Hundreds gather for No Kings protest in Orange

ORANGE – An estimated 600 people showed up for a No Kings protest held in Orange last Saturday.

Signs condemning ICE, the war in Iran, federal budget cuts, voter suppression and a variety of other issues were seen along South Main Street from the intersection with East and West Main streets to River Street. The protest, organized by Indivisible North Quabbin, was scheduled from 11 a.m. to noon, but protesters were showing up at 10:30 to express their displeasure with the Trump administration.

Prior to the start of the event, about two dozen people recruited by organizers as “peacekeepers” met in Memorial Park to get instructions and prepare for any problems that might arise. The protest, however, remained peaceful from start to finish.

“We’re losing our democracy,” Gail Parella of Orange said, adding that this was her first time taking part in a protest. “It’s everything, a whole combination of everything that’s going on right now. I’m from around here and I’m tired of seeing things go downhill.”

Parella’s daughter, 20-year-old Abby Eknaian said this was also her first time as a protest participant.

“I think we’re losing our democracy,” Eknaian said. “There’s no humanity anymore, everyone is so unkind. He was supposed to be an anti-war president and now we’re having wars.”

Beverly Bartolomeo of Templeton said she made the effort to show up, “Because of the fact that Trump is dangerous. People treat him like he’s okay, but he’s sick. He’s probably the most dangerous person in the world right now. I’m so afraid for the future, for my grandchildren and the kids growing up in this country.”

Bartolomeo was accompanied by her husband, Frank Bart, who said while on vacation in Hawaii in 2002, the couple took part in a protest of the run-up to the war in Iraq. He also took part in the 1969 Vietnam War Moratorium in Boston, he said, and now opposes the war in Iran.

Ann Willhite of Athol, former owner of the store Deja Vu, said she was making her first-ever political protest.

“I’ve reached the age where I’m just so concerned about the future for my daughter’s generation, for my grandchildren,” she said. “It’s terrifying. What’s going on in the country right now is absolutely terrifying. If there’s another protest, I will definitely be here again.”

Opponents of the administration were not the only ones making their presence known along South Main. A single counter-demonstrator, sporting a Donald Trump mask and a megaphone, joined the hundreds of anti-Trump demonstrators. The man walked back and forth from one end of the protest to the other, criticizing immigrants, liberals, the LGBTQ+ community, as well as Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Gov. Maura Healey. He declined to identify himself or speak with a reporter. 

His string of complaints didn’t seem to bother the demonstrators, who cheered with every passing vehicle that honked in agreement with their protest.

When noon rolled around, much of the crowd gathered at the First Universalist Church on North Main Street for musical entertainment and to discuss strategies for getting more involved in the No Kings movements, rapid response activities in reaction to ICE operations and preparations for the 2026 mid-term elections.