Soldotna ‘No Kings’ protest draws hundreds

More than 450 people joined a “No Kings” protest in Soldotna on Saturday, part of a national effort organized by 50501 that drew massive crowds across the country.

According to reporting by the New York Times, around 2,000 “No Kings” protests were scheduled this weekend across all 50 states. An estimated 100,000 gathered in Philadelphia, and photos show thousands gathering in large cities like Los Angeles and Houston.

The Anchorage Daily News reported “thousands” in downtown Anchorage. Alaska Beacon reporter James Brooks posted to Bluesky that “between 1,500 and 2,000” protested in Juneau. The Homer News reported around 700 in Homer. Photos posted to social media show gatherings from Seldovia to Fairbanks and many other Alaska communities in between.

In Soldotna, protesters carried signs decrying the actions and words of U.S. President Donald Trump. Many said simply “no kings,” referring to what has been described as authoritarian overreach by Trump and his allies in slashing federal funding, cancelling programs and pushing for increased deportation of immigrants. One sign read “No kings except in the Kenai River.”

Several people on Saturday carried signs calling for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, often called ICE. Some specifically called for the release of Francisco Rodriguez-Rincon, who owns two Soldotna Mexican restaurants. He is accused of being in the United States illegally and has been held in a Washington ICE facility since May. One sign read “I like my horchata without ICE.”

Robert Taylor, 69, said he’s never been to a protest before. He came out because he has kids and grandkids who he fears won’t get the same rights he was afforded. He pointed to the unwillingness of Congress to oppose Trump’s many executive orders; the overturning of Roe v. Wade — the precedent that established a constitutional right to an abortion — by a Supreme Court that Trump has packed with his candidates; the firing of every member of the panel who set federal vaccine recommendations by Trump’s Secretary of Health; and the proposed slashing of Medicaid in Trump’s tax bill.

“You get up every morning now and you see what rights you’ve lost overnight,” he said. “For you and your grandkids and your kids in the future. It’s scary.”

Saturday was bright and sunny in Soldotna, but Taylor said he would have been in the same spot if it was pouring rain — standing “like a sign post.” He held a sign reading “no kings” and nodded to the people honking or giving thumbs-ups in support.

“This is a big effort,” he said referring both to the people standing along the Sterling Highway and the wider protests. “It’s going to get bigger. This won’t be my last standing on a curb.”

Judy, who declined to give her last name because of the assassination of a Democratic state lawmaker in Minnesota on Saturday and threats made against “No Kings” protesters in that state, was dressed as the USNS Harvey Milk. The Naval vessel was named for a Korean War veteran who was discharged from the military in 1955 for being gay, and who later became a public official in San Francisco. Milk was assassinated by someone opposed to anti-discrimination legislation he supported.

Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Secretary of Defense, ordered the ship renamed earlier this month. The Associated Press reports that a statement from the Pentagon said Hegseth ordered the renaming because he wants all Department of Defense assets to be reflect Trump’s priorities, American history and “the warrior ethos.”

The move, Judy said, means the administration is saying “gay people are not warriors.”

“Gay people could be serving in the military, as can trans people,” she said. “They can defend our country.”

The country, Judy said, is moving culturally in the wrong direction. Seeing hundreds in Soldotna speak out against that trend is “wonderful.”

The nationwide protest came the same day as a military parade took place in Washington, D.C. The parade, organized at the behest of the Trump administration, coincided with Flag Day, the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and Trump’s 79th birthday. According to reporting by NPR, the U.S. Army has said the parade would cost up to $45 million.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.