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KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) More than a thousand demonstrators came out amid downpours and filled Central Square in downtown Keene on Saturday afternoon as part of a sweeping nationwide protest known as the “Hands Off!” movement, aimed at pushing back against President Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk, and a range of Republican-backed policies.
Organizers initially anticipated around 600 attendees, but the turnout quickly surpassed expectations. By just after noon, more than 1,200 people had signed in before overwhelmed volunteers stopped counting and a social media post read organizers counted around 1,500 at its peak. The crowd spilled from the square onto nearby medians and sidewalks along Main, Washington, and West streets, protestors waving and smiling at drivers who passed by honking their car horns.
The Keene event was one of approximately 1,000 coordinated rallies held across the country on April 5. Other regional protests took place in Peterborough, Brattleboro, and Concord. While the demonstrations were framed around national political concerns, local and state issues were also front and center in Keene.
A lineup of Democratic lawmakers from New Hampshire addressed the energized crowd, criticizing Republican-led budget proposals that include cuts to Medicaid, public libraries, and the state’s Office of the Child Advocate.
The “Hands Off!” campaign was billed by organizers as a mass mobilization against what they describe as the erosion of democracy and public resources by political and corporate elites. Promotional materials for the event accused Trump and Musk of exploiting the system for personal gain and called on Americans to resist the “looting of our country.”
Among recent federal actions highlighted by speakers was a newly imposed 25 percent tariff on foreign auto imports, a policy announced last week that has already caused turbulence in financial markets.