BONNERS FERRY — At a peaceful but politically polarized Saturday protest on the Bonners Ferry Bridge, local demonstrators clashed symbolically with armed counter-protesters in Confederate regalia.

The “No Kings” assembly — part of a national anti-authoritarian protest movement — featured handmade signs and slogans likening President Donald Trump to a dictator.

Tension rose when a small group of armed counter-protesters arrived and made two slow passes through the crowd, holding flags but refusing to acknowledge or respond to comments from "No Kings" protesters.

  The only direct interaction counter-protesters had with group outsiders came in response to a Herald interview request. 

“Who do you side with?” asked a young man dressed in military garb, his rifle slung at his side. Another man, armed with an assault rifle and wearing five extended magazines across his tactical vest, raised a Confederate flag and asked, “Don’t you know it’s Flag Day?” 

The response, “Yes, it’s the 250th anniversary of the American military,” prompted the man to extend a gloved hand and say, “Finally, someone who knows history.” 

About 70 people attended the local demonstration. Responses from passing vehicles reflected the day’s political divide — some honked in support; others revved engines or blew exhaust smoke at the protesters. 

 Counter-protesters kept mostly to themselves, establishing their own demonstration on the lawn in front of the Bonners Ferry Visitors Center. It was only after the event on social media that counter-protest supporters engaged in open discourse.

“It’s Flag Day, and those [Confederate flags] were flown to show American history,” wrote Jacob Fletcher on the Herald’s Facebook page. 

Among those attending the “No Kings” protest was Vietnam War veteran Gray Henderson, who has lived in Bonners Ferry since 2016. 

“I fought for their right to display whatever thoughts they have,” Henderson said. “And likewise, I have the right to protest. My First Amendment right is to voice my concerns about whatever I disagree with — and theirs is too.” 

Henderson said he came to protest proposed cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the sale of public lands. 

Last week, the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee reintroduced a provision to President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” that would allow eligible sale of nearly all U.S. Forest Service land in Boundary County. The proposal targets the sale of 2 to 3 million acres of Bureau of Land Management and USFS land across 11 western states over the next five years. In early April, U.S. Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, opposed an amendment to the bill that would have protected public lands. The Senate hopes to reach a consensus on the budget reconciliation package before July 4. 

Also protesting the sale of public and sovereign Tribal lands was Kootenai Tribal Chairwoman Dianne David.

David said she also came to protest tariffs — as the Kootenai Tribe extends into Canada. Other members of the Tribe attended the demonstration to protest broader human rights issues.

“I don’t want my tax dollars going toward ICE raiding people’s homes and separating families,” said Kootenai Tribe member Dezeray Shottanana. “Entering this country illegally is a civil misdemeanor, which is in the same category as jaywalking. Imagine spending all that money to treat jaywalkers that way.” 

 According to organizers, more than 2,000 “No Kings” protests took place nationwide on Flag Day. The coordinated events coincided with a $45 million military parade in Washington, D.C., celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. armed forces — and President Trump’s 79th birthday. 

In the week leading up to the large military display, President Trump nationalized the California National Guard to Los Angeles, without legal authorization from the state, and deployed U.S. Marines amid the city’s ICE protests, a decision described by California Gov. Gavin Newsom as a “brazen abuse of power by a sitting president” that “inflamed a combustible situation.”