No Kings 3: Speaker Highlights

Washington State Representative, 23rd LD, Tarra Simmons

Friends & Neighbors -

We are here today not because we reject our country, but because we believe in it deeply.

We are here because we understand something fundamental: democracy is not a gift handed down from the powerful. It is a promise we make to each other—and a responsibility we must defend together.

The message of this protest is simple and timeless: no kings.

That idea is not new. It is at the very heart of this nation’s founding. Our nation’s experiment began as a rejection of unchecked power—of rule by one person, unaccountable to the people. It began with the belief that no individual is above the law, that leadership is a public trust, and that power flows upward from the people—not downward from a throne.

And yet, here we are.

Across this country, we are seeing warning signs that echo through history—efforts to concentrate power, to sideline democratic institutions, to weaken checks and balances, to round up our neighbors, to create an underclass of humans to be exploited for labor - and to demand loyalty not to the Constitution, but to individuals.

We must say clearly, calmly, and without hesitation: that is not who we are.

No kings means no one is above accountability.

No kings means the rule of law applies equally to everyone.

No kings means our institutions—our courts, our elections, our free press—must remain independent and strong.

Because when those pillars weaken, democracy itself begins to crack.

Now, let me be clear: this is not about partisanship. This is not about left versus right. This is about something deeper—whether we remain a nation governed by laws, or drift toward one governed by personalities.

History teaches us that democracies do not disappear overnight. They erode—piece by piece. A norm ignored here. A law bent there. A truth distorted. A check on power dismissed as inconvenient.

And each time, the justification sounds familiar: “Just this once.”“Just for now.”“Just trust me.”

But democracy cannot survive on “just trust me.” It survives on transparency, accountability, and the consent of the governed.

That’s why your presence here matters.

Every voice in this crowd is a declaration that we are paying attention. That we are engaged. That we understand our role is not passive.

Because democracy is not a spectator sport.

It is built in moments like this—when ordinary people come together and say: we will not be silent. We will not be intimidated. We will not trade our rights for the illusion of strength.

***And let’s talk about strength for a moment.

Real strength is not about dominating others. It is not about silencing critics or bending institutions to your will. Real strength is the courage to be accountable. The humility to accept limits. The introspection to realize as a man you don’t need to bully a woman – and at times it might be for the common good to support her and watch her lead!

***That is the strength democracy demands.

And that is the strength we must demand from our leaders.

Now, I stand before you not just as your State Representative, but as someone entrusted with a responsibility—to uphold the Constitution, to defend democratic norms, and to ensure that government isn’t a Big Corporation that can be bought – but it remains of, by, and for the people.

But I cannot do that alone. No elected official can.

The true guardians of democracy are not found only in government buildings. They are found here—in communities, in conversations, in acts of civic courage large and small.

They are teachers who tell the truth. The moms and grandmas protecting their babies. Journalists who ask hard questions. Voters who show up. Neighbors who speak out, and the organizers like Pam, Claudia, Danielle, Martitha, Carollynn and so many others who show up in your time of need.

And yes—people who gather in peaceful protest to make their voices heard.

So today, we stand together not in anger alone, but in purpose.

We stand to affirm that our system of government is worth protecting. We stand to remind those in power that authority comes with limits. We stand to ensure that future generations inherit not a weakened democracy, but a stronger one.

Because the question before us is not abstract. It is immediate and real:

Will we remain a nation where power is checked, balanced, and accountable? Or will we allow it to concentrate, to harden, and to drift beyond the reach of the people?

Our answer must be clear.

No kings.

Not now. Not ever.

 Let this moment be a signal—not just to those in power, but to each other. A reminder that democracy is not self-sustaining. It requires vigilance. It requires participation. It requires courage.

And courage is contagious.

When people see others standing up, speaking out, refusing to back down—it inspires them to do the same. That is how movements grow. That is how change happens. That is how democracy endures.

So, let’s leave here today not just with signs and slogans, but with commitment.

Commitment to stay engaged. Commitment to hold leaders accountable. Commitment to say No War in Iran. Commitment to say Free Gaza. And Commitment to say ICE OUT!

And commitment to each other—because at the end of the day, democracy is not about any one leader. It is about all of us.

Together.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for raising your voices. And thank you for standing up for a simple, powerful truth:

In this nation, in this State, in Kitsap County, and especially in the 23rd Legislative District – We don’t bow to kings. Our voices matter, we will NEVER be silenced…and Our VOTES can’t be bought!

