In Athens, college football is the undisputed king, and so the “No Kings” rally this Saturday will look a little different than last time.
Normally, political demonstrations happen at the Arch, the Tate Student Center or City Hall. Downtown is where more than 2,000 people gathered in June for the first “No Kings” protest against the Trump administration’s authoritarian tendencies—one of thousands nationwide that drew an estimated 5 million people in total.
This is October, though, and the fifth-ranked OIe Miss Rebels will be in town to take on No. 7 Georgia, along with ESPN’s popular College GameDay show, meaning football crowds will be even larger than usual.
“Due to the UGA home game, it was not feasible for us to organize a typical demonstration,” according to the Athens-Clarke County Democratic Committee. “Instead, folks have a couple of options for exercising their frustration on Saturday, and we encourage everyone to pick what most resonates with them.”
Instead of a traditional demonstration downtown, organizers (including a wide variety of progressive groups led by Indivisible) will host “The People’s Tailgate” from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on North Campus near The Chapel.
Protesters will also be holding banners on Prince Avenue over the Loop from noon to 2 p.m. and lining Prince Avenue with signs. Others will be gathering at the intersection of Alps Road and Baxter Street from 1-3 p.m.
If you’d like to avoid the mayhem entirely, head down to Greensboro, where there will be a protest from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the corner of Route 44 and Linger Longer Road. Or search for another option at nokings.org.
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