Thousands of people gathered at the Texas Capitol on Saturday to participate in a "No Kings Day" protest, part of a nationwide movement to push back against policies linked to the Trump administration.
Local organizers and representatives, including Democratic Reps. Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett of Austin, spoke at the Capitol.
Doggett placed blame on Trump and congressional Republicans for the ongoing government shutdown. He also urged participants to get involved in the upcoming November election.
"Now is the time for each person to personally engage," he said. "The ultimate check on tyranny is found at the ballot box."
Local activist Shelby Evans spoke from the Capitol steps dressed in bright orange butterfly wings.
"The only monarch I'm embracing today is a butterfly," she said.
She urged the crowd to invite others to participate in political activism: "Get out there and pollinate."
Gov. Greg Abbott announced earlier this week that Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas National Guard members would be deployed to Austin to respond to any violence associated with the "No Kings" event. On Saturday, state troopers were stationed at entrances to the Capitol grounds inspecting bags. But overall, protesters said the law enforcement presence felt smaller than the previous "No Kings" event in June.
After a peaceful rally at the Capitol, which event organizers estimated at 20,000 people, the crowd marched down Congress Avenue to Auditorium Shores, where dozens of community organizations gathered to meet participants and engage them in local causes.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the No Kings March today. The rally remained peaceful, with no arrests reported. We’re grateful to our community and event organizers for coming together to make sure voices were heard safely and respectfully. Great job ATX!
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) October 18, 2025
++++++++++++… pic.twitter.com/ZS8TurFzgW
An Nguyen and two new friends sought refuge in the shade of some trees at Auditorium Shores as musicians and speakers continued to rally from a stage. Nguyen, who immigrated to America from Vietnam, said she worked up the courage that morning to ask a neighbor if she could come with her to the protest.
"I don't really know anybody in the area, even though I lived in Austin for 10 years," she said. "It was actually quite a reach for me. But I thought, sometimes you really have to put yourself out there. You have to be courageous."
Nguyen said she wanted to participate in the protest because of her perspective as an immigrant.
"I came from a country where books were banned, music were banned, rights were banned, and if you say anything bad about the government, you are in jail," she said. "I grew up during the communist time, and actually, if you notice the thing happening here, it's exactly the pattern that I grew up [with]."
Mindy Hahn was one of the women Nguyen met through the protest. Hahn was returning for her second "No Kings" event after showing up to protest in June. She said this event had a much larger turnout — and that makes her hopeful.
"All these people [are] here with a very positive, friendly vibe," Hahn said. "Nothing could be further from the truth than that this is a violent mob, or we're out here to overthrow the government, or we hate America. We love America. We're just trying to save it from people who want to take away our right to vote and decide our future."
Copyright 2025 KUT News
