WILMETTE:- Bushra Amiwala, candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 9th district, addressed a No Kings Rally in Wilmette this morning. She led peaceful demonstrators in decrying rising authoritarianism, excesses and corruption under the Trump administration.

Attendance at Saturday’s Wilmette event topped 1,000.

“No Kings was huge. Millions of people around the U.S. showed up to remind President Trump that we do not tolerate dictators in this country,” said Bushra Amiwala, the first Gen Z elected official in the country. “Republicans calling it the ‘hate America’ rally are intentionally missing the point. We gathered out of love for our democracy, and out of concern for the Trump-induced peril that has befallen it.”

Amiwala spoke alongside several local activists, including David Borris, CEO of Chicago Area Peace Action; Rabbi Bruce Elder of Congregation Hakafa; and Baha’i Choir director Van Gilmer. The speakers also addressed immigrant and refugee rights in the wake of widespread kidnappings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“When my neighbors are kidnapped, when due process is denied, when the Constitution is ignored and when our Justice Department is weaponized, it is our responsibility to object,” said Amiwala, elected Skokie District 73.5 School Board member. “Today, I saw thousands of patriots who want this democracy to be here for the next generation.”

Saturday’s No Kings protests spanned every state with over 2,500 rallies. An estimated 7 million people participated.