Nebraska Prepares for Nationwide “No Kings 2.0” Protests
Nebraska is gearing up for a significant event as cities across the state join the nationwide “No Kings 2.0” protests this Saturday. The movement, driven by national organizers, aims to champion democracy and challenge what they describe as authoritarian practices by President Donald Trump.
The “No Kings” initiative, which originally launched in June, saw participation from 2,100 cities and drew around 5 million people. The upcoming protests are projected to expand, involving 2,500 cities nationwide, with 14 of them located in Nebraska.
Nebraska cities such as Alliance, Beatrice, Blair, Chadron, David City, Fremont, Grand Island, Hastings, Kearney, Norfolk, North Platte, Ogallala, Scottsbluff, and Wayne have been listed as protest sites on the Mobilize Us website.
Tiffany Burns, a volunteer from the Lincoln-partnered Taco Tuesdays Familia organization, highlighted the movement’s reach beyond traditionally Democratic regions of the state.
“When you have a protest in Chadron, Nebraska organized — when was the last time that happened?” Burns remarked, emphasizing the newfound space and obligation for public discourse.
Burns stressed that the protest welcomes Nebraskans of all political backgrounds.
“Nebraska tends to be really moderate. I think people would call themselves more traditional Republicans that would be fiscally conservative, but not necessarily conservative on social issues,” said Burns. “We’re very welcoming, we support our neighbors, we love our neighbors, we support local businesses.”
She expressed hope that the event will unify Nebraskans and amplify voices.
“The goal for this is to continue to have people feel empowered to speak out, to be connected to each other, to recognize that there is a community that is feeling the same way that they are concerned,” Burns stated.
However, there has been criticism from Republican figures, with House Speaker Mike Johnson referring to the protests as a “hate-America rally.” In an interview with Fox on Oct. 10, Johnson cautioned about the potential involvement of “the pro-Hamas wing” and “Antifa people,” following President Trump’s Sept. 22 designation of Antifa as a domestic terrorist group.
Republican voices, including Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, have voiced concerns over potential violence stemming from the protests.
“We are really trying to ensure that people are able to speak out, to share their outrage, but do it in a way that makes it clear,” Burns explained. “What we’re asking for is for people to be treated humanely, you know, like we’re asking you to follow the law.”
Some Nebraska Republicans perceive the protest as a diversion from the government shutdown discussions.
“I understand that the Democrats’ base have scheduled a No Kings protest in Washington, D.C., and what I’m hearing among colleagues in Washington is that the Democrats are in no mood to come to the table until after that protest,” stated Nebraska Rep. Mike Flood in an Oct. 8 interview with Nebraska Public Media.
