Thousands of people crowded into Monument Square in downtown Portland Saturday for one of the 1,200 “Hands Off” rallies organized across the country.

The rallies expressed heavy opposition to the actions of the Trump administration, including mass layoffs of government employees and perceived threats to Medicaid and Social Security.

Maine Independent U.S. Senator Angus King spoke at the Portland rally, where he referred to Trump administration policies as “Tyranny”.

The Portland protest possibly drew 2,000 participants as Congress Street was closed off for one city block because of the size of the crowd.

The Creative Portland social media site referred to the protest as, “Portland’s artists & activists respond in outrage over federal cuts, reckless retribution & harmful targeting of vulnerable Mainers.”

The crowd could be heard chanting chanted “hands off!” and “Are you listening Susan Collins,” referring to Maine’s Republican U.S. Senator.

There was a wide range of signs in the crowd expressing displeasure of Trump administration polices, including massive cuts in the federal workforce and funding for programs and agencies, as well as tariff’s that some economists say will drive up consumer costs and lead to inflation.

(Image from Creative Portland social media post)

“The separation of powers is to protect our freedoms and when that starts to erode as it is right now it’s dangerous,” Senator King said. “History tells us that the framers of the constitution knew that, and we have to preserve the constitution.”

According to the Associated Press, more than 150 groups were involved in the planning for roughly 1,200 demonstrations in all 50 states.

In addition to Portland, “Hands Off” rallies in Maine were held in Bangor, Augusta, Auburn and South Portland.