Three Days in DC, Taking the Fight to Stop Fascism to the Nation’s Capitol

November 11, 2019 | revcom.us

 

From a member of RefuseFascism.org:

I’m writing this on the bus ride, coming back from a whirlwind of activities in Washington DC. When I arrived on Thursday night, I couldn’t help but hear the ominous theme song from House of Cards as I thought about the fact that fascists are now in control of the White House in the most powerful country in the world.

Me and a group of others from Refuse Fascism, including some members of our new DC chapter, came to DC to join with actions called by a group called Remove45. Remove45 has been doing daily actions for about a week in front of the White House, culminating in demonstrations taking place on Thursday and Friday this week. We also came to join these actions, to strengthen the organization of the DC chapter, to put the demand #OUTNOW in front of the world and to reach out to other leaders and organizers with the need to unite to drive out the Trump/Pence regime.

Also for the last several weeks, Jane Fonda has been getting arrested every Friday—actions she has called Fire Drill Fridays—to draw attention to the climate catastrophe in solidarity with Greta Thunberg. It is very important that in recent weeks, other prominent individuals have been joining with Fonda—and it’s a further positive development that this week Fire Drill Fridays united with Remove45 to demand the removal of Trump from power. Both Ben and Jerry of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream joined in civil disobedience for the climate this week (plus they brought free ice cream for the whole march!).

We joined with them as well as other organizations like Code Pink, Vets for Peace, some forces from Standing Rock, and others. We carried large letters that read “#OUTNOW!,” bringing in this demand and spreading the word about the #OUTNOW Movement—arguing that every movement for social justice needs to unite in demanding the removal of the fascist regime in power to achieve any positive vision of the future.

In the section of the march we were in, people chanted: “No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA” along with chants about the environment and, “Puerto Rico showed us how, Trump/Pence #OUTNOW!” Different people got on the bullhorn and said why they believe Trump/Pence needs to go. At one point we passed a school bus of small children who were all chanting “Impeach” and “Trump/Pence out NOW!” Then we led people in chanting, “ALL KIDS are OUR KIDS.”

Everyone in the climate emergency movement and everyone who is serious about social justice should be adding OUT NOW to their demand. The Trump/Pence regime IS the greatest threat to humanity and the planet. Tearing up climate agreements, destroying the EPA, concentrations camps at the border, packing the federal judges with Christian fundamentalists—there is no better world if fascism is allowed to consolidate. So we need a lot more of the kind of protest that took place in DC, but we also need many, many, many more people coming out and taking up the #OUTNOW demand. In DC there were 400 people, both people in organized movements and others who had come from different places because they were inspired by Fonda and feeling angry and “itching” to act. One woman who joined with RefuseFascism.org for an #OUTNOW organizing dinner the next day was a retired high school guidance counselor who now lives in Mexico and had flown up to take part.

Among some of the movement forces, while of course there was wide anti-Trump sentiment, this was mixed with a dangerous and naive delusion that Trump is just “more of the same,” things have always been bad, we can just keep on doing what we have always done. We waged sharp struggle over this. If you think this has always been fascism, this has always been a police state, then you have no clue what fascism actually is. Yes, things have been bad for a long time. This system has been waging wars and having its police kill people, but Trump represents a qualitative leap—and is a concentrated expression of an even more brutal and openly vicious form of rule that could close down the potential for any type of future and pose an existential threat to humanity. Not only was there disagreement with the analysis of fascism, but there were forces in the march who attempted to suppress our message in unprincipled ways. Others present joined in telling them to stop, both out of disgust with the suppression and sometimes because of agreement with our message.

Even if we don’t agree with each other, we have to set standards in the movement to rise above sectarian differences and petty squabbles to do what’s needed for humanity. To the degree we have differences, we should unite where we can and have friendly struggle where we need to.

Also while we were in DC, we met with the very new organizers of a Refuse Fascism chapter down there and other newcomers who wanted to join with Refuse Fascism, who recognized the danger of the Trump/Pence regime. Saturday night, as part of nationwide protests, the chapter had a small but significant demonstration near Union Station and then marched to Chinatown. This demonstration included a former physicist who originally heard about RefuseFascism.org through PZ Myers, someone in the military who feels the regime is fascist and destroying American institutions and the Republic, and others. They were proud to be there, and all of these people recognized some element of the danger of this regime, but we took the opportunity to give them strength and backing by the Refuse Fascism analysis, that what we were confronting is fascism and that we must drive it from power and arouse the public to do so.

Afterwards, we had dinner together and strategized about how to take things forward in DC as part of pushing ahead the nationwide movement to call forth thousands, soon hundreds of thousands, and then millions who do not stop until the Trump/Pence regime is #OUTNOW—including plans for a protest next week in DC on November 16.

So all of this is part of the swirl that we were part of, and this swirl will hopefully become even more wide and messy, with a lot of new people stepping into this, charting new paths, and rising to new challenges to fill a great need for humanity.

Washington, DC. Photo: Remove Trump Now

Click here to read the Refuse Fascism Call