A crowd amassed in front of the historic Exeter Town Hall on Saturday for a “No Kings” rally calling on people to get out and vote in the midterm election on Nov. 3.
Dan Chartrand, a local businessman and member of the town’s selectboard, noted Exeter’s role as the revolutionary capital of New Hampshire. He spoke of how powder raided from Fort William and Mary in New Castle in 1774 – one of the first overt acts of armed rebellion against the British – was stored a short walk from downtown Exeter.
“No Kings, indeed, is at the very heart of what Exeter was, what Exeter is, and what Exeter will always be,” Chartrand said.
Exeter was one of several New Hampshire communities holding events organized by No Kings, a grassroots coalition known for organizing protests against President Trump. Other rallies focusing on voting were scheduled in Concord, Dover, Hanover, Keene, Littleton, Portsmouth, and Nashua.
Rally-goers held up signs highlighting numerous issues, including voting rights, the war in Iran, preserving Medicare and Social Security, and calls for full release of the Epstein files.
“We have been going around protesting routinely because we’re very concerned about the country and the way things are going,” said Mary McConnell-Meachen, who was visiting from Connecticut.
Her friend Tina Cummings said it was encouraging to see so many people come out for the rally, with one exception – a noticeable lack of younger participants in the crowd.
“Look around you, the average age here is 70-75,” she said. “Why aren’t the kids out protesting? They’re not here and it would be good to see some young faces in the crowd.”
