Thousands of demonstrators packed Civic Center Park in downtown Fort Collins on Saturday for the “Hands Off!” rally, a nationwide protest aimed at pushing back against policies attributed to President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.
Organized by IndivisibleNOCO and 50501 in Northern Colorado, the rally was part of a broader day of action held in cities across the country. Protesters gathered from noon to three p.m. at Civic Center Park, located at 225 Laporte Ave., to demand protection for immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ freedoms, voting access, funding for research, and public programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
The event featured a lineup of speakers that included IndivisibleNOCO member Amy Padilla; Larimer County Commissioner Kristin Stephens; Colorado State University microbiology student Jonas Anderson; Kim Medina with PODER; representatives from AlianzaNORCO; and others. Congressman Joe Neguse also made an appearance and addressed the crowd.
Signs reading “Hands off our rights,” “Support the working class,” and “We grow by protecting each other” filled the park as speakers took to the stage to rally the crowd.
Following the speeches, attendees marched through the streets of downtown Fort Collins, beginning on Howes Street, continuing south to Mulberry Street, then east to College Avenue before heading north. The demonstration interrupted traffic along Howes Street and College Avenue for about 45 minutes.
“This mass mobilization is our message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies,” organizers said in a news release ahead of the rally. “Alongside Americans across the country, we are marching, rallying, and protesting to demand a stop to the chaos and to build an opposition movement against the looting of our country.”
Fort Collins’ rally coincided with a similar event in Loveland.