May Day rally in Bellingham supports worker rights, denounces Trump administration
Several hundred people rallied in support of workers and against the Trump administration during a May Day demonstration in downtown Bellingham on Thursday.
Protesters waved homemade signs and chanted slogans, including “This is what democracy looks like” and “Due process for all” outside the Federal Building, filling all four corners at the intersection of Magnolia Street and Cornwall Avenue.
May 1 is International Workers Day, honoring labor’s struggle from the late 1800s to secure an eight-hour work day.
Holding a sign printed with the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Jo Maas of Bellingham told The Herald that she wanted to support her friend Mary Lynne Courtney, who has been demonstrating outside the Federal Building for an hour each day over the past 25 days — a tribute to U.S. Sen. Cory Booker’s recent 25-hour speech on the Senate floor.
“I just believe that we have to do something to stop the madness in our country,” Maas said.
Steve Kales of Bellingham waved the flags of Ukraine and Canada, and criticized the Trump administration for antagonizing its allies around the globe.
“We’re not going to get anywhere without any friends, eventually,” he told The Herald.
Participants carried signs such as “Stand up, speak out, resist!” sang “America, the Beautiful,” and cheered from the sidewalk as cars drove past. Many drivers honked in support.
Several protesters held U.S. flags upside down, the international sign of distress.
Wearing a “Support trans kids” T-shirt, Ash Germino of Bellingham called out what he said was the cruel hypocrisy of the Trump administration.
“I’m here for trans kids. I’m here for freedom. I’m here for actually being able to live our lives the way we should be able to. Like, it’s supposed to be the land of the free. It’s not. Especially right now,” Germino told The Herald.
This story was originally published May 1, 2025 at 3:59 PM.
