Difference between revisions of "REFUSE FASCISM"

Latest revision as of 18:20, 6 April 2025

Refuse Fascism logo

REFUSE FASCISM is a project of the Revolutionary Communist Party initiated to remove President Donald Trump from office. REFUSE FASCISM accepts tax-exempt donations through the Alliance for Global Justice.^[1]

Initiators

Initiators include (list in formation):

Bill Ayers, activist, educator
Herb Boyd, activist, author, journalist and teacher
Isabel Cardenas, Salvadoran-American activist, Los Angeles
Carl Dix, founding member, Revolutionary Communist Party, USA
Niles Eldredge, evolutionary biologist
Charles Gaines, visual artist
Henry Giroux
Chase Iron Eyes
Everett Iron Eyes, Sr., Water Administrator, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
Robin D. G. Kelley, Gary B. Nash Professor of American History at UCLA*
Fran Luck, Executive Producer of Joy of Resistance, Multicultural Feminist Radio at WBAI
PZ Myers, evolutionary developmental biologist
Arturo O'Farrill, composer and musician
Milton Saier, PhD, Professor of Molecular Biology, UCSD*
Yusef Salaam, one of the Central Park Five
Ted Sirota, jazz musician
Sunsara Taylor, writer, Revolution Newspaper
Cornel West, writer, professor
Michael A. Wood, Jr.
Rev. Frank Wulf, United Methodist minister
Andy Zee, spokesperson, Revolution Books
David Zeiger, filmmaker^[2]

Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights

REFUSE FASCISM was a signatory on a May 2022 statement issued by Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights, another Revolutionary Communist Party front group.^[3] The statement called for "abortion on demand and without apology" and was issued in the wake of a leak of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which forced states to accommodate the killing of unborn children.

Open Letter to Democracy NOW!

In October 2017, members of REFUSE FASCISM wrote an open letter to Democracy Now!, asking for coverage.^[4]

Herb Boyd, activist, author, journalist and teacher, Advisory Board of RefuseFascism.org
Isabel Cardenas, Salvadoran-American activist, National Steering Committee of RefuseFascism.org
Coco Das, writer, National Steering Committee of RefuseFascism.org
Carl Dix, Revolutionary Communist Party, Advisory Board of RefuseFascism.org
Rev. Gregg Greer, President, Freedom First International
Perry Hoberman, USC Professor of Media Studies, National Steering Committee of RefuseFascism.org
Ted Jennings, Professor Emeritus of Biblical and Constructive Theology at Chicago Theological Seminary
PZ Myers, evolutionary biologist, Advisory Board of RefuseFascism.org
Arturo O’Farrill, composer and musician, Advisory Board of RefuseFascism.org
Peter Phillips Ph.D., Professor Political Sociology, Sonoma State University
Ted Sirota, musician, National Steering Committee of RefuseFascism.org
Sunsara Taylor, writer RevCom.us, Advisory Board of RefuseFascism.org
Jay W. Walker, NY Steering Committee of RefuseFascism.org, Gays Against Guns, Rise and Resist
Andy Zee, spokesperson for Revolution Books, Advisory Board of RefuseFascism.org
David Zeiger, director of Sir, No Sir!, Advisory Board of RefuseFascism.org

REFUSE FASCISM Plans for Mass Protests against President Trump

A speech delivered at the “Refuse Fascism National Meeting” by Refuse Fascism co-initiator and member of the Advisory Board Andy Zee on August 5, 2017^[5]^[6] "affirmed the decision to issue the Call for November 4 and developed plans for Regional Conferences on August 19 to build and organize for November 4." Andy Zee was quoted as saying in part: "[W]e will gather in the streets and public squares of cities and towns across this country, at first many thousands declaring that this whole regime is illegitimate and that we will not stop until our single demand is met: This Nightmare Must End: the Trump/Pence Regime Must Go!" Andy Zee also said that "Refuse Fascism is the hope and the way to drive the Trump/Pence Regime from power."

Refuse Fascism and the November 4, 2017 Protests

Refuse Fascism is an activist organization co-initiated by Andy Zee, a member of its Advisory Board and a spokesperson affiliated with the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA.^[7] On August 5, 2017, Zee delivered a speech at the "Refuse Fascism National Meeting," affirming the group’s decision to launch a nationwide protest campaign starting November 4, 2017, and outlining plans for regional conferences on August 19 to organize the effort.^[8] Zee stated, "We will gather in the streets and public squares of cities and towns across this country, at first many thousands declaring that this whole regime is illegitimate and that we will not stop until our single demand is met: This Nightmare Must End: the Trump/Pence Regime Must Go!" He further described Refuse Fascism as "the hope and the way to drive the Trump/Pence Regime from power."

Organizing and Protests

In September 2017, news outlets reported that Refuse Fascism was coordinating a series of protests against the Trump administration, set to begin on November 4, 2017.^[9] Preparatory conferences took place in August 2017 in Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.^[10]^[11] On September 29, 2017, Refuse Fascism published a statement asserting that "every branch of government has been taken over by fascists," citing "white supremacists, Christian theocrats, [and] violent misogynists" as mobilized enforcers of this ideology, and urging sustained protests starting November 4 to grow into "millions" demanding the regime’s removal.^[12]

On September 26, 2017, protesters with signs reading "NOV 4 IT BEGINS" blocked traffic on U.S. Route 101 near Alameda Street in Los Angeles.^[13] On November 1, 2017, Refuse Fascism placed a full-page ad in the New York Times, titled "We Will NOT Be Intimidated, In the Name of Humanity, On November 4 We Demand: This Nightmare Must End: The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go!"^[14]

A press release accompanying the ad announced protests in over a dozen cities, naming spokespeople including Andy Zee, Carl Dix, Sunsara Taylor, Perry Hoberman, and Isabel Cardenas, and highlighted threats from "alt-right groups" as evidence of the campaign’s impact.

Conspiracy Theories and Reactions

The planned protests and the September 26 road blockade sparked concerns that Refuse Fascism and others intended to ignite a civil war on November 4, 2017.^[15]^[16] Outlets like InfoWars, The New American, and Richard Spencer’s Altright.com amplified these claims in September and October 2017.^[17] On October 20, 2017, Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy and activist Trevor Loudon labeled Refuse Fascism a Maoist front for the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA, tied to flag burning and past felon recruitment via Global Exchange, a discontinued program that still has influence.^[18]^[19]

On October 30, 2017, The Gateway Pundit published an article by Lucian Wintrich claiming an "antifa leader" vowed to "behead white parents" on November 4, based on a satirical tweet later disavowed as a joke; the story spread widely on Facebook.^[20]^[21] Additional rumors falsely linked a routine U.S. Department of Defense and American Radio Relay League training exercise to a planned blackout on November 4.^[22] By October 25, 2017, YouTube videos warning of a civil war had garnered millions of views.^[23]

Responses Sunsara Taylor refuted the conspiracy claims as "blatant lies" meant to intimidate protesters, noting that the backlash underscored Refuse Fascism’s resonance.^[24]^[25] Spencer Sunshine of Political Research Associates argued the theories aimed to incite far-right violence against peaceful demonstrators.^[17] Adi Robertson of The Verge suggested on November 3, 2017, that the conspiracy’s spread reflected a desire by some for conflict, regardless of its veracity.^[26]

Manifesto

Refuse Fascism

Based on a Facebook Post by Cornel West:

"Donald Trump, the President-elect, is assembling a regime of grave danger. Millions of people in the US and around the world are filled with deep anxiety, fear, and disgust. Our anguish is right and just. Our anger must now become massive resistance –before Donald Trump is inaugurated and has the full reins of power in his hands.

Should we fail to rise with determination and daring in our millions now to stop this, the consequences for humanity will be disastrous. We, the undersigned, know in the depths of our beings, the catastrophe that will befall the people of the world should the Trump/Pence regime assume full power.

We therefore CALL FOR A MONTH OF RESISTANCE beginning on December 19th, reaching a crescendo by the January 20th 2017 Inauguration.

Our resistance must spread rapidly to every sphere and every corner of the country. Because we refuse to accept a fascist America, millions must rise up in a resistance with a deep determination such that we create a political crisis that prevents the Trump/Pence fascist regime from consolidating its hold on the governance of society.

The Presidency of Donald Trump is illegitimate.

Donald Trump did not win the popular vote. Not even close, he lost by 2.5 million votes. He won the Electoral College – an institution set up in 1787 to protect slavery. This legacy of the most brutal oppression of Black people has become the means that enabled the election of Trump and Pence.

More fundamentally, it is the fascist character of the Trump/Pence regime and what they are planning to do which renders it illegitimate and an immoral peril to the future of humanity and the earth itself.

