photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Protesters sing "This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie at the intersection of Ninth and Massachusetts streets on Thursday, May 1, 2025.

Ahead of President Trump’s unprecedented military parade in Washington, D.C., protesters on Saturday will gather at a Lawrence park — and around the nation — to speak out against authoritarianism and civil rights abuses.

The protest, dubbed “No Kings,” will be from 1 to 3 p.m. at Watson Park, 727 Kentucky St., according to the No Kings website, an organization of national activists who have been helping plan protests against the Trump administration. More than 2,000 related events are expected to occur nationwide.

Trump’s parade is set to kick off at 5:30 p.m. Central Time.

Christina McKenna, an area organizer, said the event initially was scheduled for South Park, but it was moved to Watson park because of the Juneteenth celebrations in Lawrence scheduled for Saturday.

The protest in Lawrence is one of 18 scheduled across the state on Saturday, with the largest expected to be in Topeka at the state Capitol.

McKenna said many of the local protests were intended for people who might not be able to get to the Topeka event, which is scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. Activists have been chartering buses and establishing carpools for people to reach that event.

State troopers are standing by as large crowds are expected.