BOSTON—Tens of thousands of demonstrators flooded the Boston Common this week, rallying against the Trump administration during a powerful “No Kings” protest. The event, which saw similar gatherings across over 100 locations in Massachusetts, turned the historic park into a bastion of dissent against federal policies.

Mayor Michelle Wu took the stage before a roaring crowd, declaring, “every voice is heard” in what she dubbed the “cradle of liberty.” Wu positioned Boston as a city that thrives on diversity and laws, asserting, “Boston embodies the truth that America is a nation of immigrants and laws.”

Amid the sea of protest signs, tensions flared as a small group attempted to disrupt Wu’s speech. Boston police quickly intervened, pushing back the demonstrators who were armed with a megaphone and Palestinian flags. This came just days after violent clashes at a pro-Palestinian rally, which left one officer with a broken nose requiring reconstructive surgery.

The protest was not merely a local affair; it echoed nationwide discontent. And while Mayor Wu rallied for unity, Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Kennealy seized the moment to launch a scathing critique of Governor Maura Healey’s leadership. He alleged that under Healey’s watch, migrant children had suffered abuse in government-run facilities. “There’s a politician who stood by while migrant children were raped and abused,” Kennealy claimed.

Even as Healey opted to skip the event, Attorney General Andrea Campbell took to the stage, highlighting her office’s ongoing legal battle against the Trump administration. Campbell boasted of filing 40 lawsuits since the president’s inauguration, and with a hefty $83 million budget, she assured the crowd, “If they come for Massachusetts, I say, bring it on.”

With emotions running high and protests intensifying, the day highlighted simmering tensions within Massachusetts politics. As the chants echoed through the Common, many wondered if this was just the start of a larger movement against the policies of a president many see as a threat to their values.