When the Streets Spoke Louder Than Congress

By Eleni Zampelis

Athens, Greece

Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. (Tiraya Adam / Unsplash)

On April 5th, 2025, there was a record-breaking wave of protest sweeping across the United States as millions of Americans poured onto the streets in "Hands Off!" protests against the actions of the second Trump administration. Being the fifth largest demonstration to ever take place in the history of the US, the movement brought together more than three million people from all 50 states in a call to stand up for civil rights, economic justice, and democratic institutions.

The protests were organised by a coalition of over 150 activist groups including Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood, the NAACP, the ACLU, and national unions. Most of the criticisms were aimed at the selective closing of federal agencies by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an agency that Elon Musk commands as part of a government-wide initiative to reduce expenditures and trim so-called "inefficiencies". In practice, this has equated to en masse firings and across-the-board budget cuts in agencies responsible for education, health care, environmental monitoring, and foreign aid.

This mutilation of government agencies incited outrage on both sides of the political aisle. Critics argue the cuts disproportionately harmed marginalized communities, particularly low-income families, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, captured the emotional urgency behind the protests when she addressed a massive crowd in Washington, D.C.: "The attacks that we're seeing—they're not just political. They are personal. We want the America we deserve, where dignity, safety, and freedom belong not to some of us but to all of us."

Economic policy was also a topic of contention. Demonstrators in cities like Chicago and Detroit condemned the administration's insistence on high tariffs, which have shaken world markets and raised prices domestically.The Wall Street Journal quotes some of the small business operators and farmers - the people most affected by Trump's tariffs- as being fuming, with the increased cost of imports because of the tariffs cutting into their profits, leading to runaway expenses, lower competitiveness abroad, and ultimately lower revenues, bankruptcies, and defaults on loans. Demonstrators with signs bearing the words "keep your mitts off my cash" amid concerns over rising costs and vanishing employment opportunities took to streets near the central business district in Chicago. 

The movement's inclusivity is one of its greatest strengths. Individuals from extremely different socio-economic backgrounds felt embraced by the movement, and this speaks volumes about its extremely universalistic and inclusive character. At a D.C. rally, organizer Greisa Martinez Rosas took the stage to make the following statement, "I am an immigrant; I am undocumented, unafraid, queer, and unashamed." Her unapologetic identification with so many marginalized communities was a clear message: there's space in this movement for everyone, no matter immigration status, sexuality, or background. It was that openness, too, that resonated so profoundly with a generation of young Americans who are more conscious of and outraged by structural injustices. They see their own struggles in one another, whether a struggle for racial justice, gay rights, or defense of immigrants. From San Francisco and Atlanta high school students to veteran activists in San Francisco and Atlanta, people from all ages and walks of life came out, united by a shared determination not to be silenced or excluded.

Political commentators have dubbed the "Hands Off!" movement the pinnacle of American citizenship. Historian Thomas Zimmer described the mass mobilization as a "moment of democratic reckoning" and likely to shape turnout and policy debates heading into the 2026 midterm elections. The marches sent a firm message to lawmakers and society: indignation is mounting and resistance is growing.