Nova Spier
Frogs and chickens at
American protest in Amsterdam:
"No tyrants, no dictators, no kings!"
20 October 2025, Nova Spier - Originally published in Dutch on Red Pers
'Abolish Medicaid, ban books, transphobia and hatred? Not our America!' chant two hundred voices. The 'No Tyrants' protest in Amsterdam is part of the global 'No Kings' protest, in which seven million people express their concerns about democracy in the United States: 'All these people give me hope that America is not yet falling apart.'
Frogs, chickens, and children: two hundred people gather shortly before 1:00 p.m. on Saturday in front of the American consulate on Museumplein in Amsterdam. Although there is laughter, the tone of the demonstration is serious. With protest songs and slogans, those present express their concerns about the future of democracy in the United States and the leadership of President Donald Trump.
Worldwide, more than seven million people took to the streets that Saturday for the second edition of the "No Kings" protest, according to the organization. Protests took place in cities around the world; in the United States alone, there were protests in some 2,700 locations, in both large cities, small communities, and Republican states.
The first edition of the protest took place in June, on the day Trump held a military parade in honor of the 250th anniversary of the US armed forces and his 79th birthday. According to the protest organizers, the parade was a coronation-attempt and an abuse of power. That is why the initiators chose the name 'No Kings': out of aversion to autocrats and to emphasize that a president is not a king. In June, an estimated five million people took to the streets worldwide, spread across some two thousand locations.
No king, no tyrant
In Amsterdam, a first protest was also organized in June. Thirty-nine-year-old Hayley Hughes from Ohio moved to the Netherlands for love in 2013, but remained connected to American politics through organizations as Democrats Abroad, an organization for American Democrats who life outside the US. When no one showed initiative to organize a second protest, Hughes decided to do it herself.
Although the protest was originally called 'No Kings', the Dutch edition has a different name. The action is not directed against the Dutch King, Willem-Alexander, but against the 'authoritarian traits of the Trump administration'. "We deliberately call it a 'No Tyrants' protest, not a 'No Kings' protest," Hughes explains. "We are guests in the Netherlands, a country with a constitutional monarchy."
The fact that they are gathering today for a peaceful protest is not a given, Hughes explains. "Some of our friends and family in the US take risks every day by standing up for democracy and the rule of law. All it took for us was a permit from the city, a quick phone call to the police, and some sound equipment. Those who can speak out safely must continue to do so and make their voices heard. In America, there are no tyrants, no dictators, and no kings!"
"Not my America"
The audience shouts along with Hughes. "Masked troops in our cities? Not our America! Terrorizing immigrants? Not our America! Abolishing Medicaid, rolling back environmental protection, banning books, whitewashing history, and ignoring science? Not our America! Transphobia, hatred, and friendship with dictators? Not our America!"
Most American visitors have been living in the Netherlands for some time, while others are here temporarily for study, work, or vacation. A few share their personal stories at the microphone. An exchange student explains how, as a future teacher, she is anxiously watching the cuts to education. An American couple talks about their recent move to the Netherlands because they are afraid of being labeled terrorists in the US. A queer woman shares that she no longer feels welcome in her home country.
Frogs and chickens
Speakers Jim Shulz from the Center for Democracy in New York and Dr. Mike Schmidli, historian at Leiden University, point to the "worrying state" of American democracy. Jay Inslee, former governor of Washington, reads an excerpt from Anne Frank's diary: 'Terrible things are happening outside... poor helpless people are being dragged from their homes. Families are being torn apart; men, women, and children are being separated. Children come home from school and discover that their parents have disappeared'.
Inslee compares the passage to the way ICE agents, the US immigration police, take people off the streets. The tone is heavy, but the many frogs present make him smile. "The frog suits have blown over from anti-ICE demonstrations in Portland," Hughes explains. "Republicans try to portray these kinds of peaceful demonstrations as violent and terrorist. Then the organization realized that this would be more difficult if the demonstrators looked like frogs."
44-year-old Jennifer is not wearing a frog costume, but a chicken costume. "I wanted to show solidarity with the protests in Portland, but I couldn't find a frog costume," she says with a laugh. "This is the best I could find." She moved to the Netherlands for work, but emphasizes that Americans abroad should continue to exercise their right to vote. "Democracy is about participation. I'm here to encourage my fellow Americans in the US and abroad to make their voices heard. Democracy is in danger," she says. She prefers not to share her last name. "The Trump administration has proven to be vengeful and to go after its opponents. I'm afraid of that."
Hope for the US and the Netherlands
At the end of the afternoon, someone in an inflatable frog suit hands out frog candies to the youngest attendees. Hughes and Schmidli pick up a guitar and sing protest songs such as Woody Guthrie's This Land Is Your Land together with the audience.
Sixty-nine-year-old April Oostwal sings along at the top of her lungs. "I have health problems, so I often sit at home and watch the news all day. I see what's happening in America and it's terrible — I cry about it almost every day. When I heard about this protest, I thought: this is something I can do. My husband supports me with his frog hat."
Oostwal has been living in the Netherlands for seventeen years with her Dutch husband Ruben. "It's fantastic to see that so many people have come — even my home representative Jay Inslee. That gives me hope that America isn't falling apart yet. We are showing our support for the US here, but also for the Netherlands itself: against fascism, which is growing everywhere in Europe." She takes off her frog hat and puts it in her bag. "Today has lifted my spirits," she says. "But now I'm going home, because my back hurts."
Hughes looks back on the demonstration with satisfaction. "Today we made a statement: we stand in solidarity with everyone in the US and we will not bow to Trump. This is also important in the Netherlands: we see that Trump's rhetoric is spreading across the world and here too, politics is shifting to the right. Important elections are coming up, so it is important that everyone stands up and votes in the elections on October 29."
Final editing by Vincie van Kerkhof