Peaceful protestors gather in Ephraim

EPHRAIM— More than 100 people gathered outside Ephraim City Hall on Saturday for a peaceful “No Kings 2” rally, joining more than 2,700 demonstrations nationwide voicing concern over what participants called rising authoritarianism in American government.

The local rally was part of a national movement coordinated by the organization Indivisible, which organized similar protests in all 50 states. Nationally, an estimated seven million people participated, with 14 rallies held in Utah.

Local organizer Paul Gardner, a Snow College professor, said Saturday’s crowd was “peaceful, enthusiastic, energetic, friendly, and joyful,” while also deeply concerned about the direction of the country.

“The main concern was just what the theme was, that Trump wants to be a king, a dictator, and is well on his way,” Gardner said. “The Republicans in Congress and in leadership around the country are doing nothing. It is up to us, we the people, to stop him.”

Gardner said the rally’s name echoes the country’s founding rejection of monarchy, and draws the line between that principle and what participants view as a modern threat to constitutional balance.

“I was reminded of something that happened when there was an assassination attempt on President Reagan in 1981,” Gardner said. “When he was taken into surgery, he joked, ‘Please tell me you’re all Republicans,’ and his liberal surgeon replied, ‘Today, Mr. President, we are all Republicans.’ Saturday, I felt that same sense, that there was no red or blue. We were all patriots.”

The event followed a smaller “No Kings” demonstration held in Ephraim earlier this year, and builds on similar rallies Gardner and his wife, Ann, have organized in recent years.

Participants on Saturday remained calm through the hour-long protest. They chatted, held signs and greeted passing motorists who honked in support or dissent.

Gardner estimated attendance at about 110, slightly smaller than the first “No Kings” protest, which drew around 150.