Fact check: How many people protested on No Kings day

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, No Kings Day protests drew massive participation across the United States. The most consistently reported figure indicates that more than 5 million people participated in over 2,100 rallies and protests nationwide ^{[1] [2]}.

Key participation numbers by city include:

• Los Angeles: Reports vary between "tens of thousands" ^[1] and 200,000 participants ^{[3] [2]}
• New York City: Consistently reported as 50,000+ participants ^{[1] [2]}
• Philadelphia: Over 100,000 participants ^{[3] [2]}
• Seattle: 70,000 participants ^[2]

The American Civil Liberties Union and Move On were identified as key organizations providing these estimates ^[1].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements are missing from the original question:

Verification challenges: The reported figures come primarily from protest organizers themselves, and one source specifically notes that "this figure is yet to be verified by independent sources" ^[4]. The Crowd Counting Consortium's co-director acknowledged that "it will take some time to complete an estimate on the 'No Kings' rallies" ^[1].

Range of estimates: While 5 million is the most commonly cited figure, there's actually a significant range in reported participation. One analysis mentions "estimates of total crowd participation for No Kings Day events ranging from 5 million to 12.1 million" and notes that "the actual complete count may never be known" ^[5].

Organizational interests: The American Civil Liberties Union and Move On - organizations that would benefit from demonstrating strong opposition to executive power - are the primary sources for these attendance figures ^[1]. These groups have clear political and fundraising incentives to report higher participation numbers.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself doesn't contain misinformation, but it lacks important caveats about the reliability and source of attendance figures. The question assumes definitive numbers exist when the analyses reveal that:

• No independent verification has been completed for the widely reported 5+ million figure ^[4]
• The numbers come from interested parties (protest organizers and advocacy groups) rather than neutral observers ^[1]
• There's significant uncertainty about actual participation, with estimates varying by millions of people ^[5]

The consistent repetition of the same figures across multiple sources ^[1] suggests these reports may be echoing the same original claims rather than providing independent verification of attendance numbers.