On the one-year anniversary of the 2024 presidential election, hundreds of people assembled with signs and chants of resistance for the launch of a rally that has no plans of stopping until President Donald Trump (R) is out of power.
Presented by Refuse Fascism, a nonprofit established in the first Trump administration, the Nov. 5 demonstration brought numerous speakers and musical performances to Sylvan Theater on the National Mall, challenging issues and mobilizing support against what Sunsara Taylor calls “illegitimacy” within the government.
“Our time is now,” Taylor, a founding member of Refuse Fascism, told The Informer. “Either we drive him out nonviolently, or we give him the future. There’s no compromise.”
Refuse Fascism was established in 2016 with a mission to drive non-violent mobilization against, according to the website, “Trump’s fascist regime.”
Taylor credits her involvement in the creation of the organization to revolutionary leader Bob Avakian, who studied the rise of facism in America for 30 years and developed what is called “New Synthesis of Communism.”
While studying Avakian’s work, Taylor came across a belief that America is split between two countries that can no longer be contained.
Citing Trump-led executive orders, federal cuts and militarization against American citizens, she likened the theory to the modern examples of facism– which is defined by elements of dictatorship, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.
“It’s not just Trump being a racist, it’s not just Trump being a woman-hater, it’s not just Trump being a fascist,” she continued.“It’s the fact that the country and its coherence is being ripped apart.”
Thus, the organizer noted the unique factor of the rally is the daily desire to affect change and reshape the political climate, topped with a promise to peacefully rally in various places around the district until Trump is removed from office.
“We need to stand together in this fight because their future [is] my future,” she said, “even if we have different visions, none of them are possible if we don’t stand together now.”
Micheal Fanone, a police officer who endured the January 6, 2021, insurrection, was among the main speakers, hoping to fuel courage in the continued fight against the Trump administration.
Following a riveting speech atop the National Mall, Fanone told The Informer his testimony to the crowd served as a reflection of what his comrades experienced during the attack on the U.S. Capitol, which is approaching its fifth anniversary.
“I think that it’s important to counter the narratives that this administration is putting forward, especially now in their attempts to completely whitewash and rewrite the history of Jan. 6,” he said. “Those of us that lived it and those of us that fought side by side to protect the Capitol and defend one another need to be telling the story of what really happened on Jan. 6.”
Having served in the Army for almost 23 years, retired Master Sgt. Rig Madden said he attended the protest to represent Black liberation and stand against racism.
Donning an army dress uniform and holding a “f— Trump” flag, Madden said to overcome the government, constituents need to attack what they value most: the financial system of America.
“As long as someone [is] going hungry, it should be illegal to be a billionaire,” said the veteran during the Wednesday, Nov. 5 rally. “As long as someone doesn’t have housing, it should be illegal to be a billionaire, period.”
Additional items on the nonprofit’s action calendar included a Nov. 6 march through George Washington University, followed by a next-day rally before the Supreme Court to protest the since-denied congressional debates on changing legislation for same-sex marriage. The group also organized rallies at the White House on Nov. 15 and 17, and at Columbus Circle on Nov. 20. Veterans also planned a rally at Columbus Circle on Nov. 21 and two events Nov. 24: a March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial and a “Surrounding the White House” event.
Taylor told The Informer she feels inspired by the Nov. 5 turnout and the continuous support for the Refuse Fascism movement. However, she adds, there is more to be done.
“It’s a great beginning. It’s also [why] we want it to be so much more,” Taylor said, “not just because we want it to be more, but because…humanity can’t afford to let these fascists consolidate.”