PHOTOS: Thousands attend ‘No Kings’ protest in downtown Orlando

(Photo by Bellanee Plaza)

ORLANDO | Thousands gathered on the street corners of City Hall in downtown Orlando Oct. 18 as part of the second nationwide “No Kings” protest.

Over 80 protests took place in Florida, with demonstrations held across Central Florida and Tampa Bay. Nationwide organizers shared afterwards that 7 million people gathered at 2,700 “No Kings” events in all 50 states and abroad, calling it the single largest day of protest in modern U.S. history.

At the peaceful protest in Orlando, people chanted and waved signs as music echoed in the streets. From 10 a.m. until noon, multiple speakers stood at the stairs at City Hall to voice their anger against the Trump administration and Republican-led policies.

A small group of counter-protesters were also present, voicing support for the president and criticizing Democratic leadership.

Ramon Pereira Bonilla, a volunteer de-escalator, said his job at the protest was to make sure the protesters stayed safe and to not let protesters engage with counter-protesters. They were also a speaker at the protest.

“The importance of protest is not to just come out and hang out and sing and dance and shout and wave signs,” Bonilla shares. “The importance of protest are so that you plug into the communities that you become part of the local organizations so that you actually do something.”

They explain that protesting is an opportunity to educate as it gives people a chance to get involved but it doesn’t stop with protesting. Bonilla said people have to learn about non-cooperation and learn more from Orlando 50151 and Sunrise Movement Orlando.

Sister Ann Kendrick led the protest in prayer, speaking in English and Spanish. Obsidian Tiburòn, a Two-Spirit Taino, Indigenous to the Caribbean and lead speaker, invited her to speak and said Orlando is the queer city it is because of the work Sister Ann has done.

Some demonstrators wore inflatable frog and various animal costumes. They held signs to show their disapproval of Trump’s use of ICE to implement mass deportations, his handling of the war in Gaza and his party’s role in the ongoing government shutdown.

Representative Anna V. Eskamani was seen walking around the protest and speaking to demonstrators. She later attended Come Out with Pride as well.

Chants like “Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go” and “No kings, no fascists” were heard throughout the protest. House Speaker Mike Johnson called it a “hate-America rally” that would draw “the pro-Hamas wing” of the Democratic Party and “the antifa people.”

The Orlando Police Department was at the protest on their bicycles. The protest was confined to the sidewalks as there wasn’t a permit to march in the streets. Roads stayed open with many cars honking in support.

The first “No Kings” protest brought out a similar crowds in June. View video and photos from the demonstration below:

Photos by Bellanee Plaza.