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What to know about the protest against Trump and Musk planned for Boston Common on April 5

Thousands are expected to attend the "Hands Off!" march and rally on Saturday in downtown Boston.

Demonstrators rallied on Boston Common on International Women's Day in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 8, 2025. JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images

By Dialynn Dwyer

April 1, 2025

2 minutes to read

Hundreds of people have flocked to Boston in recent months to protest against the policies and actions of President Donald Trump’s second administration. On Saturday, thousands more are expected to descend on Boston Common for a large-scale demonstration against the administration and Elon Musk’s involvement in the Executive Branch.

The April 5 event in Boston is part of a planned day of action, with “Hands Off” anti-Trump protests planned nationwide. In a statement, organizers said Saturday is a “peaceful mass activation in defiance of the Trump-Musk billionaire takeover and the Republican assault on our freedoms and our communities.”

“This is an all-in moment for the pro-worker movement, pro-constitutional rule of law order, and pro-democracy,” organizers said.

According to organizers, more than 5,000 people have already RSVP’d Saturday’s “Hands Off!” rally and march in Boston, with buses expected to bring people from across the state and New Hampshire.

Below, what to know about the demonstration, which will begin on Boston Common and end on City Hall Plaza.

When does the protest start?

Organizers said the rally and march will begin at the Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common at 11 a.m. with a kickoff speaker — Chrissy Lynch, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.

Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey will then lead the march to City Hall Plaza, where more speakers are expected to address attendees around 12:30 p.m.

Who are the organizers?

The Boston protest is being organized by a handful of local groups and co-sponsor organizers from across the state. According to a press release, the primary organizers are Indivisible Mass Coalition, Mass 50501, Swing Blue Alliance, and UU Mass Action.

“On April 5, We the People of Massachusetts will march in Boston,” organizers said in a statement. “Because we will always be a sanctuary against tyranny. Because we will protect our neighbors, no matter where they were born or their race or gender or sexuality. Because we will never bow to tyrant kings or fascism.”

The organizers quoted Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s recent state of the city address, in which she offered the pointed message to the Trump administration that Bostonians will stand up for their neighbors and communities.

“In the words of Boston’s mayor: ‘If you come for one of us, you will get all of us,’” the statement from protest organizers reads. “On April 5, We the People of Massachusetts will come together to tell the corrupt, cruel, chaotic tyrants in DC: Hands Off Boston! Hands Off Massachusetts! Because We the People means everyone, and Massachusetts is fighting back.”

Who is speaking?

A slate of speakers is already planned for the event, which will be emceed by Jean-Luc Pierite, president of the North American Indian Center in Boston. According to Mass 5050, the event will also include a “short acoustic performance by the Dropkick Murphys.”

So far, organizers said the rally speakers will include: