Nov 5

Nov 5 Refuse Fascism

Demonstrations, Donald Trump, Performances, Protest, Public Declarations, Signs and Posters, The Age of Trump

While speaking with a woman who identifies as a RevComm (Revolutionary Communist) two months ago at a demonstration in Chicago, I learned that a rally and march were planned for Washington D.C. on November 5th to commemorate the 2024 election that returned Donald J. Trump to the White House. The word “commemorate” is not a synonym for the word “celebration.” The left leaning activist community (the “Far Left”) would be sitting shiva for the United States of America rather than celebrating Trump’s return. According to the woman, people from around the country planned to attend.

I was skeptical. Given that this demonstration was organized by members of the Far Left, I knew the demonstration wouldn’t draw hundreds of thousands of people. At most, 5,000 to 10,000 people, largely from the East Coast. I would have skipped it, but I was headed to New York City for the Annual Village Halloween Parade six days before the D.C. demonstration, so I decided to take Amtrak’s Acela Express from NYC to D.C. on Tuesday morning, permitting me to first check out the National Guard supposedly stationed on the National Mall Then on Wednesday, I would cover the Refuse Fascism demonstration.

My assumptions proved correct. During the march that followed the rally, I said to one photographer, “What do you think? Maybe 1,500 demonstrators.” “Lower,” was his response. Looking at my images later, my estimate dropped significantly: somewhere between 500 and 1,000, with 1,000 being generous.

Readers might wonder why I characterize the demonstrators as members of the Far Left. The presence of the RevComms is a pretty good clue, but the other tell was who didn’t speak. Trump may view Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as the “lunatic left,” but members of Congress shy away from demonstrations organized by the Far Left. No politicians of note spoke during the rally. Better to play it safe than jeopardize your chances for higher office when someone includes photographs or video of you in a negative campaign ad four or five years hence.

At this point I should further clarify my terminology. First, I do not use the term “Far Left” pejoratively. Second, a number of groups took part. I assume their views with respect to the salient issues are not uniform. For example, not everyone who supports abortion rights is a Marxist. Collectively, however, those who gather under the Refuse Fascism banner generally are more strident and doctrinaire than the suburbanites and urban professionals who occasionally take to the streets for the nationwide rallies that occur every year or two.

The media was largely a no-show. Aside from a German television crew, I saw no video cameras. When I returned to my hotel for the night, I flipped through the cable news stations, including CNN and MSNBC (soon to be retitled MSNOW). Absolutely no mention of the demonstration. Nor could I find a reference to it in the early editions of the New York Times or the Washington Post.

Despite the lackluster turnout, this was one of the better demonstrations I have attended. The chants were the same, as were the speeches, although a bit more incendiary given the Far Left milieu. Yet, the demonstrators exhibited much more passion and energy than is usually on display.

Some took their cue from those in Portland, Oregon who refused to be intimidated by Trump’s threats, comically defying him by dressing as frogs, chickens, and bananas. Several ‘Donald J. Trumps ‘ put in appearances, including one who wore diapers and who had painted his flesh gold.

Those demonstrators who came just as themselves often carried catchy signage. I particularly liked the group that brought an ANTIFA Registration trolly, going so far as to outline the benefits coming with membership in the non-existent organization.

And of course, there was Nadine, a seasoned organizer and demonstrator who dressed as a frog while carrying her signature bed sheet strung between two metal poles. Across her belly, she had scrawled the phrase, “AMPHIFA.” I first met Nadine at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since then, I have run into her six or seven times. She is regularly pictured on the front pages of the New York Times and Washington Post.

Somebody finally responded to my ongoing pleas for music. In addition to the speeches, Waking Stones and Outernational sang songs and led chants. Both bands were rooted in speed metal and rap, so they added some volume and energy to the rally. During the march, a ragtag group of musicians were interspersed among the marchers. The instrumentation included an accordion, a tuba, and a trumpet. While I appreciated the effort, the outfit never gelled as a unit.

