Refuse Fascism

Refuse Fascism organizes non-violent protests.[1] In January 2017 Refuse Fascism participated in the DisruptJ20 protests on the day of Trump's inauguration and the airport protests against Executive Order 13769, which suspended entry to the U.S. by nationals of seven countries.[5]

In July 2017, Refuse Fascism members were present at the Impeachment March events, which called for the U.S. Congress to begin the process of impeaching Trump.[5] Also in July, Refuse Fascism organized demonstrations in several cities,[8] including Los Angeles[12] and San Francisco.[8] Kadaris expressed hope that these demonstrations would "create a legitimacy crisis" affecting Trump's presidency.[8]

In August 2017, following the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the Los Angeles branch of Refuse Fascism organized a march which began at Los Angeles City Hall.[13][14] Refuse Fascism member Michelle Xai said the purpose of the demonstration was "to say, 'No, we're not going to normalize these Nazis and how they feel emboldened.'"[14] Refuse Fascism groups also helped to organize a march to the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago on the same day,[15] and organized a march to Trump Tower in New York City.[16][17] Carl Dix, a member of Refuse Fascism, said the events in Charlottesville were a "direct outgrowth of the Trump/Pence fascist regime" and said "These fascists are serious. And we must wake up and confront them with resistance that is just as serious."[17]

Refuse Fascism was involved in organizing several demonstrations in Berkeley, California in September 2017: a protest against a speech by the conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro at the University of California, Berkeley on September 12;[18] a "March Against White Supremacy", which was addressed by Chelsea Manning, on September 23;[19] and a demonstration against a planned "Free Speech Week" which involved a brief occupation of Wheeler Hall, on September 25.[20] Also in September, Refuse Fascism–Houston was one of several groups involved in organizing a protest in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and in opposition to Trump's rescission of the program.[21]

In October 2017 Refuse Fascism members protested panelists at an event on civil discourse and hate speech at the University of California, Los Angeles. One member criticized panelists for normalizing Trump's presidency by discussing hate speech in the abstract.[22]

Protesters speak at a Refuse Fascism rally in Union Square, San Francisco, November 4, 2017.

News media reported in September 2017 that Refuse Fascism was organizing a series of nonviolent protests against the Trump administration, which began on November 4, 2017.[23] Conferences were held in Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco in August 2017 in preparation for the protests.[9][24]

Protestors carrying signs reading "NOV 4 IT BEGINS" blocked traffic on U.S. Route 101, near Alameda Street in Los Angeles, on September 26, 2017.[25]

The road blockade and the planned protests became the subject of a conspiracy theory alleging that anti-fascist groups were planning to foment a civil war in the United States.[4][26][27][28][29] In September and October 2017 the claims were reported in multiple articles and broadcasts by InfoWars, by the John Birch Society's publication The New American, and by Richard Spencer's Altright.com website.[26] In October 2017, the conspiracy theorist Frank Gaffney and author and activist Trevor Loudon accused Refuse Fascism of inciting, or conspiring to incite, riots across state lines, and called for the federal government to intervene.[30] Later in October, the far-right blog The Gateway Pundit published an article by Lucian Wintrich claiming an "antifa leader" had pledged to "behead white parents" on November 4.[4][31] The article was shared on Facebook more than 40,000 times.[31] Wintrich subsequently distanced himself from the article.[4] Also in October 2017, rumors circulated claiming that the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) had scheduled a power outage for November 4; in fact, the DOD intends to conduct a training exercise alongside the American Radio Relay League, an event that has been held quarterly since 2013, in which the electrical grid will not be turned off.[32][33][34][35] As of October 25, 2017, YouTube videos warning of plans for a civil war had been viewed millions of times;[36] and as of November 2 a viral video entitled "Officer Warns: Antifa To Declare Civil War On Whites Before Year End" had been shared over 55,000 times on Facebook.[5] The conspiracy theory has led to threats to attack the demonstrations and to murder anti-fascists.[26]

Refuse Fascism members and supporters march in New York City. November 2019.

Taylor said of the claims: "What they're saying is completely false. They're blatant lies, and they're creating and intending to intimidate people who want to stand up to the Trump/Pence regime. It's concerning that these lies are being spread and that they're unleashing threats."[36] Taylor also said that the response "lets us know we've struck a chord, and they recognize the strength of what we are doing."[37] Spencer Sunshine of Political Research Associates argued in October 2017 that "the conspiracy is being used to encourage Far Right activists to harm non-violent Leftist protestors" and that "The organizing function of these 'looming war' narratives serves to motivate the Far Right base, rather than function as actual predictions."[26] Adi Robertson of The Verge wrote on November 3 that "It doesn't necessarily matter how much anyone believes tomorrow's nationwide protest is a civil war—the point is that some people are hoping it will become one."[38]

On November 4, 2017, Refuse Fascism held non-violent demonstrations in New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and other cities, in which over 4,000 people attended nationwide.[39][40][41]

In March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Refuse Fascism issued an expanded set of demands, including that the government "[p]rovide aid and protection for humanity globally, not just for Americans, based on international cooperation, not competition," the immediate release of all nonviolent offenders from prison and ICE detention centers, the provision of personal protective equipment for all healthcare workers, mass testing, and the provision of ventilators and hospital beds for ICUs, in addition to the overriding demand of the "immediate" removal of Trump and Pence from office.[42]

In late September 2020, Refuse Fascism organized nationwide marches "Against Death, Lies and Fascism" as America neared 200,000 COVID-19 deaths.[43]