This story has been updated, with organizers revising their crowd count estimate.
JANESVILLE Brianna Miller sought at Saturdays No Kings rally in downtown Janesville to throw a visual uppercut with a sign she hoisted high for passing traffic to read.
Brianna Miller, 28, of Milton, right, holds an anti-Nazi protest sign at a "No Kings" rallySaturday, March 28, 2026, in downtown Janesville. Miller says she'd like to see more younger people get involved in the national anti-authoritarian protest movement.
The sign held by Miller, a 28-year-old Milton native, read Captain America Taught Me to Punch Nazis!!
About 100 protesters lined Court Street and Lower Courthouse Park late Saturday morning in downtown Janesville as part of the third No Kings protest to be held locally since last June. Each of the three local protests has been part of a national day of action.
A 69蹤獲 reporter counted between 75 and 100 people coming and going from the Janesville rally late late Saturday morning, while organizers say that at some points Saturday, the No Kings event had drawn as many as 750 to 900 attendants downtown.Organizers, two days after the event, revised their estimate of the crowd saying on Monday, March 30, they believe attendance was closer to 500 people.
Miller said she wishes more people her age would join in rallies and protests against what she sees as authoritarian control being imposed by those now running the federal government.
Today was a louder crowd, more chanting than the last few of these Ive attended, Miller said. But Id like to see younger crowds start attending these rallies. Its a lot of old guard. I think the new guard is a little underrepresented.
Miller characterizes her generation as marked by nihilism running at an all-time high. For us little Gen-Zers, the urge to curl up in bed and not face anything is so strong. I see that as sad, because its like giving up.
Few people at Saturdays rally appeared below age 50 and many tilted older making protesters like her and her sister Victoria Miller, 30, the minority.
That holds with national trends in the antiauthoritarian protest movement, which has become a nationwide phenomenon. No Kings and similar rallies have drawn large crowds, but a survey American University conducted late last year shows the median age of protesters is 44.
The same survey shows the average age tilts closer to 50, with far fewer protesters in their 20s and 30s turning out.
Victoria Miller says shes tried to get others her age involved in recent protests like No Kings, but said recruiting friends to grab a sign and hit the street is an uphill fight.
She said outsized news media and social media attention on large urban protests some marked by authorities deploying tear gas hasnt been a strong selling point in the minds of most younger people.
Its mostly word-of-mouth that people my age are using to get involved, Victoria Miller said, adding that the biggest challenge is that people are afraid.
Brianna Miller said one of her friends, whom she describes as transgender, took a pass on Saturdays rally.
I was trying to talk her into coming, but shes just generally afraid to join in things like this, Brianna Miller said. Theres more than just her. Some of my other friends feel theyre suddenly more maligned now for being different or a different race. The political temperature is so high.
Brianna Miller said until very recently she was hesitant to attend rallies or protests like No Kings over fears she might get arrested. Shes working toward a career as a forensic investigator for crime labs.
You obviously need to have a squeaky-clean record for work like that, Miller said.
Saturdays rally in Janesville was peaceful. Police managed traffic control, and no public safety incidents were reported.
Victoria Miller said the missing younger demographic is telling, because it jibes with data showing people her age are less likely to engage directly in political life and are also statistically less likely to vote.
I guess the big thing Id like to see come out of these rallies is bigger participation by young people, she said. It might mean more young people engaged, and a bigger likelihood of them going out later and voting. Id like to see that.
U.S. demonstration turnout
Large crowds protested Saturday against the war in Iran and President Donald Trumps actions in No Kings rallies across the U.S. and in Europe. Minnesota took center stage, with thousands of people standing shoulder-to-shoulder to celebrate resistance to Trumps aggressive immigration enforcement.
Minnesotas flagship event on the Capitol lawn in St. Paul drew Bruce Springsteen as its headliner. He and other speakers praised the states people for taking to the streets over the winter in opposition to a surge of U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement agents.
Springsteen performed Streets of Minneapolis, the song he wrote in response to the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents. Springsteen lamented Good and Prettis deaths but said the states pushback against ICE has given the rest of the country hope.
Your strength and your commitment told us that this was still America, he said. And this reactionary nightmare, and these invasions of American cities, will not stand.
People rallied from New York City, with almost 8.5 million residents in a solidly blue state, to Driggs, a town of fewer than 2,000 people in eastern Idaho, a state Trump carried with 66% of the vote in 2024.
The Associated Press contributed to this report