I had wondered whether Trump’s National Guard forces might impede the rally or march. No guard members were anywhere in sight, evidence that the deployment of the guard was performative rather than designed to curb the largely fictitious criminal activity on the Mall. Nobody would be shot in the legs today. And why should they be? Contrary to Trump’s characterization of the Far Left as violent, the people who turned out today were orderly and friendly. Perfect ladies and gentlemen, unlike the hoards of Trump supporters who attacked the Capitol on January 6th.

As I was walking to the march, I disturbingly saw three trucks with large video panels in the vicinity of the National Mall. One was parked near the rally site. All three displayed video advertisements seeking recruits for the U.S. Border Patrol. I assume Trump or one of his minions in the Department of Homeland Security decided to troll the demonstrators. Nice to see our tax dollars being used for political purposes. A Hatch Act violation? Well, it doesn’t matter because Attorney General Bondi won’t prosecute anyone on Team Trump.

When it began, the marchers first headed from the National Mall to Constitution Avenue. They then turned east, marching past the Capitol to the U.S. Supreme Court. The march proved to be the day’s highlight because the demonstrators stopped at strategic points along the way, including the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

At the Department of Justice, the demonstrators faced the building’s entrance, screaming obscenities at Attorney General Pam Bondi. I heard one demonstrator throw down the “C” word, but plenty of others joined in, directing angry, profanity-laden phrases at Bondi through bullhorns. Given that today was a workday, Bondi might actually have heard the ruckus.

Several months ago, U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer decided to extend her obsequious praise of Trump during cabinet meetings to the Department of Labor (“DOL”) by draping a large banner emblazoned with “Our Dear Leader’s” portrait from the roof DOL’s headquarters. Trump and his lackeys have learned a lot from North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

Today, the marchers all wanted to pose in front of the DOL, with the banner in the background. Quite the photo op, particularly when the images are uploaded to Instagram. I saw a number of middle fingers pointing in the direction of the banner.

From the DOL’s headquarters, the demonstrators made their way up Capitol Hill, stopping in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to call out the conservative justices who have blessed so many of Trump’s actions on an expedited basis without issuing written opinions explaining the decisions.

Several demonstrators pleaded with the Supreme Court police, hoping to cajole them into joining the demonstrators by leaping over the bicycle rack barricades at the foot of the Court’s majestic steps. These demonstrators are very naive. The men standing watch may have opinions, but they are just doing a job.

As I watched the proceedings, several officers headed into the crowd. Eventually I saw them walking with a man clad in a blue t-shirt displaying the phrase of the day, “Fuck Trump.” I didn’t see any handcuffs, but the officers and the man walked toward the north end of the Court, where they then headed behind the bicycle rack barricades. The officers appeared to be questioning the man.

As I kept one eye on the police and the man now in the distance, I noticed that the demonstrators were moving eastward, which puzzled me. I had planned to head to the White House, where I assumed the march would terminate. Turns out the marchers were headed to Stanton Park for more speeches. I later learned that the White House was not on today’s agenda, which strikes me as just plain stupid. If the demonstrators were focused on removing Donald J. Trump from office, why wouldn’t the march culminate in Lafayette Park across from the White House? A symbolic refutation of his authoritarian proclivities.

As I headed down Capitol Hill, the man who had been questioned by the Supreme Court Police was also headed down the hill, accompanied by several police officers. At the bottom of the hill, the officers departed. At that point, I approached the man, asking him what had transpired. Turns out, he is a retired police officer who attends anti-Trump demonstrations. To protect himself from potential threats (like a mass shooter or someone driving car into the crowd), he carries a concealed weapon with him, which he is licensed to carry. If I understood him correctly, he knew that he could not bring a weapon into the Capitol, but he didn’t realize that weapons are prohibited on Capitol Hill.

Looking at some of my earlier photographs that included the man, I couldn’t tell how the police even knew he was carrying a concealed weapon, but I don’t have their training. In any event, I assume that as they were questioning him, someone was verifying his identity as a retired police officer. I don’t know whether they gave him his gun back, but I suspect so, which would explain why the officers accompanied him to the foot of Capitol Hill. I found him to be both friendly and creditable.

As I continued toward the White House, I called a fellow photographer, who told me that the marchers would not be stopping by the White House. As I said, a stupid logistical decision.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]