'Hands Off!' protests against Trump, Musk hit Georgia

WOODSTOCK, Ga. - There are well over a thousand "Hands Off!" protests planned across the United States Saturday for demonstrators to rally against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

April 5 Hands Off! rally

What we know:

Organizers say the purpose of the demonstrations is to protest the Trump administration's efforts to downsize the government through Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the implementation of new tariffs, and the impact it has had on human rights – including through mass deportation.

According to the Associated Press, more than 1,200 demonstrations were planned by over 150 groups in all 50 states, including Washington, D.C.

Georgia Hands Off! 2025 protests

Local perspective:

Woodstock protest

FOX 5 Atlanta cameras captured demonstrators lining Main Street in Woodstock Saturday afternoon.

"I am here today to try to protect our democracy, our social security. Our country has become unrecognizable, and it's really unfortuante," a supporter who came from Canton told FOX 5 Atlanta. "We need to wake up before we are Russia. Unfortunately, Trump is a liar, and people are falling under his spell. He is not a king. We the people, we must speak out for our democracy and for our country."

Piedmont Park protest

Hundreds of people took over a street in Midtown during a protest that started at Oak Hill in Piedmont Park at 12:30 p.m., according to organizers.

Participants demanded Trump and Musk take their "hands off" healthcare, social security, civil rights and education.

The plan was to march to the Georgia State Capitol for a second rally that kicked off at 2:30 p.m.

What they're saying:

"Especially in the last few weeks I think we've all kinds of shaken off and realized that it's really important to show up and make sure that the administration knows that we're not ok with all of the choices that they're making and that we're not going to be quiet about it," said Jessica Woodside, who attended the protest. "This administration seems to be heading in a direction where they're not really interested in this democracy continuing in its current state and that is incredibly alarming and that's why it's important for me to show up and show out at events like this.

The other side:

But not everyone in attendance was anti-Trump and Musk.

"It's just really political theater, and quite frankly, Americans are tired of it, and we didn't vote for that. What we voted for is putting America first, and we're seeing that across the board," said Marci McCarthy, chairperson of the DeKalb Republican Party.

"We are seeing our borders not being open and being actually closed. We're taking the crime out of our community," she said. "We're making our government a lot more efficient."

"We're really looking at different things across the board to ensure that we are putting taxpayer dollars to use and doing so in a manner that I think is much more fiscally responsible," she continued.

Other Georgia Hands Off! protests

FOX 5 Atlanta viewers have also sent in images of a demonstration in Rome and Marietta.

There are reports of another protest underway in downtown Atlanta.

Hands Off! protest signs

Some of the protest signs seen at the Georgia demonstrations read:

• "Only caring about your own rights is exactly how you lose them"
• "Deport Elon He's Not Welcomed"
• "Honk if you never drunk texted war plans"

Some of the protest signs seen at the D.C. demonstration read:

• "They're eating the checks! They're eating the balances!"
• "Elon Musk is a terrible president"
• "Mass non-compliance is the only way to end this!"

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