Under the slogan “Make America Great Again,” Donald Trump has viciously attacked Mexicans and Muslims, threatening to register and deport millions, closing borders. He incites fear and hate of all who are “different” – nationalities, religions, or gender. He crudely demeans and degrades women, openly boasting about molesting them. He champions white supremacy and whips up a racist lynch-mob mentality. Trump has mocked the disabled. He is a bellicose militarist, who threatens to use nuclear weapons. He openly advocates war crimes — including torture. He vows to pack the Supreme Court with justices who will take away the right to abortion and gay rights. He denies science – calling climate change a hoax and will wreak devastation on the environment. He has attacked and threatened the press and stirred up his supporters to do the same. He has threatened to strip citizenship for constitutionally protected dissent. Trump has utter contempt for facts and the truth, and consistently lies to advance his agenda. As for the rule of law, Trump went so far as to openly threaten his opponent, Hillary Clinton, not only with jail, but even assassination. By any definition, Donald Trump is a fascist. He has put together a regime that will carry out this program, and worse.

This is fascism and it is a very serious thing. It has direction and momentum that must be stopped before it becomes too late.

Fascism foments and relies on xenophobic nationalism, racism, misogyny, and the aggressive re-institution of oppressive “traditional values.” Fascism feeds on and encourages the threat and use of violence to build a movement and come to power. Fascism, once in power, essentially eliminates traditional democratic rights. Fascism attacks, jails, even executes its opponents, and launches violent mob attacks on “minorities.” In Nazi Germany in the 1930s and ’40s, fascism did all these things. This is where this can go. And yes, Hitler himself could “talk graciously” when he felt it would serve his interests and lull his opponents.

In the world today, shockwaves reverberate. Over decades in the U.S. virulent movements of white supremacy and anti-immigrant hysteria have gained momentum. A narrow, intolerant, and political form of Christian fundamentalism has been brought into government and policy at all levels. The Trump/Pence cabinet and judiciary will coalesce all of this and worse at the highest level of power, with horrific consequences. No election, whether fair or fraudulent, should legitimize this. “Reaching across the aisle” only legitimizes that which is illegitimate.

If you work with fascists you normalize the road to horror. You cannot try to “wait things out.” Those who lived through Nazi Germany and sat on the sidelines, looking on as Hitler demonized, criminalized, and eventually rounded up one group after another, became shameful collaborators with monstrous crimes. Don’t Conciliate… Don’t Accommodate… Don’t Collaborate!

The Trump Regime Must and Can Be Stopped Before It Starts!

This is not wishful thinking but could be made a reality if all who hate what is represented by this fascist regime translate our outrage into massive mobilization to create the political conditions which make this possible. We are millions. Our only recourse now is to act together outside normal channels. Every faction within the established power structure must be forced to respond to what we do – creating a situation where the Trump/Pence regime is prevented from ruling.

We call on each and every one who opposes what this regime stands for, and what it will do, to take part in and actively build, this resistance and refusal. Organize. Plan. Act.

The Month of Resistance must grow to millions—becoming protests that don’t stop—where people refuse to leave, occupying public space, and more and more people stand up with conviction and courage demanding:

NO! We Refuse to Accept a Fascist America!

Imam Aiyub Abdul-Baki, Ed Asner, Bill Ayers, Fr. Bob Bossie SCJ, Herb Boyd, Charles Burnett, Isabel Cardenas, Margaret Cho, Kia Corthron, Joe Dante, Chuck D, Carl Dix, Alex Ebert, Niles Eldredge, Kurt Elling, Eve Ensler, Charles Gaines, Merrill Garbus, Pastor Gregg L. Greer, David Gunn Jr., Lalah Hathaway, Marc Lamont Hill, Chase Iron Eyes, Everett Iron Eyes Sr., Henry Giroux, Evelyn Fox Keller, Robin D. G. Kelley, Wayne Kramer, John Landis, Julie Mehretu, Vic Mensa, Debra Messing, Jessica Care Moore, Thurston Moore, PZ Myers, Arturo O’Farrill, Michelle Phillips, Milton Saier, Yusef Salaam, Dread Scott, Michael Shannon, Danny Simmons, David Strathairn, Alice Walker, Naomi Wallace, Cornel West, Saul Williams, and thousands more.^[27],^[28]

The Month of Resistance

Starting 12/19/16, it begins – the day the Electoral College meets to vote in each state: hold a press conference or a protest. Starting now, distribute this Call everywhere and on social media, host house meetings, fundraising events concerts and forums. Everywhere step up the resistance: walkouts from schools and work, protests against attacks and threats on Muslims, women, people of color, LGBT people – all linked to the objective of Stopping the Trump/Pence regime. The struggle must grow.

