UPDATE: Over 1K join ‘No Kings’ protests in Beaufort County, police arrest 3
7:52 p.m.: This story has been updated to include the Bluffton protests and arrests made throughout the day.
Protesters gathered across Beaufort County Saturday as part of a national day of demonstrations against the policies of President Donald Trump. A few Trump supporters showed up in counter, waving flags and drawing honks of support.
Reports of three related arrests were also made throughout the day across the county.
The anti-Trump demonstrations were scheduled in Beaufort, Hilton Head and Bluffton as part of the nationwide “No Kings” protests. Organizers say the events are aimed at denouncing what they call Trump’s anti-democratic and unlawful actions, including defiance of court orders and disregard for the Constitution. The rallies, which are organized by Lowcountry Indivisible, Liberal Ladies of the Lowcountry and the Beaufort County Democratic Party, are expected to gather hundreds of participants.
The rallies follow April’s 50501 movement, which drew thousands nationwide and saw large-scale protests in the county — a longtime Republican stronghold in a red state — where protests of this size, according to residents, are rare. In 2024, Trump won 56.6% of the county’s vote compared to 42.1% for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
Beaufort
At 12:30 p.m. in Beaufort, 30 minutes after a protest began in front of City Hall, a large crowd of people already lined both sides of Boundary Street, stretching an entire city block between Ribaut Road and Marsh Road.
Anne Dickerson of Indivisible, one of the organizers of the rally, estimated the crowd at 1,500. Capt. J. Dobbins of the Beaufort Police Department estimated the crowd at about 500 but noted people were still arriving.
Hundreds of protesters stretched an entire city block from Ribaut and Marsh roads on both sides of Boundary Street.
Dickerson was expecting the number to easily surpass the size of the crowd from a previous protest in April, which drew about 1,000.
“It means a lot in a small community like this,” Dickerson said. “People are not going to stand for what’s happening. A lot of people who weren’t engaged before are standing on street corners — from old ladies to veterans to young people.”
Dickerson lamented the shooting Saturday morning of Democratic House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, Brooklyn Park, Minn. in what Gov. Tim Walz called a “politically motivated assassination.”
“It makes me especially sick to my stomach when there’s been all this talk about us being violent and we have never been violent,” Dickerson said.
Beaufort protesters planned to walk on the sidewalks and make their way to the city’s Waterfront Park.
The city put out a statement prior to the rally that it respected the rights of residents to peacefully gather and express their views. Extra police were on hand to assist traffic control and ensure public safety. No issues had arisen as of 1 p.m.
The tactics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement were mentioned by several people when they were asked about why they decided to stand on the street in the sweltering heat holding signs such as “Rejecting kings since 1776.”
“The separation of them kids from their family? Come on man,” said Spencer Washington, a Whale Branch-area resident wearing an orange T-shirt that said, “Love over Everything,” as he held an American flag. “There is a better way than that.”
Alfredo Garcia arrived with his wife, Nancy, and daughter, Mayra, a retired Marine. He said he didn’t like what ICE was doing “to my people.”
Mayra, a retired Marine sergeant, sees discrimination against people of color in ICE’s actions. “We’re here to advocate for those who couldn’t be here,” she said.
Greg Chacharon, a 72-year-old retiree, held a sign that said, “ICE makes matters Hotter.” Standing next to him was wife, Debi, who held a sign that read, “Don’t Elect Idiots. “
Greg Chacharon is among about 100 people who gather to protest every Monday at the same location in Beaufort.
Michael Dixon, 70, dressed like an American flag, arrived with a sign that said, “Overthrow King Trump Now.” Noting Trump’s military parade being held in Washington, D.C., Dixon called the president a threat to the country.
“He’s trying to be a tin-pot dictator by holding a military parade today on his birthday, wasting $45 million minimum of taxpayer dollars,” Dixon said. “People who aren’t out protesting aren’t paying attention.”
After the anti-Trump crowd dispersed, a lone Trump supporter appeared carrying a large flag that said, “Trump Won, Get Over It,” which prompted honks of support. The single Trump supporter, who declined to give her name, showed up at City Hall, she said, to counter the anti-Trump protesters.
Hilton Head
At the same time as the Beaufort rally, demonstrators gathered on Hilton Head Island — where drivers coming on and off the Island saw two very different scenes playing out along the sidewalks of U.S. 278.
