Thousands gather outside Kansas State Capitol for ‘No Kings’ protest

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Thousands of Kansans across the state joined in nationwide “No Kings” protests, rallying against the Trump administration and calling out lawmakers for lack of accountability.

In Topeka, an estimated 6,300 people turned out at the Kansas State Capitol.

They marched around the Capitol complex to a silent drumbeat as an effort, they say, to highlight the signs of fascism. Many held signs with messages like “No billionaire kings” and calls to protect democracy.

Organizers say their message is to ensure the constitution and free speech are upheld, while also condemning recent actions carried out by the Trump administration, including the government shutdown, funding cuts, ICE raids, and the deployment of federal troops to several US cities.

“When you see national troops, it makes you feel unsafe, and the message they’re trying to put out is that it’s to clean things up,” Kansas 50501 volunteer coordinator Christie Peterson said. “Look around, we’ve got people joyfully celebrating our country.”

In addition to speaking out against the Trump administration, many were also protesting the redistricting process recently sparked by Kansas Republican lawmakers.

“All they want to do is try to steal votes from the democrats,” participating protester John Guffey said. “Johnson County is now democrat, and they’re trying to split it up to where they get the votes on the Republican side.”

The rally was organized by the Kansas 50501 movement.

Kansas President Ty Masterson said these protests have no substance.

“The No Kings protests should be renamed the No Impact protests, because that’s the amount of influence they actually have,” Masterson said in a statement to 13 News on Saturday. “The reality is that the left gerrymandered Republicans out of existence in Illinois and New England, and there is real risk to Kansas if we refuse to join the fight.”