CASSELBERRY, Fla. – “No Kings” protests are taking place across Central Florida and the country on Saturday, what organizers say is a day of defiance against President Donald Trump.
The “No Kings” website states these protests — with nearly 2,000 scheduled worldwide — seek to draw attention away from a military parade happening Saturday evening in Washington D.C. for the Army’s 250th anniversary, which happens to also be the president’s 79th birthday.
[RELATED: Central Florida law enforcement issue statements, warnings ahead of anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ protests]
In Casselberry, the Seminole County Democratic Party estimated 1,800 people were gathered for a “No Kings” protest at the intersection of State Road 436 and Howell Branch Road. News 6’s Alex Cook was there Saturday and sent back the video that you can see at the top of this story, showing people of all ages standing, holding signs, and chanting.
[Video below shows “No Kings” protest in Casselberry]
In New Smyrna Beach, we observed “No Kings” protesters and supporters of President Donald Trump staging simultaneous events just steps away from each other.
[READ MORE: Critics and supporters of Donald Trump demonstrate in New Smyrna Beach]
And in downtown Orlando on Saturday evening, thousands turned out in a protest that spanned several hours at City Hall Plaza and spilled into the streets, which forced a shutdown of Orange Avenue.
While the protestors gathered to speak out on a number of issues, immigration was one of the most prevalent.
[See video from the downtown Orlando protest below]
“The crackdown on immigration. The loss of due process is terribly important,” Jefferson Crutchfield said. “Without due process, we have an authoritarian government and that’s just not the way America should be.”