FRESNO, Calif. — Thousands of peaceful protesters packed the streets early Saturday as Fresno joined the millions expected to march nationally in “No Kings” protests, decrying the policies of President Donald Trump, who, along with many of his supporters, characterized the protests as the “Hate America” rallies.
The thick clusters of protesters knotted along busy Blackstone intersections early Saturday included Kate MacBean and Alexander Edin, who said they joined the rally in response to what they see as a rise in fascism under Trump - but also had specific fears and concerns.
“My parents are retired and I’m just expecting their premiums to just go way up,” MacBean said in a brief interview with Fresnoland.
Several hundred packed the overflowing sidewalks around East Fedora and North Blackstone in Fresno on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, a chorus of anti-Trump chants greeted with an endless stream of honking car horns. Credit: Diego Vargas | Fresnoland Edin cited the administration’s anti-immigrant crackdown, which was also a major point of contention for Fresno protesters in June during the first “No Kings” rally. While anti-immigration enforcement in Fresno has avoided the national spotlight, ICE arrests are up nearly 60% in the area over last year, The Fresno Bee reported this week, and more than 500 have already been deported.
Masked, unmarked and anonymous-looking federal agents — which have been a growing source of criticism of the Trump administration — have also been taking people off the streets of Fresno for months.
“I don’t think there’s a singular thing that’s driving people out here,” said Mike Dalena, a spokesperson for Central Valley Indivisible’s “No Kings” rally around Manchester Center on Saturday morning. “I think it’s a cacophony of disaster that’s occurring around us.”
Fresno protesters overwhelmingly refuted unfounded claims made by some GOP leaders that Saturday's 'No Kings' demonstrators 'hate America.' Credit: Diego Vargas | Fresnoland Several hundred packed the overflowing sidewalks around East Fedora and North Blackstone, a chorus of anti-Trump chants greeted with an endless stream of honking car horns — many in support of the peaceful rally, while others clearly honked in counter-protest, signaling support for the president, who won Fresno County last year, collecting nearly 51% of the local vote. Trump was the first GOP candidate to carry the county since George W. Bush in 2004.
Similar rallies also took place early Saturday in Clovis, The Bee reported, with protesters in the predominantly conservative community also refuting the administration's vague and largely unsupported claims of anti-American sentiment amongst the crowds.
The large, colorful protest around Manchester Center included a replica of the Statue of Liberty. Designed by Central Valley Indivisible and the “Puppet and Mask” society, the group described their tribute to Ms. Liberty as a 10-foot-tall, “gazillion” pound tribute of chicken-wire-and-paper mache, PVC pipe, plywood and “love.”
"Ms. Liberty," a sculpture created by Central Valley Indivisible and the Mask and Puppet society, was exhibited at Saturday's "No Kings" protest. Credit: Diego Vargas The puppet society was described in a news release as “a loose knit group of folks who just want to have fun on the way to saving democracy.”
Kathy Fuller, a member of Central Valley Indivisible and the “Puppet and Mask” society, said Lady Liberty was chosen to reflect that, under Trump’s anti-immigration policies, the United States is no longer a country that welcomes immigrants.
“America’s no longer the land of liberty under Trump,” said Fuller in an interview. “It’s becoming a more repressive, fascist society.”
Some protesters, like Virginia Champion, took issue with claims by some national GOP leaders that the protest would be attended by members of Antifa or paid protesters. Champion, a retired preschool teacher, carried a sign saying they weren’t “paid” to demonstrate.
“I was frustrated hearing elected officials saying that we were going to be paid protesters and that we hate our country; that is just not the case,” Champion said in an interview. “We love our country, our freedoms, our rights.”
The size of the large crowd over the roughly two early-morning hours was difficult to estimate on Saturday. City police monitored the Manchester-area crowd on Saturday, but police officials could not immediately be reached for comment regarding enforcement, safety efforts or crowd size estimates.
A CVI organizer said his group’s early, unconfirmed estimate put the total number of Fresno protesters around 7,000.
Many motorists honked in support of Saturday's peaceful protest, while others clearly honked in counter-protest, signaling support for the president, who won Fresno County last year, collecting nearly 51% of the local vote. Credit: Diego Vargas | Fresnoland Aside from the hyper-local and pocket-book issues that drew many, some international issues also brought additional protesters to Fresno’s streets.
Alexis, a Fresno resident and second-generation immigrant who asked to be identified by first name only, noted that, on top of ICE’s impact locally, they attended the protest to bring attention to humanitarian crises in Palestine, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“No one is free until everyone is free,” Alexis said in an interview. They also noted that while Trump may be the focus of the nationwide demonstrations, they said the president is not the only person in government who they feel should be held accountable.
“The Republicans and the Democrats have allowed these issues to go unchecked, which ultimately allowed Trump to take power and do what he is doing.”
How others are covering the 'No Kings' protests in Fresno and the Central Valley
(Outside news sites may be subject paywalls or other restrictions)
‘We are hardworking people.’ The Fresno Bee
'Immigrants are hardworking people.' The Fresno Bee
Thousands join protests in Merced, Modesto. The Merced Focus
More than 2,000 rallies expected nationally FOX26
Millions expected to rally around the nation GV Wire
‘No Kings” tied to ‘radical groups’? KMJ
This article first appeared on Fresnoland and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.