The pouring rain didn’t stop a huge crowd from gathering at the Academy Green Saturday to protest President Donald Trump and “Department of Government Efficiency” czar Elon Musk, as part of the nation-wide “Hands Off” protests on April 5.

Organizations such as the Mid-Hudson Valley chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the Ulster County Democrats attended and provided sign-up sheets for those interested in getting involved. Protesters, the estimated number of which varied from several hundred to several thousand, depending on the estimator, called for “hands off” our education, democracy and civil liberties.

Candace Waruch, who is visiting Kingston from Alaska, decided to come to the protest with a double-sided sign — one supporting veterans, who she believes are being disrespected and not cared for, and the other in support of reproductive rights, against the “old farts in Washington who are trying to tell us what we can and can’t do with our bodies.”

“I hope people take notice and realize we’re not going to go down easy, and democracy is free speech,” she said. “People are fearful of speaking freely and that is not what democracy is all about, that is not what our Constitution is all about.”

Dozens of senior citizens attended the protest, with many seen holding signs related to Social Security, a program that provides financial support to retirees, people with disabilities, and the families of deceased workers. Due to DOGE-related budget cuts, Social Security field offices have closed and the workforce has been reduced. Helen Chase was one of these protesters, a 78-year-old woman who said that losing her Social Security would hurt. A lot.

“Somebody up top is taking advantage of us little ones at the bottom,” she said.

The rally in Kingston took place for an hour, from 11 a.m. to noon. Tin Horn Uprising, an activist brass marching band based in the Hudson Valley, played protest songs such as “Bella Ciao” in between call-and-response chants led by grassroots organizers: “they say shut up/we say rise up” and “they say go away/we say no way.”

Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha (D-Esopus) and state Sen. Michelle Hinchey (D-Saugerties) attended and spoke at the protest, as did County Executive Jen Metzger. Hinchey condemned what she called the “intentional takeover” of our country, and tariffs, which she believes are meant to make people “kiss the ring” of the Trump administration. She also stated that when Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, came to Albany to pressure New York to participate in Trump’s deportation efforts, legislators stood together to push back.

Shrestha condemned Trump’s effort to “privatize every public institution we have and to dismantle it.” The Trump administration’s goal, Shrestha said, is fascism.

“We are tired of being on the defense, we need to go on the offense,” Shrestha said. “What that means is we are going to build a movement with us, the 99 percent of the people. We are going to kick the millionaires and the billionaires and the big spending groups out of our democracy.”

Protesters were also led in the Pete Seeger/Lee Hayes classic protest song “If I Had a Hammer,” and Woody Guthrie’s iconic “This Land is Your Land.” Organizers encouraged the attendees to continue protesting and to vote in elections.

“One last message to the fascists. What you see is what you get, and you ain’t seen nothing yet,” said Steven Spicer, one of the protest leaders. “It takes something to come out in the sun, [but] it means you’re a true patriot coming out in this rain.”