Ei-iE

Over 7 million people took to the streets of the United States on October 18 to protest the country’s authoritarian slide under Donald Trump. Organised by a civil society coalition that includes Education International member organisations the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), No Kings Day made it clear that Americans accept no crowns, no thrones, no kings.

After 5 million people marched in the first #NoKings protest in June 2025, the October 18 demonstration saw a sharp rise in participation, with 2 million more Americans showing up at more than 2,700 events in all 50 states and Washington D.C., where 200,000 people rallied near the U.S. Capitol, according to organizers.

Speaking at a No Kings rally in Georgia, NEA President and EI Vice-President Becky Pringle stressed that “educators are standing up, and we are not backing away from our responsibilities. The Trump administration is hell-bent on taking away 40 years of progress on civil rights. The 3 million members of the NEA are fighting back.”

“The message from millions who joined the #NoKings marches was clear: we want a government that serves people, not power. One that upholds freedom, fairness, and democracy — not chaos, corruption, and cruelty”, stated Randi Weingarten, AFT President.

In a statement released after the protests, the No Kings Coalition noted that the “mobilization was 14 times larger than both of President Trump’s presidential inaugurations combined, marking a historic moment of unity and resistance. From rural communities to major metropolitan centers, the message was clear: The United States will not be ruled by fear, force, or one man’s power grab.”

Escalating authoritarianism

The second No Kings mobilisation comes as the Trump administration escalates its authoritarian policies. Masked agents are being sent into the streets, terrorising communities, targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting, and detaining people without warrants. Healthcare, environmental protections, and education have been gutted. As families struggle with the rising cost of living, Trump is handing out massive tax cuts for his billionaire allies. Worse still, electoral maps are being rigged in order to silence voters and ensure that Trump stays in power despite massive opposition.

Public education, teachers, education support personnel, and students in the United States are facing unrelenting attacks from the current administration.

Cutting funding for public education, dismantling the Department of Education, cancelling diversity, equity and inclusion programmes, financially blackmailing universities to muzzle free speech on campus, censorship in the classroom are all measures that undermine the right to education and the freedom to learn. When these rights are threatened, democracy is in danger.

Solidarity across borders

United by shared values, Education International and its member organisations stand shoulder to shoulder with educators across the U.S. as they mobilise to protect their students, their rights, and their democracy.

“When education is under attack, we organize and mobilize to defend it. When our students are deprived of their rights, we join forces to protect them. When workers’ rights are stripped away, we fight back. And when our democracy is on the line, we resist with all our might. From educators around the world to colleagues in the U.S. and to all those marching for democracy, solidarity!”, said David Edwards, Education International General Secretary.

Mugwena Maluleke, Education International President, also sent a strong message of international solidarity, stating: “To our colleagues in the United States rising against Trump’s authoritarian power grab, know that you are not alone. The entire global education union movement is with you. Persist, keep fighting the good fight for your democracy, for your students, and your communities. Together, as Education International, we stand as a global force for justice, anchored by the unwavering belief that education is the soul of a democratic society. And together, we will overcome.”

In April 2025, the EI Executive Board adopted a resolution condemning the attacks on public education, democracy, and union values in the United States and calling for EI member organisations to come together to defend colleagues in the U.S.

On the 4th of July, Independence Day in the United States, education unions around the world expressed their support for the NEA and the AFT in a global solidarity action. From Taiwan to Brazil, from Senegal to Canada, and from Hungary to Australia, Education International member organisation from all over the world mobilised to send colleagues in the United States a message of steadfast solidarity as they oppose the assault on their schools and democracy.