Demonstrators gather in Gulfport as part of national ‘No Kings’ protest

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Gulfport to join more than 2,600 other protests across the United States against the Trump administration on Saturday.

The protests were held in response to what attendees view as rising authoritarianism from the federal government with the ordering of the National Guard into major cities to assist in enforcing immigration policies.

The protest was primarily led by Lea Campbell, a community organizer based in Ocean Springs, and began in front of the Dan M. Russell Jr. Federal Courthouse Annex, where hundreds of attendees brought signs and flags to voice their discontent with the current administration.

“A lot of people are angry and concerned about what they see happening in the country right now,” Campbell said. “Together, we are united in saying no to this regime’s fascist agenda.”

For other community organizers like Nilyah Khadaran, the downgrading of public services and institutions was at the forefront of the issues brought up during the protest.

“We reject the gutting of public education, public health and environmental protections,” Khadaran said. “We reject the gutting and politicization of public agencies like FEMA and the CDC.”

For Campbell, trying to mobilize more people to show up to “No Kings” rallies means “we also spend a lot of time talking about the ways that fascism shows up in folks’ daily lives.”

Campbell also believes the key to creating broader change in the community is showing empathy toward the marginalized groups affected by the current administration.

“You start showing that empathy, you model that human dignity and empathy, and others follow,” Campbell said. “And so when you start acting in that way, behaving in that way, organizing in that way, people follow, people come along.”

This story was originally published October 18, 2025 at 4:37 PM.