ʻNo Dictators’ Stand Up for Democracy

Molokai residents joined the ‘No Dictators’ protest in Kaunakakai last weekend. Photo by Léo Azambuja

By Léo Azambuja

About three dozen Molokai residents protested simultaneously with millions of protesters in thousands of No Kings protests across the nation last weekend criticizing President Donald Trump’s actions and policies. 

“I’m a Veteran. I’m the son of a veteran, brother of a veteran, grandson of a veteran, great-grandson of a veteran, going all the way back to the Revolutionary War,” protester Greg O’Shea said. “What we fought for was for the rights, that I understand, freedom of speech, freedom to practice religion, all of these things that I think we should be able to stand up for each other, and not have one person dictate to us what we’ve got to do and how we’ve got to do it.”

The No Dictators protest on Molokai joined other No Dictators protests statewide, and about eight million protesters in roughly 3,300 No Kings protests in the United States March 28. In Hawaii, the protests were called No Dictators in respect to the Hawaiian monarchy overthrown by foreign interests in 1893.

“The national organization is called No Kings, but out of reverence to the royalty and the monarchy here, they changed it to No Dictators,” protester Greg Kahn said.

Protesters started gathering on the lawn in front of the state building next to Molokai Public Library just before 9 a.m., bringing handmade signs with sayings such as “No War,” “It’s a Good Day to Save Democracy,” “Resist, Persist,” “Freedom, Not Fascism,” “Make Love, Not War,” “Stop Trump” and many others. 

“I think it’s important that we stand up to a leader that is breaking our democratic laws, who has made an illegal war, who is stealing our money, who is undermining America’s economy, along with the entire world’s economy,” protester Jenny Webster said. “He could break countries, and he is doing it on whims. He is not a leader or a president. What is happening definitely isn’t democracy.”

Other countries have also joined the protests, with thousands protesting in France, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany and Greece.

The latest nationwide No Kings protest was the third and largest since the first on June 14, 2025, which drew an estimated five million people in 2,100 cities. The second nationwide protest was held Oct. 18, drawing roughly seven million people in 2,700 communities. 

The Molokai protest remained peaceful, even after a couple residents came out to either criticize the demonstration or show support for Trump. 

A lady approached the group early during the event and questioned if they had a permit to protest on state property. She later declined comment to the newspaper.

About an hour later, another lady sat in her parked car across the street for more than an hour holding American and Hawaiian flags, plus a sign saying “USA Voted President Donald Trump,” while playing patriotic songs on her car’s sound system.

While the Molokai protest happened without incidents, the Hawaii State Capitol in Honolulu, the site of a planned protest, received a bomb threat, causing authorities to evacuate the area and close nearby roads at 9:50 a.m. After the police found no validity in the threat, protesters were allowed back around noon. 

In Minnesota, 200,000 people attended the largest No Kings protest at the state capitol. The event lasted several hours, and was attended by several celebrity speakers and performers, including actress Jane Fonda, singer-songwriters Bruce Springsteen and Joan Baez, and former presidential candidate and independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders from Vermont. 

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz demanded justice for Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two American citizens killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents earlier this year, sparking anti-ICE protests across the U.S.

“When the wannabe dictator in the White House sent his untrained, aggressive thugs to do damage to Minnesota, it was you, Minnesota, who stood up for your neighbors, who stood up for decency, who stood up for kindness,” Walz said.

Webster said if we don’t stand up, we will lose all our rights. 

“I understand how it feels like nothing is happening and it looks like nobody is doing anything, but the truth is, as far as I’ve seen in history, dictators only end when the people rise up and show how many people are against them,” Webster said. “It’s people power that ends dictators, and we have to be brave enough to stand up.”