John Paradis, retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and VoteVets member, opened Saturday’s Western Mass “No Kings” Day of Defiance Rally Saturday reminding folks that the old Springfield Armory, with its roots in the American Revolution,

Saturday was a day of defiance throughout the nation, as about 2,000 ‘No Kings Day’ rallies took place from New England to the west coast — including here in western Mass., where crowds gathered to protest the state of the government.

Across the country, relatively few disruptions were reported during protests and marches where the mood ranged from joyful to defiant.