Local activists plan ‘No Kings’ protest Saturday in Lebanon city park

A “No Kings” protest, one of at least 2,500 events scheduled in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Oct. 18, will be held locally in Fisher Veterans’ Memorial Park, Lebanon.

The local event is organized by local groups Mondays With Meuser and Lebanon County Indivisible. Labeled by organizers a “peaceable assembly and protest action,” the protest will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. along the perimeter of the park at 521 S. 9th St.

Top Republican officials have strongly criticized the demonstration plans, according to widespread media reports.

House Speaker Mike Johnson in statements has called the nationwide protest a “Hate America” rally, while House Majority Whip Tom Emmer called Americans planning to join the protests “the terrorist wing” of the Democratic Party. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he expected millions of attendees would be “part of antifa, paid protesters,” although he did not indicate who was paying them.

Organizers of the protest say the event is non-partisan, and members of all political parties, or with no party affiliation, are welcome.

“The foundations of our constitutional democratic republic are under attack by a lawless regime,” co-organizer Michael Schroeder said in a statement. “Separation of powers. Checks & balances. An independent judiciary. Free speech. A free press. The rule of law. We are coming together to raise our voices in defense of these foundational pillars of our republic.”

Rachel Wallace, a Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania’s 9th congressional district currently held by Rep. Dan Meuser (R), will be the event’s featured speaker.

According to a report in Newsweek, the “No Kings” protests are the latest nationwide demonstrations since Trump returned to office in January. Millions of Americans turned out for “No Kings” protests in hundreds of cities on June 14 and, more recently, “Workers Over Billionaires” demonstrations were held across the country on Labor Day.

Nearby, “No Kings” protests are also scheduled in Hershey, Manheim, Wyomissing, Pottstown, Reading, Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg. For other locations, visit the national map online.

Local organizers said the protests are in opposition to what they call “the corrupt, cruel, illegal, and unconstitutional actions of the Trump-MAGA regime.”

According to the “No Kings” website, the Trump administration is “targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting and detaining people without warrants; threatening to overtake elections; gutting health care, environmental protections, and education when families need them most; rigging maps to silence voters; ignoring mass shootings at our schools and in our communities; and driving up the cost of living while handling out massive giveaways to billionaire allies, as families struggle.”

“President Trump is currently eroding checks and balances by exercising raw executive power in every way he can. We will not stand by as this happens.”