SALT LAKE CITY — Thousands of Utahns are expected to march downtown Saturday afternoon to protest President Donald Trump's administration.
Dubbed the "No Kings 3.0" rally, the demonstration is one of 3,200 coordinated events occurring across the country on Saturday. In Utah alone, 18 protests are planned across the state from St. George to Logan.
The Salt Lake City event will start at 2 p.m.in Washington Square Park. At 2:30, the event plans to include a march from the park to the Utah State Capitol where the rally will continue until 5 p.m.
Saturday's event marks the third "No Kings" rally to be held in Salt Lake City.
In June 2025, a "No Kings" rally in downtown Salt Lake ended with the unexpected fatal shooting of innocent bystander Arthur Folasa "Afa" Ah Loo, 39, who prosecutors say was shot by Matthew Scott Alder, a security "peacemaker" at the event. Alder is facing manslaughter charges and Ah Loo's widowed wife has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the accused gunman and organizers of the rally.
Despite that occurrence, thousands showed up again to march in another No Kings protest in October that was relatively calm and largely free of confrontation.
"What began in 2025 as a single day of defiance has become a sustained national resistance to tyranny, spreading from small towns to city centers and across every community determined to defend democracy," a statement from the No Kings website says.
The No Kings website also advises all attendees to commit to nonviolent action and seek to de-escalate any potential confrontations.
A coalition of roughly 20 local groups is organizing the events throughout the state. Jamie Carter, logistics coordinator for the Utah coalition, said organizers have spent months preparing and implementing a "major safety and de‑escalation plan."
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Cassidy Wixom
