Photo Essay: ‘Hands Off’ Quakertown Rally Draws 1,000 Protesters

A diverse crowd of concerned citizens congregated in downtown Quakertown Saturday as part of the  nationwide “Hands Off” protests against the Trump administration’s dismantling of federal agencies and recent purge of federal employees. 

Young and old numbering roughly 1,000 swelled the small triangular concrete park situated in the middle of busy downtown Quakertown holding signs and waving to cars as they drove by. Despite the rain and chilly weather spirits were up and people determined to make their voices heard. 

Some were protesting Musk’s destructive DOGE team as they rip through federal agencies in a haphazard effort to curb what Trump and Musk call governmental “fraud” and “waste.”

Federal employees have been targeted by DOGE and the Trump administration, with thousands losing their jobs or being pressured into resigning. 

Others were protesting the Trump administration’s push to enact high tariffs on imports from just about everywhere including Mexico, Canada, Europe, and even remote volcanic islands inhabited not by people, but penguins. Despite the alarm raised by economists that his tariffs are going to drive up already high prices for everyday items, Trump and his loyal Republican party are only doubling down in their efforts to make life harder for the average American. 

One family from Lehigh County came prepared with signs and even one person came dressed in a penguin outfit, highlighting the idiotic policies of the current presidential administration. When asked what prompted them to join the rally they responded with “because of Project 2025” and that the administration “obviously doesn’t care” that they’ve broken promises to protect the American people. 

Bonnie Koehler and her family showed up waving a Palestinian flag and a colorful banner pushing back against racism, both domestically and abroad. Concerned with the direction of how the country is going, Koehler said she wanted her daughter to actually “have a future”.

Education, along with civil rights was on the mind of Karen Sciarillo, a retired Quakertown high school teacher who braved the rain on Saturday wearing  a green poncho and her sign reading, Due Process is American as Baseball and Apple Pie. 

Another demonstrator, Dr. Kurt Herr of Nockamixon township was fearful for the future of American education, stating that people come to the United States to receive a world class education. The Trump administration’s decision to gut diversity and inclusion standards within the Department of Education has left many Americans worried that the nation’s K-12 public education system will return to an era of racial and class segregation. Herr called what’s happening to the country as “pure fascism.”

Emma Hawkins, displayed a sign with a depiction of Smokey the Bear, showing her support of the National Parks System, another government agency being gutted by the Trump administration. Ms. Hawkins is running for Perkasie Borough Council.