No Kings Protests lead to clashes in Portland, Los Angeles

Large crowds rallied nationwide for the third “No Kings” protest day, with mostly peaceful demonstrations, but clashes have been reported in some cities, including outside federal facilities in Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon.

Why It Matters

The coordinated protests come amid opposition to President Donald Trump’s policies on immigration enforcement and the war in Iran, while the White House dismissed the demonstrations, calling them “leftist funding networks” with limited real public support.

In a statement to media, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said, “The only people who care about these Trump derangement therapy sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them.”

Organizers said over 3,100 events were registered across all 50 states, with millions expected to have taken part.

What To Know

Demonstrations stretched from major cities to small towns, with marquee crowds in Minnesota’s capital and large gatherings in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., according to national and local outlets.

In St. Paul, Minnesota, Bruce Springsteen performed at the flagship event, commending Minnesotans for mobilizing over the winter to oppose an increase in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. The singer-songwriter lamented January’s fatal shooting of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, but said the state’s resistance to ICE has inspired hope, The Associated Press reported.

Organizers told Newsweek that more than 200,000 protesters came out for the Twin Cities event.

While most gatherings were reportedly peaceful, authorities and media reported clashes late in the day outside federal properties in Los Angeles and Portland, where police issued dispersal orders and made arrests after confrontations at sites associated with immigration enforcement and detention.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that in downtown Los Angeles, “a group of 1,000 rioters surrounded the Roybal Federal Building,” throwing rocks, bottles and cement blocks.

“Two officers hit with the concrete blocks are receiving medical care,” it said on Saturday, adding that two arrests had been made.

In Portland, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that at least two people were arrested during a standoff at the local ICE facility after the national protest day.

Police in New York City said that tens of thousands across all five boroughs took part in protests, and reported that it made “zero protest-related arrests.”

What People Are Saying

Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of progressive movement Indivisible, told Newsweek: “The defining story of this Saturday’s mobilization is not just how many people are protesting, but where they are protesting.”

Maureen O’Toole, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said, per The Associated Press: “These Hate America Rallies are where the far-left’s most violent, deranged fantasies get a microphone.”

“No Kings’” website reads: “Millions of us took to the streets for No Kings on March 28th and made it clear: we don’t do kings; not now, not ever”

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, President Donald Trump said, per Fox News: “I’m not a king. I work my a** off to make our country great. That’s all it is. I’m not a king at all.”

What Happens Next

Organizers behind “No Kings” have signaled plans to continue organizing for future protests.

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