"No Tyrants" protest to stage outside U.S. Consulate in Amsterdam on Saturday
A few hundred people are expected to take part in a protest Saturday afternoon outside the United States Consulate in Amsterdam. Organizers of the "No Tyrants" event tell NL Times it is in solidarity with similar protests happening across the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. The date coincides with a military parade planned in the U.S. on President Donald Trump's birthday, amid concerns of his administration's attempts to consolidate power.
"It's really hard to be away from the U.S. at a time when so much of what I stand for is under attack," said Katie M., one of the Amsterdam demonstration's organizers, when asked about mass raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in different parts of the country. Protests in California started when ICE detained over 40 people in Los Angeles last Saturday during several unannounced raids, including at a Home Depot and a primary school graduation ceremony.
Massive rallies broke out in Los Angeles against the deportation of immigrants, prompting Trump to call up the state's National Guard, a reserve military force, and dispatch them to the city. "When ICE is just raiding neighborhoods and terrorizing communities, the deployment of the National Guard to support ICE completely steps over state sovereignty. It is unconstitutional, dangerous, and completely un-American," said M., an American now residing in Leiden.
The "No Tyrants" protest was organized by a group of volunteers who have since garnered the support of Democrats Abroad Netherlands, Women’s March, and People for Democracy. The latter two protest movements have also planned demonstrations across the United States on Saturday to correspond with the military parade in Washington. The Women’s March’s action is called “Kick Out The Clowns,” and People for Democracy is protesting under the slogan “No Kings”.
The Amsterdam rally is expected to be attended mainly by Americans, but not only Democrats; everyone is welcome regardless of nationality or political beliefs, M. told NL Times. "The umbrella message of this demonstration is primarily that Americans abroad are not standing for Trump's complete takeover of the U.S. government, which is symbolised by the parade."
According to CBS News, the military festival is to commemorate the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary. The festival has been in the works for two years, but the military parade was added earlier this year. It is a coincidence that it coincides with Trump’s 79th birthday, and army officials told CBS that they do not expect the Army to officially recognize his birthday.
Protest movements still feel that this festival resembles an attempt to form support for a monarchy, and they worry about Trump’s statements hinting at him not stepping down when his term in office ends. Americans worldwide will take action as part of a “global day of defiance against authoritarianism,” Democrats Abroad Netherlands said.
“While a military parade expected to cost U.S. taxpayers between $25-45 million rolls through Washington D.C., the real action will be in communities across the country and around the world with people standing up against the extremist agenda of this regime and rejecting corrupt, authoritarian politics in the United States,” the organization stated.
"It's just the hypocrisy of cutting the budget, then spending so much money for Trump's own ego. The hypocrisy is real, especially when the country is facing so many problems," M. told NL Times.
From Saturday to Thursday, the police in Los Angeles have arrested over 400 people, mostly protesters who refused to leave or broke the curfew implemented in the city. There have been a handful of more serious charges, including assault on police officers and the possession of a Molotov cocktail.
"It's getting more difficult to remain hopeful because every day people's lives are being torn apart. I still feel hope that we can stop the harm as fast as we can," M. said.
Protests have since spread to several other American cities, including Las Vegas, New York, San Antonio, Spokane, and Indianapolis, according to CNN. More than 1,600 demonstrations are planned for Saturday, in the U.S. and at least a dozen other countries, M. estimated based on contact with other organizations. She felt "inspired" by the international support and "solidarity."
Data published by the Pew Research Center this week showed that the United States was viewed favorably by 48 percent of those in the Netherlands in 2024. That has since fallen to 29 percent in 2025. Some 77 percent of the Dutch people surveyed said they have no confidence in Trump's ability to do the right thing with regard to world affairs.
Among his supporters in the Netherlands are Geert Wilders, the leader of the far-right PVV party. But even out of those who have a positive view of the PVV, only 43 percent are confident in Trump's abilities
"I’m not surprised that folks are viewing the U.S. less and less favorably," M. said. "It’s an understandable shame that the Trump Administration’s policies and behavior reflects back poorly on the U.S. as a whole." It is not yet clear if this sentiment will push more Dutch people and other citizens to join the weekend rally.
"In America, we don’t put up with would-be kings," People for Democracy said. They described the protest as being against "increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption from Trump and his allies," said the movement. "We’ve watched as they’ve cracked down on free speech, detained people for their political views, threatened to deport American citizens, and defied the courts. They’ve done this all while continuing to serve and enrich their billionaire allies."
The Amsterdam "No Tyrants" protest will take place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. outside the U.S. consulate on Museumplein.
