On Saturday, April 5, opponents of President Donald Trump gathered in over 1,200 locations across the country to protest the administration's policies on immigration, economics, human rights, international relations and other issues. Wareham was no exception.

In front of Town Hall, more than 100 people stood behind police barricades, chanting and holding signs that condemned a range of the President's policies. Many of the protesters also targeted billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

The Wareham protest, like others nationwide, was part of the 'Hands Off!' movement, coordinated by over 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LGBTQ+ advocates, veterans and election activists.

“We’re really worried about the direction our government is going and we want to make sure our programs stay safe in our communities,” said Wareham resident Christine Smith, who highlighted programs like Social Security, Medicaid and food stamps as areas of concern.

Since taking office, Trump has issued dozens of executive orders rolling back environmental protections, cutting social programs like Medicaid and Social Security and dismantling the Department of Education — while working to fulfill a campaign promise of mass deportation for immigrants.

On April 2, dubbed “Liberation Day” by the President, the administration announced a sweeping 10% tariff on all imported goods and higher “reciprocal tariffs” on dozens of countries. In response, the stock market tumbled, erasing $2 trillion in value.

Many of the Trump administration’s cuts and rollbacks have been facilitated by the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Musk. In the name of efficiency, Musk has fired hundreds of thousands of federal employees including National Park staff, FEMA workers, Department of Defense personnel and those working in U.S. foreign aid, among many others.

“We want to support these programs and keep our democracy intact where laws are created by the legislature not by the executive,” Smith said.

Maura Lorenz of Marion worked for the Department of Transportation until she retired last summer. She said she’s “proud of what our government can do and has been doing for years.”

“And now I just see everything being destroyed and it just makes me so angry and sad and I worry about our kids future and our grandkids future,” Lorenz said.

Many in attendance on Saturday expressed fears that the administration's cuts would have a personal impact.

“I’m absolutely horrified at how many things Trump is dismantling,” said Carver resident Linda Jacobs. “I’m terrified every month that I won’t get my Social Security check.”

Jim Roy, also of Carver, said he’s glad his retirement isn’t in a 401k.

“I’m just tired. I’m tired of being pushed around. I don’t like the way this country is going and this is probably my last chance that I’ll be able to do anything. If it does any good, I’m here,” Roy said.

Other protestors said immigration policy motivated them to demonstrate.

“I think the straw that broke the camels back for me was taking the El Salvadorians without due process,” said Marion resident Shawn McMills.

“And of course, it's not just El Salvadorian immigrants, a college student from Tufts was taken by plain clothes ICE officers,” McMills said, referencing a student from Turkey who immigration officials arrested after she protested Israel's war in Gaza.

Others shared similar human rights concerns as the Trump administration has stripped the mention of LGBTQ individuals from government websites, prohibited funding for gender affirming care and ordered federal agencies to only recognize people’s gender as male or female.

“For me, it’s the executive orders declaring that there's only two sexes, denying that intersex people exist, it's kicking out service members who happen to be trans who put their lives on the line for this country,” said Elizabeth Arruda of Marion. “It's the erasure of LGBTQ people and history.”

As a pastor and member of the LGBTQ community Patty Kogut who lives in Buzzards Bay shared similar feelings.

“I wanted to come to some place in my local area because I wanted to be here and be seen. I have two queer children and I'm doing it for them and their future,” she said.

Many protesters’ signs and statements highlighted concerns that the Trump administration has entertained fascism, an authoritarian political ideology characterized by dictatorial power, extreme nationalism, suppression of opposition and control over society and the economy.

“My biggest concern is the leaning toward fascism and the reflection that this president has of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. Selling Ukraine, doing an about face, that country is fighting for democracy and conversely we are seeing ours taken away,” said Onset resident Brian Kashner.

“We don’t want to live in a fascist country,” said Lisa Riccardi. “I want us to have our rights, I want our kids to feel free. I want my Social Security to be intact that I worked so hard for. I want our government to be for the people not for the millionaires.”

Less than five pro-Trump demonstrators arrived to support the president in the face of opposition.

“I’m out here for Donald Trump who is trying to put this country in the right direction and spend money in the proper ways. Look at all the fricken waste there is, you don’t have to look far,” said Gerry Cardillo.

Cardillo was joined by fellow Wareham resident Julie Cummings who shared a conspiracy theory that there is a power above the president.

“They want to get rid of him because Trump won’t do what they want, the deep state and the illuminati, it's the United Nations and all of it,” Cummings said.

“They want to get rid of the constitution,” Cummings said pointing to the assembled anti-Trump protestors. “We’re not a democracy, we're a republic.”

A former history teacher in Wareham Schools, Cynthia Bliss, expressed her dismay at what she sees as a troubling historical pattern unfolding in the United States under the Trump administration.

“I have grief for my country. Everyday is like shock and awe, I like to read history and this is an unhappy pattern. I am appalled by the blindness of people who just don’t get that. I tried to get my students to be aware of how they’re manipulated with information and what you need to do to be a citizen,” Bliss said. “What are we doing? It makes me want to cry.”