Demonstrators gather at Philadelphia Museum of Art for 'No Kings' rally and protest

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Demonstrators crowded Center City Philadelphia on Saturday for one of the thousands of 'No Kings' protests and marches throughout the country.

Intermittent light rain fell as sign-carrying marchers gathered for the flagship rally in Love Park.

Organizers handed out small American flags, and many people carried protest signs saying things like "fight oligarchy" and "deport the mini-Mussolinis."

They shouted "Whose streets? Our streets!" as they marched to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where they listened to speakers on the museum's steps.

"So what do you say, Philly?" Democratic U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland shouted to the crowd. "Are you ready to fight back? Do you want a gangster state or do you want free speech in America?"

Karen Van Trieste, a 61-year-old nurse who drove up from Maryland, said she grew up in Philadelphia and wanted to be with a large group of people showing her support.

"I just feel like we need to defend our democracy," she said. She is concerned about the Trump administration's layoffs of staff at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the fate of immigrant communities and the Trump administration trying to rule by executive order, she said.

A woman wearing a foam Statue of Liberty crown brought a speaker system and led an anti-Trump sing-along, changing the words "young man" in the song "Y.M.C.A." to "con man."

One man in Revolutionary War era garb and a tricorn hat held a sign with a quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson: "All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."

The protests were held ahead of the military parade in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. The event, which also falls on President Trump's 79th birthday, begins at 6:30 p.m.