They have a ‘Hate America’ rally that’s scheduled for October 18 on the National Mall,” the House speaker, Mike Johnson, said on Fox News on Friday. “It’s all the pro-Hamas wing and, you know, the antifa people. They’re all coming out.”
On 18 October, tens of millions of people in the streets, peacefully exercising the democratic rights that the Trump regime is laboring to eliminate, will give the lie to Maga’s hallucinatory network of bomb-throwing traitors. No Kings will show America who the real haters are.
If I had my way it would be a “non violent to those that are non violent to us” protest.
If we were labeled as “violent treasonous” against a fascist state for that. Well, may history be our judge.
My criticism isn’t towards the right wing narrative. That is hopeless. My criticism is towards the “prove them wrong” crowd. You are not out their to defeat them in the “marketplace of ideas” that ship has sailed. You are there to make them afraid of our numbers. The numbers that have been lacking since the last time everyone “skipped brunch”.
I don’t want to be condescending. I was at the end of that last paragraph. It’s out of frustration on my part. But we are not trying to convince fascist that we are peaceful and “following the rules”. We are out there to make them fear our numbers! And we need those numbers more often.
I want to connect with all of the people ready to go “make their voice heard” tomorrow and hope that a small fraction will show up with us and make our numbers greater the following weekend. Because we’ve been out there since the last “no kings” day. Spending time and transport cost to hear the story of a very brave Palestinian women speaking in front of a crowd of 25 of us there to show support. Realizing that the momentum from the last “no kings” was very much lost.
We need you. We need you to connect with any group that weekly is organizing. Not just every several months. My advice is get working with DSA or PSL. Literally, anything. Join a book club if that’s all the risk you can take. But just do something MORE. Use tomorrow as a day to bring you further into organizing. Not just a day to make you feel like you did something and then wait until things get progressively worse until the next large protest.
We LOVE you out there with us tomorrow. Just pick one day between now and the next big event to come out. Find what’s comfortable for you to do. But don’t just wait for the next “big day”. Because you might be too afraid to next time.
Find comfort and safety in your community and comrades before that day comes. We need you more than just tomorrow.
For what it’s worth, I’ve been going to all the big ones, and each time I’ve gone, I’ve gotten one or two more people to come with me. Today my whole family is going to one in another state because we’ve been talking about it in our group chat. And I’ve got about 8 friends meeting me at the one in my town.
I went alone to the first protest I went to a year ago, now I have 10+ allies with me. They’re growing. To your point, it’s not fast enough, but I’m really inspired by how many people that did NOT give 1 single fuck a year ago, are making signs to march with me today