On a hot and humid Saturday, more than 75 protests occurred across Florida – two being just 40 minutes apart: Gainesville and High Springs.
The protests were part of a nationwide series of over 2,000 “No Kings Day” demonstrations opposing President Donald Trump and his administration.
The “No Kings” movement was a response to “Flag Day,” the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary and the military parade being held in Washington, D.C. The protests were geared toward fighting against deportations, cuts to federal services and attacks on civil rights.
Gainesville
Over 1,500 people gathered at Cora P. Roberson Park and Southwest Sixth Street.
The event was a collaboration with various organizations, including the Alachua County Labor Coalition, Gainesville Women for Democracy, Progressive Democrats for America and the Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative.
Bands played songs ranging from “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stones to “This Land is Our Land” by Woody Guthrie.
Protesters chanted as people driving past honked in support.
Jose Mendoza, a 27-year-old Gainesville resident, wiped beads of sweat off his forehead and adjusted his tricorn hat. Studded in 18th-century fashion, Mendoza said he was dressed to honor his favorite historical figure, George Washington.
Mendoza said he appreciated how the demonstration felt like “one big family.”
“Almost everything that Trump does, everything turns to stone,” Mendoza said. “Never give up hope. Keep fighting on until democracy is restored.”
Jennifer Day, a 79-year-old Naples resident, was in Gainesville to see UF’s campus and decided to attend the protest when she saw it online. She held a string tied to a balloon depicting Trump as a baby.
Day said she appreciated the cleanliness and congeniality of the crowds at Cora Roberson, which she said contrasted that of her hometown.
“It feels like Grand Park Chicago in 1968,” Day said. “Naples is not a comfortable place to protest these days.”
Sally Sluder, a 65-year-old Lake City resident, drove nearly an hour Saturday morning to attend the protest. Sluder dressed as a clown, wearing a rainbow wig and holding a sign reading “No crown for a clown.”
Sluder said she was motivated to attend by the recent attacks on the federal Department of Education. Sluder said she considered the demonstration successful.
“Success is all these people moving around with law enforcement nowhere in sight,” Sluder said. “Look around you. People are speaking freely.”
Dark clouds formed over the park two hours into the demonstration, preluding a spell of pouring rain. While some protesters sought shelter, many endured the storm without moving from their spots on the concrete.
Hannah Johnson, a 26-year-old UF clinical psychology graduate student, shouted over the honking cars. She held a soaked poster reading “Melt ICE” above her head, its words bleeding ink onto her fingertips.
“I don’t know how I couldn’t be here today,” Johnson said. “I’ve been so frustrated, and this is the way I felt like I could show up.”
Three counter-protesters stood behind her, who declined to comment on their presence. Even in the midst of a “red, red state,” Johnson said the energy of the crowd was “unbelievable.”
“There’s so much love, so much welcoming energy here,” she said. “Even with counter-protesters, there’s polite discourse.”
High Springs
Just a few hours after crowds began to disperse at Cora Roberson Park, around 100 community members gathered at the High Springs Old Train Depot for its “No Kings Day” protest.
Though scattered clouds remained in the sky, protesters marched east in the sunny streets to High Springs City Hall and back, shouting, “This is what democracy looks like.”
Speakers with megaphones read verses of the Constitution to the crowd.
Chuck Mcginn, a 73-year-old Gainesville resident, attended both the Gainesville and High Springs protests. He waved a flag reading, “When tyranny becomes law, then resistance becomes duty.”
Mcginn said he attended due to his disagreements with Trump's military parade in D.C. and his displeasure with Trump administration policies on immigration and the economy.
“We can’t be ignored, and our Congress people will hear us rather than just support [Trump] blindly,” Mcginn said.
Unlike Gainesville, multiple emergency response vehicles, including police and fire rescue, observed the High Springs protest. The small team observed the demonstration from the sidewalks and aided the crowds crossing the streets.
Fire rescue officials on the scene said they knew about the protest in advance and their objective was to keep everyone safe.
A protester wearing a Donald Trump mask walks down US-27 during the "No Kings" protest in High Springs on Saturday, June 14, 2025.
Just after the crowd reached City Hall, a small fight broke out between a male counter-protester and a female attendee.
“Scum, scum, scum, go back to where you’re from,” the counter-protester chanted, drawing swift resistance from protesters. They began to gather around him, chanting back at him. Other protesters and fire rescue quickly stepped in to break up the scuffle.
While a small group of counter-protesters stood opposite City Hall’s parking lot, drivers displayed dissent while passing by, shouting “Trump 2026” and “Loserville.” Some individuals held their hands out of their car windows, middle fingers raised.
Deborah Lynch, a 60-year-old High Springs resident, said she believes in strong borders and was concerned about how the Biden administration handled immigration. Lynch said the influx of immigration will lead to less financial help for American citizens.
“Now [Florida] has this great burgeoning population of immigrants, and we’re not the only ones,” Lynch said. “That money isn’t there for us anymore.”
Lynch said she wants protests around the country to be less violent and hateful. When protests lead to fires or conflicts with police officers, such as recent Los Angeles demonstrations, civil unrest is inevitable, she said.
The protests in Gainesville and High Springs remained peaceful.
Linda McVay, a 72-year-old Gainesville resident, attended the High Springs protest. She attended protests during the Vietnam War, and she sees parallels between both time periods where the same “core values” she fought for are being trampled on, she said..
She said she witnessed a more civil “back and forth” between political parties when she was younger, but she’s since watched politics become “a bunch of hatred.”
“Donald Trump has stoked such a fire of hatred that we have to stand up,” McVay said. “If we were in another city, we’d be going there, because that’s all we have.”
Contact Sara-James Ranta at sranta@alligator.org. Follow her on X @sarajamesranta.
Contact Logan McBride at lmcbride@alligator.org. Follow him on X @logandmcbride.
Sara-James Ranta is a journalism senior, minoring in sociology of social justice and policy. She previously served as Metro's K-12 education reporter. In her free time, SJ is watching a new show, listening to EDM or discussing Star Wars.
Logan McBride is a journalism junior and the Summer 2025 city commission reporter. In his free time, he enjoys watching TV shows or playing basketball at Southwest Rec. He is also a big football fan and will die for Dak Prescott.