On MLK weekend, there needs to be massive demonstrations of many thousands in key cities, including Washington. D.C., that grow to millions over the next week, protests that don’t stop . . . where people refuse to leave and more and more people stand up with conviction and courage demanding:

NO! We Refuse to Accept a Fascist America!It’s not enough just to sign this Call – millions, tens of millions of people need to become aware of it in the days and weeks ahead. Print it and distribute it everywhere you go, leave it on buses and trains, in schools, in stores, places of worship, coffee shops … make it go viral on social media … use it as a basis for participating in or organizing activities where you live.^[29]

The Plan:

Right now: wave of publishing the Call to Action as a sign-on ad in major newspapers. Initial funds needed as signatories are garnered.

Sat – Mon Jan 14-16: Martin Luther King Weekend actions around which highlight & raise determined opposition to the white supremacist, American chauvinist, religiously bigoted character of this fascist movement and regime which draw forward everything thus far built and build further. People begin coming to DC.

Tues-Thurs Jan 17-18-19: fill the streets of DC with millions, millions more demonstrate in every major city and small town all over US and the world, demanding that Trump-Pence be prevented from taking office before January 20.^[30]

REFUSE FASCISM petition

A REFUSE FASCISM petition "RefuseFascism.org Calls for Mass Defiance of Fascist Trolls" "Calls for Mass Defiance of Fascist Trolls In the Name of Humanity – We REFUSE to Accept a Fascist America!"^[31]

Signatories

References

[1] Make a Tax Deductible Donation (accessed February 7, 2018)

[2] [1]

[3] ttps://riseup4abortionrights.org/we-refuse-to-let-the-u-s-supreme-court-deny-womens-humanity-and-decimate-their-rights/ WE REFUSE TO LET THE U.S. SUPREME COURT DENY WOMEN’S HUMANITY AND DECIMATE THEIR RIGHTS! JOIN US IN FIGHTING FOR: ABORTION ON DEMAND AND WITHOUT APOLOGY! (Accessed on June 25 2022)]

[4] To Amy Goodman and the Democracy Now Team (accessed July 7 2018)

[5] Teach-In: Fascism in America (accessed November 7, 2019)

[6] On November 4, 2017, We Begin: This Nightmare Must End: The Trump/Pence Regime Must GO! (accessed November 7, 2019)

[7] Teach-In: Fascism in America (accessed November 7, 2019)

[8] On November 4, 2017, We Begin: This Nightmare Must End: The Trump/Pence Regime Must GO! (accessed November 7, 2019)

[9] Antifascist explains why she protests Trump fans (accessed October 12, 2017)

[10] Inside the Left's Plans to Occupy Trump (accessed September 8, 2017)

[11] The Resistance Now: after Charlottesville, anger and action (accessed September 8, 2017)

[12] We Need to Talk About Extremes (accessed November 7, 2019)

[13] Why Did Protesters Block Traffic on the 101 This Week? (accessed October 12, 2017)

[14] We Will NOT Be Intimidated, In the Name of Humanity, On November 4 We Demand: This Nightmare Must End: The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go! (accessed November 7, 2019)

[15] Why the far right believes a US civil war will start on Saturday (accessed November 2, 2017)

[16] Rumors of Civil War: How Anti-Communist Conspiracies Imagine an Antifa Civil War on November 4 (accessed November 2, 2017)

[sunshine-17] {Jump up to: 17.0} ^17.1 Rumors of Civil War: How Anti-Communist Conspiracies Imagine an Antifa Civil War on November 4 (accessed November 2, 2017)

[18] George Soros and the Red-Green Axis (accessed November 7, 2019)

[19] Ex-Prisoners Speak Out Against the Global Exchange Censorship of the Prisoners Revolutionary Literature Fund (accessed November 7, 2019)

[20] ANTIFA Leader: “November 4th [… millions of antifa supersoldiers will behead all white parents” (accessed November 7, 2019)]

[21] 'Antifa Supersoldiers' Are Coming to Kill White People Within Days: Right Wing Conspiracy (accessed November 2, 2017)

[22] Is the Department of Defense Planning a Communications Drill to Coincide with 'Antifa' Demonstrations? (accessed November 2, 2017)

[23] As Anti-Trump Group Gears Up For a Peaceful Protest, Conservatives Online Warn Of Civil War (accessed November 7, 2019)

[montgomery2-24] As Anti-Trump Group Gears Up For a Peaceful Protest, Conservatives Online Warn Of Civil War (accessed November 7, 2019)

[25] Refuse Fascism on right-wing 'civil war' claims of national Nov. 4 protests (accessed November 3, 2017)

[26] The 'antifa super-soldier' conspiracy theory is dangerous because people want to believe it (accessed November 3, 2017)

[27] [2]

[28] Cornel West Facebook Post January 5 2017, accessed June 3 2017

[29] [3]

[30] [4]

[31] RefuseFascism.org Calls for Mass Defiance of Fascist Trolls, accessed June 3 2017

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