Dozens of “No Kings” events are set to take place across Oregon this Saturday, part of a National Day of Action expected to draw tens of thousands of people rallying against what organizers describe as rising fascism in the country.
Keir Karson, an organizer for Indivisible Oregon, the grassroots group co-organizing the events, said Saturday will be focused around the theme “everybody, everywhere, all at once” – and participants are invited to engage on a hyper-local level, inspired in part by local resistance to ICE activity in Minneapolis.
“The idea was occupy your corner,” he said, “but occupy your corner ‘everybody, everywhere, all at once’ – so that you cannot drive through the Portland metropolitan area without seeing someone on the corner with a sign of resistance.”
Portland isn’t the only spot; multiple protests are planned from Ashland to Burns to Pendleton.
New data from the University of Washington Center for Human Rights show ICE arrests increased dramatically at the end of last year in the region, with more than 2,200 in the final three months of 2025. Organizers are calling for an end to ICE activity in Oregon and for agents who break the law to be prosecuted.
The Trump administration has said all actions carried out by ICE have been legal and has called for immunity for all agents.
Karson said many people are feeling overwhelmed by the political climate right now, but emphasized that getting involved can help them feel better. He added that every action, whether it’s writing postcards or talking with neighbors, is important.
“Whatever your generation is or whatever your interest is,” he said, “there’s a group out there that you can get involved with.”
About 7 million people participated in the last “No Kings” protests in October, held across 2,700 locations nationwide.
By Isobel Charle, Public News Service
