‘Hands off’: Utahns take part in nationwide day of protest against Trump administration

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — On Saturday, April 5, Utahns across the state took part in a nationwide day of protest against President Donald Trump and his administration.

One of the largest protests in the Beehive State took place at the state capitol, with an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 participants, according to Sarah Buck, the leader of the local group Salt Lake Indivisible.

“It was not just impressive, it was moving,” Buck told ABC4.com. “It brought me to tears several times.”

Buck said local organizations partnered with the national group 50501 to organize the local protests over the course of about a month. According to a press release, Saturday’s nationwide events were considered the largest single-day protest since President Trump was inaugurated, with more than 1,300 cities expected to participate.

“Today was America standing up and recognizing, ‘This is not OK, we are not accepting what this administration’s putting forward,'” Buck told ABC4.com.

Events took place across the state on Saturday: In Salt Lake City, Cache Valley, St. George, Kanab, Moab, Bluff, Monticello, Wasatch County, and an event specifically for rural Utah, according to event organizers.

“Our message is simple: Hands off our services. Hands off our rights. Hands off our communities,” organizers said in a press release.

Mary Amanda Fairchild with the Salt Lake Liberal-Minded Community Seekers told ABC4.com that the protests were “all about community.”

“People from all walks of life, all colors — it’s an opportunity for all of us to get a look at each other and say, ‘I’m on your side,'” Fairchild said.

In Provo, protestors gathered outside the Provo Police Department, holding signs showing their disapproval of the Trump administration.

Also on Saturday, residents of a senior living home called Legacy Village held a rally in front of the Sugar House facility. The protest outside the facility was organized to “make it easier for the residents in their walkers and wheelchairs,” organizers said.

“We’re out here to spread the word that what we think the administration is doing in healthcare is not right,” Legacy Village protester Tom Taylor told ABC4.com.

Across the country, communities protested to speak out against what was referred to as “the Trump-Musk billionaire takeover” and “an unprecedented power grab.”

“We are standing up, we are here, and you should fear us — because we are America, we are the people of America, and what’s happening is very un-American,” Buck said.

Jeff Hunter contributed to this report.