justice Network and Monique Cullars-Doty, the leader of the Minnesota chapter of the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Representatives from COPAL, or Communities Organizing Latine Power and Action, were also speakers. Artists like poet Kyle Tran Myhre and Common Defense veteran Jacob Thomas also made an appearance, adding to the colorful collection of speakers at the event. 

“We are not afraid,” Armstrong said. “We will not bow down to kings.” 

Armstrong said the attack was not a coincidence and the attacker knew that thousands of people were going to show up for the protest. 

“We will not turn around because that’s exactly what they wanted us to do,” Armstrong said.

From across the nation, people of all ages came together to fight for democracy and for the well-being of all Americans. 

Michael Calvin, a nurse at the University of Minnesota Fairview hospital, talked about the importance of standing up for the rights of the oppressed. As a steward for the Minnesota Nurses Union, he came out of work, still in his uniform, to support a cause dear to his heart.

“I’m standing up for democracy and freedom and acknowledging that we don’t live in an actual democracy, we live in a bipartisan oligarchy,” Calvin said. He wants to see the entire Trump administration system overturned, a sentiment shared by many of the demonstrators attending the event.

Although claims of these movements are said to be radical, Wille Green, a protester, said, “Well, it is radical, in a world where people think that it is okay to give billionaires tax cuts that taxpayers pay for. It is radical in a capitalist nation, and I’ve always been a radical, and it’s okay,” Green said. “Like Malcom X says, ‘extreme conditions require extreme solutions,’ and we need an extreme solution.”