Nearly seven million people across the nation gathered in the No Kings protests Oct. 18, and Austin was no exception.

This was the second nationwide No Kings protest day, the first being June 14. More than 2,700 protests took place in different cities, where protesters assembled in opposition to perceived authoritarianism in the Trump administration.

“I would relate [No Kings] back to when we first wrote the Declaration of Independence,” sophomore Storey Evans said. “The monarchy in England was […] kind of like our current administration, not giving the people what they want or giving them a say.”

Austinites gathered at the state Capitol in the 95 degree heat before marching to Auditorium Shores park, displaying signs reading ‘No Kings No Nazis,’ ‘No Crown for a Clown’ and similar messages.

“It was very peaceful,” Evans said. “We were just talking with one another, and you were walking down the street holding signs, and you weren’t doing anything really big or anything that would cause anybody harm.”

The most common concerns among protesters were the administration’s handling of immigration, as well as violations of due process and free speech rights. One protester advocated for fast tracking the legal immigration process to be less time-consuming and expensive.

“I don’t need anybody to speak for me, largely because I’m not quite a minority,” he said. “Seeing a bunch of people who look like me, as well as people who are actually under oppression, come together, I just hope [the administration sees that they are] servicing the rich and white. It has to end.”

Another protester’s sign depicted a symbolic ice cube melting, accompanied by text criticizing a lack of due process in the government’s illegal immigration crackdown. He also pointed out the division that culture wars related to illegal immigration and similar topics ensue among Americans, attributing the discord to purposeful manipulation by the wealthy and politically powerful.

“It’s not left vs. right,” he said. “It’s top vs. bottom, and we have to unite to preserve rights […] Our leaders of our country are trying to keep us divided, distracted with culture wars so that they can just continue the status quo.”

In addition to violating due process, some protesters felt that the president’s most king-like behavior was his censorship. Last spring, hundreds of immigrant university students faced threats to their presence in the U.S. after participating in pro-Palestine protests. Just recently, “Jimmy Kimmel’s Tonight Show” was temporarily suspended over comments on right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

“I think [the president is] taking away a lot of the power of free speech, especially from the press,” one college student protester said. “That’s the scariest thing to me.”

She advised that young people pay attention to political events and form independent political views instead of relying solely on their families’ beliefs.

Similarly, Evans advised students who want to get involved in protests to boost their confidence by researching issues beforehand and taking help from those with experience in activism. She also acknowledged the fears some may have about participating in political protests.

“It really is a give or take on how much do you feel that you want to put yourself out there?” Evans said. “I would say it [could] be risky, but I also would say it could be that benefits could outweigh the cons.”

The No Kings protest may not have changed policy overnight, but it reinforced the strength of democracy through unity in a time of deep division.