Thousands rally in Boston, and nationwide, over Trump administrations policies

BOSTON — This May Day, workers are sending out a call for action and solidarity in the face of unprecedented challenges from the federal government.

The start of May has long been a worker’s holiday the world over — it’s also known as International Workers Day — but this year the occasion was marked by nationwide protests over the policies of President Donald Trump.

Thousands gathered in Boston for just that reason on Thursday, to demand an end to economic turmoil, stop the erosion of rights, and seek a return to a level playing field for all workers and all people.

“We are witnessing a deliberate attack on democratic norms and labor protections,” the 50501 Movement‘s National Press Coordinator, Hunter Dunn, said in a statement. “It’s not just policy, it’s their playbook: suppress dissent, exploit workers, silence educators, and rig the system for the ruling few.”

The protest began at the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial on Beacon Street, where Tina Degree, of Lowell, took to a microphone and welcomed her fellow protesters to a fight she said she’s been waging for decades.

“This is different,” she said of the Trump administration, “but it’s also more of the same.”

Trump’s policies targeting marginalized groups, she said, are not a new flavor of politics to the nation’s minority communities. What’s new this time around, she said, is that more people are taking notice because it seems like no one is safe from government overreach.

“There continues to be an abuse of power,” she said.

One protest attendee, who identified herself as Sue from Beverly but declined to give her last name, said that she’s attended every protest against the Trump administration since inauguration.

When she was younger, she said, women like her had a right to an abortion. That’s not the case any longer, she said.

“None of this is normal,” she said.

So far, Sue said, she’s not happy with the unwillingness of younger generations to stand up and fight the administration. She said it’s time for everyone to get on the same page when it comes to Trump and his plans to remake the country.

“If we stand united, we cannot be beaten,” she said. “Divided, we fall. Stay united and grow.”

Protesters then moved to the Parkman Bandstand, where they displayed signs reading “no kings,” “democracy not monarchy,” “defend free speech,” “take back the constitution,” and “rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God,” among others. A brass band played jazz.

The range of complaints against the administration were broad, but included the assertion that tariffs are making it hard to do business, immigrants are living in fear in their communities, public institutions like libraries, PBS, and NPR are under attack, people are being taken off of the street by masked agents of the government, and all the while Trump and billionaires like Special Government Employee Elon Musk seem to be reaping all of the benefits.

Protesters are hoping the government takes notice, and are calling on Trump to be removed from office and for his policies to be reversed. It’s going to take a lot of people speaking up, according to Emily Williams, an organizer with 50501.

“Our power lies in communities,” Emily Williams, a 50501 organizer. “Every picket line, every shared meal, every act of care is part of this movement. This isn’t just about May Day. It’s about defending each other and shaping our future together.”

According to Sue from Beverly — who was among the first protesters to arrive on Thursday — standing up and speaking out represents the best way for people to take action ahead of the next election.

“What else do you suggest? Do you have a better idea?” she asked.

Jessica Tang, the president of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, said that Boston’s rally was one of hundreds occurring across the country on Thursday in honor of May Day.

“Today we remember all of the workers and unionists who fought for all of us to have a better life,” she said, before explaining that the fight for workers rights and immigrant rights, “has always been intertwined,” and started in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

“When we come together — we the people — we have the power,” she said.

The afternoon protest came after an earlier rally by hundreds of Bay State lawyers, who ceremoniously reaffirmed their oaths to the state and federal constitution as an act of solidarity with the rule of law.

According to the attorneys behind the event, which included the heads of the state bar association, the Trump administration is offering an unprecedented challenge to the “backbone” of the U.S. government.

“So much is happening. At least from a lawyer’s perspective: due process is being eroded, the right to council is being actively infringed upon by the administration. So it feels important in our community to ceremonially retake our oaths and just remind everybody that what we’re here to do is serve the constitution. And that’s not political, it’s not partisan, it’s not controversial,” Massachusetts Bar Association President Victoria Santoro said.