Monthly regional updates
Update
United States and Canada Overview: June 2025
In May 2025, pro-labor, pro-immigration, and anti-Trump demonstrations spiked on Labor Day and ACLED records a major lull in extremist mobilization in the US.
Demonstration trends
1,128 demonstration events
50% decrease
compared to last month
Radical group trends
42 events, of which 32 involve white nationalist groups
10 radical groups active, of which 4 are white nationalist
Radical groups were most active in Texas and Massachusetts
White nationalist groups were most active in Arizona
United States: Pro-labor, pro-immigration, and anti-Trump demonstrations spike on Labor Day
Labor Day, also known as International Workers’ Day and commemorated on 1 May, consistently generates a spike in demonstration events each year. This year, however, labor-related demonstrations surged to their highest recorded levels in any May or on any Labor Day since ACLED began collecting US data in 2020, dwarfing the number of demonstrations recorded on Labor Day 2024 by more than double.
This spike was different from previous Labor Day increases, not only in terms of its overall size, but also because of its interconnectivity with ongoing demonstration movements against the Trump administration and in support of migrants. Around 60% of all anti-Trump demonstrations and 50% of pro-migration demonstrations recorded in May took place on this single day. Anti-Trump Labor Day demonstrations took place in at least 46 states and Washington, DC.
After Labor Day, however, demonstration activity in the country fell substantially, leading to a 50% decrease in the number of recorded events in May compared to the previous month. This overall decline corresponded with a dramatic falloff in demonstrations opposing Elon Musk. Opposition to Musk had consistently been among the leading demonstration drivers so far in 2025. The tech billionaire confirmed he would be scaling back his role heading the Department of Government Efficiency on 22 April and was officially “offboarded” on 28 May.1 As Musk stepped back from and eventually left the government, demonstrations against him plummeted by nearly 90% in May.
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Methodology
See the Codebook and the User Guide for an overview of ACLED’s core methodology. For additional documentation, check the Knowledge Base. Region-specific methodology briefs can be accessed below.
Links:
Regional Special Projects
For additional resources and in-depth coverage of demonstration and political violence trends across the US, check our dedicated US Crisis Monitor.
Extremism Spotlight: May marks a major lull in extremist mobilization
Militia, militant social movement, and white nationalist activity declined by over a third in May, falling to its lowest levels of 2025 and marking one of the least active months for extremist groups on record since 2020. This fall in overall recorded activity came mostly as a result of a decrease in white nationalist activity, which has made up a substantial portion of extremist organizing in recent years.
However, this single-month decline may not represent a larger trend — indeed, June, which is commemorated as Pride Month, has frequently seen an increase in extremist activity. While 2024 was more muted, 2022 and 2023 both saw extremist group activity spike by more than a third.