About 30 pro-Trump demonstrators could be seen waving American flags just across from the street of the Walmart. Down the road, about 750 anti-Trump protesters crowded the sidewalks by the Sea Turtle Marketplace near Matthews Drive. Many, on both sides of the political divide, waved American flags.
Lining the sidewalks, a variety of signs read “Democracy rules — not kings!,” “Hate will not make us great,” and “No human is illegal! Melt ICE!” A few demonstrators waved LGBTQ flags.
Honks also rang out from passing cars to cheers. One woman in a vehicle waiting at a red light held out a “F*** Trump” flag through her window to continued cheers from the anti-Trump crowd.
But not everyone on the island agreed. Lynn Fontaine of the Coastal Conservative Alliance said her organization has held small pro-Trump rallies every couple of months for the past year. She called the “No Kings” protest misguided and defended Trump’s leadership as consistent and lawful.
“He was elected,” she said. “He’s doing exactly what he said he would do.”
Fontaine also pushed back on the criticism of Trump’s immigration policies and ICE, adding, “You only have a right to due process if you’re a citizen.”
However, “No Kings” protesters like Barbara Ernico disagree.
“Every good lawyer will tell you that is not true,” the Hilton Head resident of about 10 years and self-titled ‘recovered Republican’ said. “Every person in this country, by the Constitution, has the right to due process.”
Earlier in the day, at around 11:30 a.m., a vehicle swerved towards pro-Trump demonstrators standing in the entrance to the Auto Pro parking lot. Eyewitnesses said a woman in the vehicle yelled “expletives” towards the pro-Trump demonstrators from the car before driving away. No one was injured.
Bluffton
Shortly before 4 p.m., more than 700 protesters began to gather outside the Beaufort County Government Center for the final “No Kings” rally — coinciding with Bluffton’s 10th annual Juneteenth Festival, held about 10 minutes away along May River Road.
Under rainy skies and faint rolls of thunder, participants held signs under umbrellas that read “We’re making good trouble,” and “No dictators,” while others waved American and LGBTQ flags. Chants of “86 47” — a call to remove Trump, the 47th president, using restaurant slang for “get rid of” — echoed across the streets.
Umbrellas, plastic-covered signs and cheers filled the sidewalks of Bluffton Parkway as protesters made their voices heard, hours after protests in neighboring cities of Beaufort and Hilton Head concluded.
“I think the demonstration of people and their enthusiasm for showing up here, despite the rain, lightning and heat is incredible,” Ann Finn, a Beaufort County resident, said. “We’ve got a wide variety of age groups here, too, which shows how these protests continue to grow.
Participation grew throughout the afternoon as roughly 100 protesters opted to cross the road, showcasing their signs and solidarity along the stretch of Bluffton Parkway.
Drivers and a handful of those passing by on bicycles joined protesters with the frequent honking of their car horns, ringing bike bells and hand-held air horns.
With the “No Kings” protests largely serving as an opposition to Trump’s policies and actions during his second presidency, those on the ground voiced grievances that were broad yet deeply personal. Protesters at Bluffton’s rally called for immigration reform, condemned systemic racism and criticized the Trump administration’s policies.
“I’m here to exercise our First Amendment rights as well as fight for immigration reform,” said Maya Agosto, a Beaufort County resident. “I’m fighting for those that can’t speak for themselves and for their safety.”
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Others zeroed in on the president alone, sharing their opposition to the current state of the federal government and its policymakers.
“It’s important to be here,” Richard Allen, a Beaufort County resident, said. We’ve got a convicted felon in the White House, and it’s ridiculous.”
His wife, Lynn Allen, echoed his statement, “They’re tearing our country apart.”
Were arrests made?
Three individuals were arrested during the “No Kings” rallies, said Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Master Sergeant Robert Herlong — one in Bluffton, one in Hilton Head and a third at an unspecified location. It remains unclear if any arrests occurred at the Beaufort protest.
All three individuals were taken into custody for violating a state statute prohibiting the wearing of full-face coverings in public, Herlong said.
Under South Carolina law, no person over the age of sixteen may appear in public while wearing a mask or device that conceals their identity.
This story was originally published June 14, 2025 at 2:56 PM.
