Molokai’s ‘No Dictators’ Protestors Join Millions Nationwide

A couple dozen Molokai residents participated in the ‘No Dictators’ protest in Kaunakakai, joining seven million people in the ‘No Kings’ rallies across the nation. Photo by Léo Azambuja

By Léo Azambuja

A group of Molokai residents joined millions of Americans taking part in the No Kings protests against President Donald Trump in thousands of cities in the United States last Saturday.

“I’m a midwife who serves the community, and I’m extremely worried about the potential harms that the current administration could reap on this community,” Kalae resident Michelle Palmer said.

Approximately seven million people participated in the No Kings rallies in more than 2,700 cities across all 50 states and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands. In Hawaii, organizers called the protests No Dictators in respect to the Hawaiian monarchy.

The latest round of No Kings protests follows the same protests last June, propelled by claims of authoritarian policies by Trump’s administration. Much of the criticism against the current administration falls under aggressive immigration policies, alleged constitutional rights violations, military deployment to police communities, federal cuts and the government shutdown. 

Organizers asked participants to keep the events peaceful, in response to the Trump administration’s claims that the protests could be unsafe. 

On Molokai, about two dozen protesters battled a blazing sun in front of Molokai Public Library the whole morning, holding signs with sayings such as; Freedom of Choice, It’s a Good Day to Save Democracy, Freedom Over Tyranny, Healthcare Not Wealthcare, Celebrate Diversity and other slogans promoting democracy or criticizing the administration’s policies.  

The Kaunakakai protest was mostly peaceful, but it wasn’t without incidents. 

A woman walked across the street and yelled at the crowd to “go back home,” while calling them names. One of the protesters answered back, saying, “I’m Hawaiian.” A hot exchange took place for a few moments, and only ended when someone embraced the woman and helped her walk back across the street, where she got into the passenger seat of a luxury car and left. Meanwhile, protesters kept saying, “We love you.”

Shortly after, a man riding a motorized wheelchair, also came from across the street and started yelling at protesters.

“Trump doing good. Why do you think (Democrats) lost? They’re evil,” he said. “Go back to the mainland. Don’t make trouble in Hawaii.”

He kept repeating his speech until a woman holding a protest sign approached him and said she was his neighbor. He stayed for a short time, and said before leaving, “I love you guys, but what you’re doing is wrong.” 

With peace restored, sign holders kept shouting to passing cars, who would honk back. 

Palmer said she understood the anger some people have; when people feel ignored and their concerns remain unresolved, they often change their approach. It’s hard to walk back from that decision even though veterans are being harmed and families are being separated from their children, she said.

“I really just feel that the message that I’ve got — Love, Unity and Community — is one that we can all agree on, and we have got to find our common ground,” Palmer said, showing her hand-made sign. 

The No Kings protests also spread to other countries, including Australia, England, France, Canada, Iceland, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Mexico, Denmark, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Panama and the British Virgin Islands. Some countries still have monarchies, and like in Hawaii, their protests were called No Dictators or No Tyrants.