The “Hands Off” protest will take place April 5, 2025, at the Ohio Statehouse in downtown Columbus. (Photo by David DeWitt for Ohio Capital Journal.)
At least 47 protests against President Donald Trump and his administration are planned for Saturday in Ohio. They will participate in over 600 events planned across the country.
The organization 50501 is organizing the effort after dozens of others sponsored massive “Hands Off!” rallies across the country on April 5. It describes its mission as “fighting to uphold the Constitution and end executive overreach.”
Since his inauguration, Trump has expressed numerous concerns in this regard. He has ignored court orders, attempted to undermine the independent federal antitrust watchdog, and given the world’s richest man the authority to fire tens of thousands from the Social Security and Veterans Administrations, the Park Service, and a variety of other agencies.
Trump is also attempting to unilaterally change the status of hundreds of thousands of migrants who are legally in the country, forcing them to return to dangerous home countries like Afghanistan and Haiti.
In addition, Trump is attempting to use the government to target law firms that have sued him and his enemies, as well as a state attorney general who successfully sued him in 2023.
Melissa Portala, a Toledo Persist leader, stated that exercising one’s right to protest is critical to protecting all other democratic rights.
“We need people to stand up and show the rest of the public that people are speaking out,” she told the crowd. “Many people feel helpless unless they see others speaking out. Public protests are the only way for people to be visible. This is how we get our voices heard.”
On April 5, millions of people rallied across the country to protest Trump and his administration’s actions, including tens of thousands in Ohio. According to organizers who used clickers, between 3,000 and 4,000 people turned out in Toledo alone.
“We started on one side of the bridge,” she explained. “It took 45 minutes to walk across it, the crowd was so big.”
Portala stated that she expected smaller crowds this time around for a variety of reasons.
The group 50501 is the sole national organizer, whereas dozens of groups were behind the April 5 protests. This event was called with less time for local organizers to plan and spread the word. And, according to Portala, this Saturday’s protests coincide with the day before Easter, when many people have long-standing family obligations.
Information on the 47 Ohio protests can be found here. You can find a national listing here.
Portala expects participation in such events to increase in the coming months.
“I think the population is waking up and saying, ‘Oh my goodness, we’re in some deep trouble here, we need to actually take some action,'” she said.
