The “Hands Off!” Protests

Rallies Planned in Over 1,400 Locations Across All 50 States.

Katz Paniagua, Staff Writer • April 9, 2025

“Hands Off!” rally held on April 5th, 2025 here in Worcester, Massachusetts. | Richard Duckett/Telegram & Gazette | Edited on Canva.

Hands Off!

On Saturday, April 5th, 2025, more than 150 groups, including but not limited to, civil rights organizations, labor unions, LGBTQ+ advocates, veterans, women’s and civil rights groups, and elections activists organized rallies in over 1,200 locations across all 50 U.S. states. The “Hands Off!” is a non-violent protest aimed at sending a clear message to President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. After the stock market lost nearly $2 trillion recently, and a total of roughly $11.1 trillion being wiped away since Trump’s inauguration, protesters have been quick to point out the negative impacts he has brought with his presidency.

The rally has been the largest one-day protest against the second administration of President Donald Trump, with over 500,000 people going out to the streets to demand an end to the “billionaire takeover and rampant corruption” of the Trump administration, an end to cuts in federal funding for Social Security, Medicare, Department of Education, DEI, and an end to attacks and discrimination on immigrants, LGBTQIA+ individuals, minorities, and much, much more.

Signs displayed at the "Hands Off!" rally Saturday at Worcester Common Oval. — “Hands Off!” Protest here in Worcester, Massachusetts. | Richard Duckett/Telegram & Gazette

Right here in Worcester, all 1,000+ people who registered to protest at Worcester Commons held signs that read “Woo Says No To Fascism,” “Dump Trusk,” “Hands Off Social Security,” “No King,” and other related statements. People also shouted “Shame,” “I have faith and I have hope,” and”Hands Off!” throughout the rally. Mud Rocheleau Demers, a singer, led a sing-along of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” and sang “If I Had a Hammer,” a Pete Seeger protest song in support of the Progressive movement and a call for justice and equality.

Here’s what Worcester “Hands Off!” organizers had to say:

“[We’re] a progressive group for Worcester County folks who want to be active in saving our democracy and beating back the tide of right-wing authoritarianism.” – Worcester Indivisible.

“We have well over 1,000 people registered. I think we have over 300 now. I think we’ll have over 1,000 over the next three hours. We will hold many more events like this. Not only these kind of events but we’ll be having education seminars and regular standouts.” – Miller, a member of Greater Assabet Indivisible.

“[The rally was] a moral moment in a time of darkness… There is power in numbers and courage is contagious.” – Kathryn Rusk, of Greater Assabet Indivisible.

“We show up, not just in an election year but every damn day… They have money, but we have something much deeper – people, purpose, and each other.” – Sean Rose, former city councilor and chair of the Worcester Democratic City Committee.

“We have an obligation to defend our communities.” – District 5 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj.

On a related note, Worcester Public Schools, on April 2, 2025, sent a message to parents and caregivers, as well as WPS students via ParentSquare and StudentSquare to announce how they joined the federal lawsuit that “was filed on March 24 in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts by the organization Democracy Forward on behalf of the Somerville and Easthampton public school districts.” They also shared the following: ”

“Worcester Public Schools receives about $53 million from federal sources, which is 9% of the annual budget. Unfortunately, Worcester recently received a $180,000 reduction from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support purchasing locally-sourced food for school meals. We are also gathering details about a potential cut to remaining supplemental ESSER funds for this school year. We do not know what the federal government might cut next. By becoming a declarant to this lawsuit, Worcester is taking a stand. Dismantling the Department of Education is not only unjust, but illegal. In the City of Worcester and in Worcester Public Schools, we will always support our scholars, staff, families and residents of all backgrounds. By putting pressure on the federal government, we can aim to collectively stop the chaos and keep children at the forefront.” – Mayor Joseph M. Petty, City of Worcester, and Superintendent Rachel H. Monárrez, PhD, Worcester Public Schools.

Any Thoughts?

After hearing a bit about the “Hands Off!” protests that began last Saturday, what are your opinions on the entire event as a whole? Do you think the protesters effectively addressed their concerns? In your opinion, do you believe Worcester and WPS are doing a great job in standing up for their community and supporting their students? Thank you for following along, and do not forget to click the comment button on the right-hand side to share your opinions and critiques on this matter! Tune in for more articles.

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