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People gathered outside the Indiana Statehouse as part of another national demonstration critical of the current administration and President Donald Trump.
Indiana State Police estimated about 1,000 people attended the 2-hour protest on Labor Day. Organizers said only about 250 people officially registered online.
The volunteer-led 50501 movement — which stands for 50 protests in 50 states on 1 day — has organized several national protests since February. The group is responsible for the April 5 “Hands off!” demonstration and the June 14 “No Kings” protest. They collaborated with other organizations like Indiana Resistance Alliance for the Sept. 1, 2025 event, marching around the statehouse multiple times with chants.
The protest’s theme, “Workers over billionaires,” focused on keeping pressure not only on the Trump administration, but also on the billionaires who support or benefit from his policies.
Workers Over Billionaires nationwide protests
Around 1,000 people marched around the Indiana Statehouse downtown for the Labor Day protests against President Donald Trump and his administration on Sept. 1, 2025.
Labor unions and community activists gathered for mass protests on Labor Day, hoping to remind Americans of the power of the working class at a time when billionaires are playing an outsized role in national politics, according to USA Today.
Although signs in Indianapolis expressed different topics like deportation, the Epstein list, women’s rights, and even opposition to Nazism, Ryleigh Beckett, a leader with the 50501 movement, said the primary message was about labor rights.
‘It’s gonna get worse if we don’t do something…’
Around 1,000 people marched around the Indiana Statehouse downtown for the Labor Day protests against President Donald Trump and his administration on Sept. 1, 2025.
“We want to recognize the history that has come with Labor Day and how the Trump administration is dismantling a lot of the labor rights that we have fought and earned for with blood, sweat, and tears, namely the weakening of unions, which is a sign of fascism,” Beckett said.
John Steenbergen, 71, said he attended the protest because Trump is different from any president he’s seen in his 50 years of following politics. While he disagreed with Republican presidents like Richard Nixon and George W. Bush, he believed they cared about doing what they thought was best for the United States.But Trump is “cruel” and a “wannabe dictator,” Steenbergen said, pointing to the president’s mass deportation campaign as an example. The Indianapolis resident said he’s worried for his children and grandchildren.“It’s gonna get worse if we don’t do something about it,” he said.
Morrigan McCoy, 23, led the marches around the Indiana Statehouse and gave the introductory speech before the marches. He has strong opinions about Trump, including “attempts to gerrymander our election.”
Beckett said she feels in the current climate in Indiana, people feel isolated, but the new goal for the movement is to have people and organizations come together for a common goal and connect people with their neighbors.
“I think this is the beauty of American culture. We come from all different walks of life, and we may not know our neighbors’ points of view, but we come together and we see that we’re really not alone.”
The event, which was planned until 3 p.m., ended at 2 p.m. since another protest was planned on Monument Circle.
People protest Nazis, carry guns
Just weeks after a small group marched around Monument Circle with Nazi flags, Hoosiers returned to the Circle the afternoon of Sept. 1 to respond with an “anti-Nazi rally.”
The protest was put together over the past week, organizers told IndyStar. A handful of people carried guns, a reference to the weapons the pro-Nazi protesters had carried, but most appeared unarmed.
“Left, right and center, I think we can all come together and agree that Nazis aren’t welcome in Indianapolis,” organizer Max Haddad said while speaking to the crowd.
Among the protesters was a family of four, including two children. Parents Andrew Bodiker and Steph Piercefield, who both wore firearms across their body, told IndyStar they came to the protest to support marginalized communities. The weapons, they said, served as a symbolic response to pro-Nazi protest.
“We’re just trying to stand up for everybody,” Piercefield said.
Jesse Kearly, another speaker, said the idea of using the Second Amendment was not popular, but it’s to show that they can protect themselves from people who might have ill intentions.
Jade Jackson is a Public Safety Reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON. Contact Marissa Meador at mmeador@gannett.com or find her on X at @marissa_meador.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis protesters fight for labor protections, against Nazis
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