Thousands of people gathered in Atlanta as part of the No Kings rallies taking place nationwide, where speakers sounded the alarm against the potential for authoritarian rule under the Trump administration.
Speakers, which included prominent Georgia political figures and leaders of civil rights and advocacy organizations, described the current climate as a move away from democracy. It was a noticeable shift in tone from the No Kings events in June, when organizers warned of some of the administration’s undemocratic behaviors, such as hosting a military parade coinciding with President Donald Trump’s birthday.
Former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams framed the political battle as a fight over the nation’s direction.
“It used to be that we were all headed to the same destination. We just had different routes,” Abrams said to the crowd. “We may have a different way to get there, but the route we were going to take was democracy … but on the other side, they decided that the route they wanted to take was not democracy, but authoritarianism.”
Former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams speaks at the No Kings demonstrations in Atlanta on Oct. 18, 2025. Maya Homan/Georgia Recorder
Organizers say more than 10,000 people turned out Saturday at the Atlanta Civic Center, one of over 40 events held across Georgia, before marching to the state Capitol, but the actual number could be closer to 12,000, said Laura Judge with Indivisible North Metro, which is one of the event’s organizers. Martha Shockey, a convener of the Indivisible Georgia Coalition, said more than 5,000 people registered ahead of the protest.
Andrea Young, executive director of the ACLU of Georgia, told the crowd that the Trump administration has created a two-tiered system of justice where some are “above the law” and others are below.
“We love America too much to give it over to a wannabe king,” Young said. “The Trump regime puts billionaires above the law … at the same time, the Trump regime acts like some of us are below the law.”
In an interview Friday ahead of the rally, Young cited several examples of the current administration’s alleged abuses. She pointed to the administration’s actions on immigrant rights, including the denial of due process for people suspected of living in the country unlawfully and the attempt to abolish the 14th Amendment’s citizenship provision by executive order — a move the ACLU is challenging. She also raised concerns over the deployment of military personnel in American cities like Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as the “dismantling” of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and what she called the undermining of “facts and science.”
Abby Tighe, a founding member of Fired but Fighting, a coalition of terminated CDC employees and public health allies, described the latest mass terminations at the agency as “another deliberate attempt to traumatize federal workers and attack the American public.” The CDC workforce has shrunk by about 3,000 this year, with the latest round of layoffs in October affecting about 600 workers.
“Donald Trump continued to spread lies about vaccines, medications, and research. Their lies about vaccines have led to mistrust and violence. Their dehumanization and vitriol is directly responsible for the August attack on CDC that claimed the life of DeKalb County’s officer (David) Rose, while my friends and own child cowered in fear,” Tighe said.
Sen. Raphael Warnock speaks at the No Kings demonstrations in Atlanta on Oct. 18, 2025. Maya Homan/Georgia Recorder
Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock urged the audience to stand up for democracy and fight for their rights. Warnock pointed to the importance of unity and cooperation, regardless of political affiliation, and called for the end of the government shutdown and the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies.
“We don’t have to do one or the other. We can do both at the same time,” he said.
He also warned against the dangers of fascism and the need to fight for the rights of all people, including Palestinians, Israelis, Ukrainian children and American citizens.
“You cannot outsource democracy to anybody. You cannot outsource citizenship. It is all of us. That’s why they’re trying to divide us, because when all of us stand together and raise our voices, we win,” he said.
