Organizers of the “No Dictators” rallies that took place this Saturday met after the weekend to discuss strategy going forward after a bomb scare at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol disrupted the event.
People gathered at Thomas Square on Saturday morning to begin the rally, which was held in conjunction with the "No Kings" rallies nationwide. The rally was set to include a peace march to the state Capitol building.
Sergio Alcubilla, the director of community engagement with the ACLU of Hawaiʻi, spoke to attendees the day the knowledge of the bomb threat was shared.
“There's some folks that are trying to delay what we're doing. We understand that. We understand what you're trying to do, but this is a peace march, and this is what we're here for, and we're not going to be scared when people try to threaten us with those things.” Alcubilla said to the crowd.
“We're going to keep going, but at the same time, we want people to be safe, so we're going to change our route a little bit. … We're for peace, and we're for the people.”
Law enforcement closed off the area around the Capitol and directed the protesters to King Street in front of ʻIolani Place until they could give the all clear after determining the bomb threat was not credible.
The rally resumed in front of the Capitol, but protesters like Rev. Estela Chao-Reza weren’t daunted by the threat of violence. Chao-Reza is with FACE, Faith Action for Community Equity, and she spoke with HPR on why her organization took to the streets.
“Honestly, we're in a very critical time right now in our country and our world, where we feel like the world is falling apart. And I think right now we are calling upon every peacemaker, every friend, everyone who feels part of this community, to stand in one voice and to stand up for courage and to stand up for justice.”
Another participant was Carolyn Hadfield, who is with Refuse Fascism Honolulu. She said she feels a sense of urgency with not only the recent killings of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota, but also the war in Iran that is now approaching a month.
“I think that people have to make a connection between the wars, the ICE, all of the other issues, the wars on women, the bombing of boats. I mean, it's all connected, and that's why our main message is to get Trump out now.”
And Ally Malilay represented the younger voices on Saturday.
“I would say that the youth here are here today. Faith leaders are here today, people from all walks of life, because we're showing that when community supports community, we're able to fight back.”
Malilay said she felt encouraged to continue mobilizing for change despite the ongoing developments of the Trump administration.
“It’s why so many people are out here today. Because we know that we still have the power to make change, regardless of what the administration has done to us.”
Organizers believe the rallies attracted some 20,000 participants statewide.
This story aired on The Conversation on March 30, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Jinwook Lee adapted this story for the web.
