By Nick Grabbe

More than a thousand people turned out on the town common Saturday to protest the drift toward authoritarianism originating in the White House.

I talked to people at the No Kings rally and listened to the speakers, but I also collected 79 slogans on protest signs. I focused on signs that I thought were creative, original, and effective.

I sent the 79 slogans to members of the Amherst Current’s editorial board and asked them to nominate 20 that they liked the best, to see how much agreement we had. I’ve listed the results below.

I do not want to appear frivolous about Saturday’s outpouring of concern that America is at risk of losing our democracy, a risk that seems existential. We’ve seen protests over women’s issues, immigrant rights and science, but never anything this big. An estimated 7 million people took part around the country and around the world.

State Rep. Mindy Domb of Amherst was one of the speakers here. “We will not let them mischaracterize this protest, or any protest, for any reason … as an insurrection,” Domb said, according to the Gazette. “Because if they want an example of an insurrection, guess what, we had one on January 6, 2020.”

I thought that focusing on the signs instead of the speakers would be a little different from what most media outlets do, and would highlight the creativity and passion of Amherst area residents.

The sign that the Amherst Current editorial board liked the most was:

250 Years Later, Power Without Principle is Still a Threat.

Feel free to mention in the comments a sign listed below that is your particular favorite.

There was a nine-way tie for the next-most-effective sign:

• No in 1776, Still No in 2025
• Depose the Despot
• The only orange monarch we want is a butterfly
• Keep Orwell Fiction
• “Don’t Make Me Repeat Myself.” – History
• First they came for the journalists. We don’t know what happened after that.
• If I hated America, I would be out to lunch with my friends right now
• It’s so bad, even the introverts are out
• Science: It’s like magic but real          

Honorable mention goes to these signs:

• No Faux King Way
• Grab him by the crown
• Resist: Our Country Needs Us
• I love America; I hate fascists
• MAGA = Morons Are Governing America
• Vaccines Make Adults
• Stop pretending your racism is patriotism
• Free balls for Republicans who have lost theirs (with 27 ping pong balls)
• “Power concedes nothing without a demand.” – Frederick Douglass
• Democracy means never having to say “Your highness”
• Not a paid protester. Just pissed.