A First Hand Look of Missoula’s 2025 ‘Hands Off’ Protest

Missoula was one of the many locations across the country that witnessed a protest this past weekend. The protest was part of the nationwide "Hands Off" movement that started on April 5, 2025.

According to Wikipedia, protests were held in 1,400 locations with an estimated 3,000,000 participants nationwide.

Being a member of the media, I attended the protest to document the event. This was the biggest protest I have ever seen first-hand in Missoula. The Courthouse lawn was packed with people shoulder to shoulder. There were so many people that protesters were across the street from the Courthouse on three sides of the block.

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Parking for the event wasn't easy. There were people and cars multiple blocks in each direction of the Courthouse. It was similar to parking when there is a parade downtown.

There were flags, and more signs than I have seen at any past demonstration. There was a wide range of topics being protested, from the current administration to Elon Musk, to support of Palestine.

There were speeches, music, and call and response chants. It was difficult to hear the speeches due to the size of the crowd, the PA system didn't reach the crowds on the sidewalk or across the street.

The crowd was made up of people of all ages. Some of the drivers in the vicinity honked their car horns. Some of that may have been in solidarity, while some of it may have been due to high volume of traffic at the time.

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The day before the protest, it was announced that Bernie Sanders is going to be visiting Missoula later this month.

Related: Bernie Sanders Is Coming to Missoula This Month

Here are some of the pictures of the protest.