Thousands of demonstrators gathered across several towns in Lake County on Saturday protesting Elon Musk and President Donald Trump as part of an organized nationwide effort.
Over 1,100 rallies were reportedly being held across the United States on Saturday as part of the “Hands Off!” movement.
At least a dozen were being held in the Chicagoland area, including in Highland Park, Buffalo Grove, Algonquin and Gurnee.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. We are fighting back! They’re taking everything they can get their hands on—our health care, our data, our jobs, our services—and daring the world to stop them,” an event advertisement said.
“This is a crisis, and the time to act is now. On Saturday, April 5th, we’re taking to the streets to fight back with a clear message: Hands off!” the advertisement said.
The Highland Park protest was held at City Hall, 1707 St. Johns Avenue; the Buffalo Grove protest was held at Lake Cook Road and Arlington Heights Road and the Gurnee protest was held at Grand Avenue and Hunt Club Road.
At the Highland Park protest, demonstrators held signs such as “Dear Canada, we hate Trump too!” and “Save our nation.”
The organizers of the protest asked participants to “seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.”
Large crowds appeared to gather at the Saturday afternoon protests throughout the Chicago area. Police officers also stood by to ensure safety.
Lake County Democrats said more than 3,000 people turned out for the protest in Gurnee.
“People are genuinely concerned about what they’re seeing and hearing from Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and their MAGA allies, who care more about being praised on social media than they do about how they are hurting veterans, threatening Social Security, and tanking the economy,” said Lake County Democrats Chair Lauren Beth Gash.
“Today’s demonstration was about saying, ‘Hands off!’ to Musk, Trump, and cowardly Republican politicians here and across the country, to tell them to stop with the reckless right-wing antics that hurt real people,” Gash said.
Lake County Democrats organized a similar protest in front of the Tesla dealership in Libertyville in February and March.
The organization said more than 550 people came out in support of their February protest, while 40 supporters of Trump and Musk attended a counter-protest across the street.