Standing behind a large blue “Defend Democracy” sign, Kelsea Bond addressed a rally in a downtown Atlanta park on Saturday, at the start of a “No Kings” rally, one of several across the United States as the country prepares to go to the polls for the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
“We must build a society that works for the working class, not billionaires,” Bond said.
“Yeah!” many people in the crowd responded. “RIGHT!” » added a woman holding a sign “In 2026: Dump Trump”.
“We need an economy, we need a society run democratically by workers, because We make this economy work,” said Bond, a union organizer, politician and elected member of the Atlanta City Council.
Atlanta City Council member Kelsea Bond addresses a “No KIngs” rally at Piedmont Park in Atlanta on October 17, 2026. © Leela Jacinto, France 24
At 33, Bond is the youngest serving councilor and first member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). A political group defending progressive issues, the DSA is not a political party. Bond ran for the District 2 seat on the City Council as an independent candidate last year.
DSA members work to get Democrats to address progressive issues, generating headlines about the differences between the mainstream and left-leaning camps within the party.
Learn moreOssoff and El-Sayed: two Senate elections and what they say about the Democratic Party
But with just over two weeks until Election Day, Bond is focusing on the issues that unite critics of US President Donald Trump.
“I’m here because we’re standing up for democracy in Georgia today,” Bond told FRANCE 24 in an interview as a few shoppers from a farmers’ market in another corner of the park headed toward the protest. “Republicans, who have been in power for several decades in Georgia, have done much to roll back voting rights and attack voting rights here in this state. Earlier this summer, they threatened to redraw our maps to favor Republicans. So voting rights have been heavily attacked in the state of Georgia.”
Some U.S. states have redrawn congressional districts this year after an April 29 Supreme Court ruling allowed mid-cycle redistricting to give a particular party a political advantage. These include a number of “red” Republican states in the southern United States. In June, legislative leaders in the Republican state of Georgia rejected a redistricting proposal ahead of the November midterm elections out of fear of voter backlash against the party. But many Democrats fear that the state’s Republican politicians will try to put the issue back on the agenda after the midterm elections.
“No Kings” protests erupted in the United States after Trump, in February 2025, published an AI-generated image of himself as a monarch on a fake cover of “Time” magazine. A number of these anti-Trump protests have resulted in large rallies in major American cities. But the objective of Saturday’s mobilization was more targeted, according to the organizers.
“The intention behind this is more of a community engagement, to get people excited about the midterm elections. The goal is to encourage people not only to get out and vote – if possible, vote early – but also to get to know their neighbors and take them with them to the voting locations,” said Kimberly Diemert, communications director for 50501 Georgia, one of several community groups that worked together to organize the rally.
“By breaking up mass events into smaller events, we are able to bring people together in a community location and escort them to a voting location,” Diemert added.
Kimberly Diemert at Saint-Marc Church in Atlanta, during a “No Kings” demonstration, October 17, 2026. © Leela Jacinto, France 24
ICE on the agenda
At the Atlanta rally, the gathering of about 300 people walked about a mile from Piedmont Historic Park to St. Mark’s, a local church. The city’s police force secured the route, restricting traffic as demonstrators followed a lively street group at the front of the rally singing upbeat tunes.
The atmosphere was provocative, but not threatening, with a crowd made up of grannies and toddlers in strollers. Protesters carried signs denouncing many of Trump’s policies — sometimes in crude terms.
“There are so many transgressions and terrible things that this administration does every day. But ICE is perhaps the worst and most disgusting of them all,” said Daniel, 37, holding up a “Fuck Ice” sign.
An anti-ICE sign displayed during the “No Kings” rally in Atlanta, October 17, 2026. © Leela Jacinto, France 24
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency was a frequently cited target of anger at Saturday’s rally.
“I’m really tired of what’s happening in America. And when I see people being arrested by ICE, immigrants who have been here for a long time, it makes me really, really sad. I want change,” Piper White said.
A war with “no end in sight”
Trump’s foreign policy was also attacked, with a banner, in the shape of a Russian doll, representing a caricature of Trump. The cardboard cutout split at the belly with a lever to reveal a sinister photograph of Russian President Vladimir Putin hidden in Trump’s stomach.
“It’s Donald Trump and Putin in a matryoshka doll, which shows they’re working together. If I had space, I would have put another one in there, like Elon Musk maybe,” said Marilyn, who declined to give her last name. “Foreign policy is one of the most important issues in this election. I am totally against the war in Iran and I support Ukraine,” she explained.
U.S. foreign policy was a topic of concern at the “No Kings” rally in Atlanta. © Leela Jacinto, France 24
Mark Spivey says he is “disgusted” by Trump’s war in Iran. “All the taxpayer money that we contribute to the system, you use to go into a foreign war,” he said. “Prices are higher. Inflation is higher. We’re in a war – a war with no end. It was supposed to last a few weeks, three weeks, four weeks, six weeks. We’ve been in this war for over eight months now, and there’s no end in sight.”
By lunchtime, the rally had reached St. Mark’s Church, where organizers asked demonstrators if they would like to volunteer as election observers. For those who answered yes, a workshop on election protection and observation took place inside the church.
“We just want to make sure this is a free and fair election where everyone’s vote counts,” said Trish Murphy of Necessary Action Georgia, a grassroots political action group based in Atlanta. “In the past, there have been accusations that some elections weren’t fair. But they were,” she noted, referring to, but not explicitly citing, Trump’s claims that he won the 2020 vote against Joe Biden. “So this time we want to make sure that everyone observes and that there is no interference in the elections. »
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