Washington State Representative, LD 46, Darya Farivar

Hello Poulsbo! 

We are here today because we believe something simple:

There are no kings in a democracy.

No president above the law.

No leader who alone decides when we go to war.

No government that rules by fear, force, or divine claim.

And that belief doesn’t stop at our borders.

There should be no kings anywhere.

Not in the United States.

Not in Iran.

Not in any society that claims to value freedom.

I know this not just as an elected official but as the child of immigrants,

and as the only Iranian American serving in our state legislature.

My family left Iran in pursuit of freedom.

They escaped a monarchy and then a theocracy

two different systems built on the same idea:

That power belongs to a few, and not to the people.

They came here believing this country would be different.

That here, we would build something rooted in democracy, accountability, and human and civil rights.

And yet today, under Donald Trump, we are watching something dangerous take hold.

A government that concentrates power.

That weaponizes religion and nationalism.

That tells us one leader alone can fix everything.

And it is all too familiar for my family. 

That is not democracy.

That is the path toward authoritarianism.

And it is why we are here.

Because this isn’t just about one country or one war.

Right now, people in Iran are fighting for their freedom

against repression, against violence, against a system that denies them a voice.

And instead of supporting that movement,

the United States has chosen war.

War only undermines revolution and destabizes the movement. 

Bombs do not bring freedom.

War does not create democracy.

We have seen this before, in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Libya.

Each time, it has brought devastation

not liberation.

This war is not just morally wrong.

It is unconstitutional.

The power to declare war belongs to the people, through Congress

not to one man acting alone.

We are being told this is about helping Iranians.

About “liberation.” About “regime change.”

But freedom cannot be imposed from the outside.

The future of Iran belongs to Iranians.

Not to the United States.

Not to any president.

Not to any monarch waiting in the wings.

Because Iranians are not fighting to trade one form of oppression for another.

Not a supreme leader.

Not a king.

Not any unelected ruler.

They are fighting for a government chosen by and for the people.

And if we actually want to support them, there are real ways to do it:

Ensure access to a free and open internet.

End policies that punish ordinary people.

Stop deportations. Lift the muslim ban. 

Stand with people, not with bombs.

Because here at home, we are literally paying the price.

Working families are struggling.

And instead of helping them. $200 billion are being poured into war

while basic needs go unmet.

And alongside that, something else is rising:

Hate.

As an Iranian American who grew up in the shadow of 9/11,

I know what happens when war abroad fuels racism at home.

We are already seeing the rise of xenophobia, of Islamophobia,

of people in our communities being targeted simply for who they are.

And for speaking out against this war, I have faced that hate directly.

But I am still here.

Chuck Pirtle, President, Kitsap County Central Labor Council

Happy No Kings Day. We said no to George III in 1776 and we say no to Donald I in 2026.

Last year in the early days of the new regime I was on an AFL-CIO leadership call with labor leaders from countries that had gone through an authoritarian period and come out of it. They all said that it was unions, in the worst and darkest times, that kept the democratic vision and spirit alive and made it possible to eventually break the authoritarian hold on power. Because unions are themselves democracies and unions model an ethic of solidarity for society—as the old IWW slogan says "An injury to one is an injury to all."

An attack on working people anywhere is an attack on working people everywhere. Immigration is being used as a wedge issue to stir up hate and fear and to divide the working class by making American workers think their enemy is the undocumented worker from another country and not the ruling class that's looting this country and exploiting both US-born and immigrant workers.

Unions are the only organized force in society with the strength, numbers, and resources to stand up and push back against corporate power. That's why they're trying so hard to break us. Federal employee unions have seen their contracts canceled and their rights at work ignored. The National Labor Relations Board has been neutered. Pro-labor legislators are being targeted by corporate candidates.

But what do we do when we're under attack? We stand up and we fight back. And when we fight, we win. No authoritarian regime lasts forever. Even the Thousand Year Reich came up 988 years short. We will get through this, with all of us pushing together. As Woody Guthrie sang, "all you fascists bound to lose."

Another Woody Guthrie song says "there's a better world a-comin'." When we get through this we are not going back to the old normal because the old normal is what got us here. No kings also means no oligarchs, for kings are but the servants of oligarchs. They hide behind their wealth and maintain power by force and deception, but real power lies with the people because ours is the power of love and human connection.

In the words of the great labor anthem Solidarity Forever:

In our hands is placed a power greater than their hoarded gold

Greater than the might of armies magnified a thousand fold

We can bring to birth a new world from the ashes of the old

For the union makes us strong