About 700 people stood side by side along Route 26 between South Paris and Norway during Saturday’s “No Kings” demonstration, which started at 11 a.m. and ran well past noon.

Those the Advertiser Democrat spoke with said they came to protest what they view as an erosion of rights amid a rise of autocracy. 

Supportive horn blasts filled the air continuously, with some motorists exercising their first amendment rights with hand gestures, shouts and revving engines.

“Every day more and more people are realizing that they can’t stay quiet,” organizer Tobie Gordon of Western Maine Take Action said. “The fact that we had so many more people here this morning than the last No Kings event is a testament to that. Today’s gathering made it clear that we love this country, our country, and we won’t stand for what President Trump is turning it into. We are a country of no kings.”

Perhaps two of the oldest demonstrators were 92-year-old Beth Brock, of Greenwood, and 95-year-old Jan Stowell, of Bethel. The women bore an American flag and a No Kings sign advising that “wise older women” say to preserve civil democracy, healthcare and justice for all.

“I can’t compare this to anything I’ve seen in my lifetime,” said Brock. “I was a political science major in college and I have followed politics pretty closely my whole life. I’m disgusted with what’s happening in the country right now.”

Clad in bold Highland colors, Norway resident Tim Stevens stood out in the crowd. “I wore the full kilt today because Scots have never been a fan of the monarchy,” he said, adding his inspiration to demonstrate comes from his fears for free speech.

“The reason I’m here, we need to use our first amendment rights while we still have them to express that we do not agree with what Trump is doing. He is consolidating power, which we stood against back in 1776 when we declared our independence from England and King George III.

“We are here to say that what the president is doing with our immigrant neighbors, with taking away the powers of the purse from Congress — it is unacceptable.”

Another Norway resident, Fred Garbo, brought the tools of his trade and alternated juggling with performance art, tracking along the street in an inflatable dog suit he made from sailcloth with the help of a hot air balloon designer. 

“I can’t take it anymore,” said Garbo, who spent years performing as the Sesame Street Muppet Barkley. “I’m just so tired and fed up. By all of us showing up it might make a difference.”

Across the way, on the corner of Paris and Alpine streets, stood two counter-protesters, Lisa Levesque of Buckfield and a masked male who refused to provide his name but identified himself as a “proud fascist.” The pair played the Village People’s song YMCA, which Trump often dances to at his rallies.

“I stand here for Jesus Christ,” Levesque said, sporting a long red cape adorned with MAGA slogans. “He is my lord and savior … I want people to love who they are without having to join a group. You don’t need to be LGBTQ. You don’t need to be pride, lust or anger … be a human being. We’re all here to love each other and we’re put here for a reason.”

She said earlier she had walked on the sidewalk among demonstrators who jeered and called her rude names.

“I’m not here to antagonize them, but to say what I believe in as well,” she explained. “Losing Charlie Kirk was one of the final straws for me. I’m trying to be accepting of these people but you can’t talk to them. They don’t want to talk to you. They either want to scream at you or kill you to shut you up.”

Within minutes, one of the demonstrators, Roberta Hill of Buckfield, crossed the street to talk to Levesque. She and Levesque did find some common ground on spirituality, the state of the country and even in some opinions of the president.

“I am a spiritual person, raised in the Christian religion,” Hill told Levesque. “I’m an ecologist and I look at what is happening to global ecosystems that actually allow life on earth to continue, (they are) in big trouble.”

Discussion turned to interpretation of scripture.

“I read the Quran front to back. So when I stand against Islam, I can quote the Quran,” Levesque said. 

“And this is what I want to talk about,” Hill replied. “There’s a way of reading the texts as instructive for your mind and intellectual development, and there is a way of gleaning little bits out of the texts that support a limited perspective.”

“Your perspective collides with mine,” countered Levesque’s companion.