50501 protests today: Are there May Day protests near me? Here's what to know in NJ
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'50501' protests against Trump rally across US
Thousands of protesters rallied across the U.S. to voice their opposition to President Donald Trump's administration and policies.
Tens of thousands of protesters will converge nationwide today and scattered across New Jersey for May Day Strong protests to decry what they call corrupt, lawless and predatory politics from President Donald Trump and billionaire backers like Elon Musk.
Over 1,100 May Day 2025 protests organized by the 50501 Movement are planned locally across the U.S. and internationally, with most being held Thursday, May 1 — historically known as May Day — and others on Saturday, May 3, and Sunday, May 4. Eighteen will take place in New Jersey.
May Day has several meanings and origins, but in several countries, it commemorates the historic struggles and gains made by workers and the labor movement. Volunteer organizers have cited a range of concerns regarding the administration's recent actions, including immigration raids and the slashing of thousands of federal jobs, led by DOGE and Musk.
Here's what to know about today's protests in New Jersey.
What are May Day 2025 protests about? What to know about May Day Strong
The May Day 2025 and May Day Strong protests, using the hashtag #MayDayStrong, are being organized as a national of action backed by a coalition of hundreds of local organizations. Groups of citizens will be marching on the streets, rallying in communities with speakers, protesting on the local level at congressional offices or hanging banners and staging walk-ins at schools. Rallies are also being held by supporters and Americans abroad in the United Kingdom and France.
Protests on May Day are centered around the working class and the grave impacts organizers say the Trump administration and billionaire profiters have on wages, benefits and workers' dignity. The day is to stand for workers who organizers say are under attack by an administration that is "defunding schools, privatizing public services, attacking unions and targeting immigrant families with fear and violence."
"We are reclaiming our power from corporate elites, and we will not be intimidated by Trump, Musk, or their billionaire backers," organizers wrote. "They've ruled for too long. Their time is up. And May Day is just the beginning."
Is there a May Day protest near me? 50501 protests in NJ
Here are the May Day rallies planned in New Jersey today, May 1, and a few this weekend, May 3 and May 4.
Today, May 1:
Bloomfield: Bloomfield Avenue and Municipal Plaza, 3 p.m.
Bloomfield Avenue and Municipal Plaza, 3 p.m. Denville : Gazebo next to Denville Museum, 6 p.m.
: Gazebo next to Denville Museum, 6 p.m. Glassboro : William Dalton Drive and Delsea Drive, 5 p.m.
: William Dalton Drive and Delsea Drive, 5 p.m. Haledon : America Labor Museum, 7 p.m.
: America Labor Museum, 7 p.m. Newark (car caravan picket): Port Newark, 12:30 p.m.
(car caravan picket): Port Newark, 12:30 p.m. Nutley: Yanticaw Park, 12 p.m.
Yanticaw Park, 12 p.m. Ocean City : Central Avenue, 12 p.m.
: Central Avenue, 12 p.m. Passaic : Sign-up for address, 4 p.m.
: Sign-up for address, 4 p.m. Phillipsburg : Sign-up for address, 5 p.m.
: Sign-up for address, 5 p.m. Pleasantville : Billows Electric Supply, 5 p.m.
: Billows Electric Supply, 5 p.m. Princeton : Fountain of Freedom, 6 p.m.
: Fountain of Freedom, 6 p.m. Rahway : Sign-up for address, 5 p.m.
: Sign-up for address, 5 p.m. Somerset : Franklin Township Municipal Complex, 6 p.m.
: Franklin Township Municipal Complex, 6 p.m. Trenton : World War II Memorial, 11 a.m.
: World War II Memorial, 11 a.m. Vineland: Sign-up for address, 3 p.m.
Sign-up for address, 3 p.m. West Caldwell: Crane Park, 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 3:
Jersey City : Grove Street Plaza, 10 a.m.
: Grove Street Plaza, 10 a.m. Newton: Newton Green, 1 p.m.
Sunday, May 4:
Princeton: Hinds Plaza, 1:30 p.m.
May Day protest signs, topics
Organizers will be holding signs and chanting as they march across U.S. cities today, Thursday, May 1, and this weekend. Protestors are demanding a world where every family has housing, healthcare, fair wages, union protection and safety, regardless of race, zip code or immigration status. According to organizers, here are the demands:
Stop the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration
Protect and defend Medicare, Social Security and other programs
Fully funded schools, healthcare and housing for all
Stop the attacks on immigrants, Black, indigenous, trans people, and other communities
Invest in communities not wars
Here are some signs that may be visible:
Musk or us
Benefits over billionaires
Democracy not destruction
Stop the billionaire takeover
We are the many. They are the few.
What is the 50501 Movement?
The 50501 Movement is a grassroots initiative that was born on the social platform Reddit and under the hashtag #50501 in the early days of Trump's second inauguration. It stands for 50 protests in 50 states on 1 day, which has since evolved to 50 states, 50 protests, 1 movement.
The 50501 volunteer-led group states on their website their movements "shows the world that the American working class will not sit idly by as plutocrats rip apart their democratic institutions and civil liberties while undermining the rule of law." Protests, rallies, walk-ins, and other events will continue until the government upholds the Constitution and ends their executive overreach, the group said.
The movement led to nationwide mobilization on Feb. 5, urging supporters and local groups to take a stand at the nation's capitals days after Trump's inauguration and has since expanded to multiple rallies and protests, including an April 9 rally dubbed "Hands Off." The 50501 Movement's organizers insist for peaceful, non-violent protests.
Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team.
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