LANCASTER —Lancaster is typically a quiet bedroom town, but that calm gave way Saturday when a large crowd gathered at the corner of Route 117 and Route 70 for a No Kings protest against the war in Iran and the Trump administration.
The protest was held from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on March 28, 2026, near Luther Burbank Middle School at 1 Hollywood Drive and Mary Rowlandson Elementary School at 103 Hollywood Drive.
With temperatures hovering around 35 degrees, demonstrators bundled in winter coats and gloves lined the roadside waving signs at passing cars as many drivers honked in agreement. Meanwhile, in the background, a band played Peter, Paul and Mary songs.
Lancaster’s demonstration was part of the broader No Kings movement, which Reuters reported held more than 3,200 anti-Trump protests across all 50 states on March 28 in its third major national mobilization.
Left: Lancaster resident Stephanie Stanton holds an American flag during the town’s No Kings protest on March 28, 2026. Right: Stephanie’s husband, Peter Stanton, also holds an American flag during the Lancaster rally. (Photo credits: Gail Sullivan)
Progressive activist Stephanie Stanton of Lancaster told NewsLink Live, “I’m here because I’m afraid of losing our democracy, as we know it.” Stanton described the war with Iran as “very sad,” and said she hopes and expects that “a big Blue wave” will sweep reformers into office during the mid-terms.
Her husband, Peter Stanton, a businessman and journalist, said he attended the rally to “fight for the Constitution, the rule of law, and democracy, itself.”
Describing Trump as “an ego maniac beyond hope,” Peter Stanton said, “Elected leaders need to get a spine” in order to deal with national and international events. Addressing the war with Iran, he said, “No one likes the way Iran treats its people, but this war is no solution — it’s a mere tactic designed to distract attention away from the Epstein files.” He predicted that the mid-terms would provide a “ballast against Donald Trump.”
Left: A protester in a duck costume displays a “No ducking way” sign during the No Kings protest in Lancaster, Massachusetts, on March 28, 2026. Right: Another protester holds a sign at the rally that says “Tyrannical, Racist, Ugly MF, Misogynist, Psychopath.” (Photo credits: Gail Sullivan)
Jim Riel of Lunenburg said the Lancaster event was his second “No Kings” rally. Riel said Americans must work hard to replace Trump, whom he described as a “narcissistic psychopath.”
“Trump is an autocrat with a great affinity for other autocrats, like the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán,” Riel said.
Shauna Hansen of Clinton told News Link Live that she has attended all the “No Kings” rallies since they began in March 2025. Hansen described the war in Iran as “illegal” and Donald Trump’s presidency as “meaningless.” She predicted that Trump would be impeached and convicted.
“I am horrified by the recent U.S. vote against the UN resolution labeling slavery the ‘gravest crime against humanity,’” Hansen said. Standing in the cold, she added, “I want the relationship between Trump and Putin to be fully investigated.”
Reuters reported that while large No Kings protests were held in major metropolitan areas including New York, Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington, two-thirds of the March 28, 2026, events took place outside major cities, in smaller communities, like Lancaster — a nearly 40% increase in small-community participation compared with the movement’s first mobilization last June.