In the 1935 dystopian novel about fascism titled It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis, Lewis states that “when fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross.” It seems his words are prophetic as Trump and the authors of Project 2025 attempt to implement a draconian form of Christian nationalism against the wishes of the vast majority of Americans. (Trump received 31% of eligible voter support.) Yet, it appears that the people are not accepting a fascist form of governance forced upon them by a self-proclaimed dictator and his collaborators in Congress.
On April 5, hundreds of thousands of people in cities across the United States rallied and marched in opposition to the authoritarian rule of President Trump, Elon Musk and their devastating policies in the largest protests of the year to date.
More and even larger protests are expected as the mass murder and genocide in Gaza continues, as blatantly racist policies are implemented, as innocents are deported and tortured, as the stock market crashes and trillions are lost in retirement accounts and as endless executive orders get implemented that establish an authoritarian/fascist state to end democracy forever.
At least 1,300 rallies and marches were held in all 50 states and U.S. territories, according to organizers, who said attendance far exceeded expectations. Local organizers issued a press statement saying “the demonstrations were organized by 50501 (50 Protests, 50 States, 1 Movement), a national grassroots movement launched to protest the policies and actions of the second Trump administration.
“Since February, 50501 has led three mass mobilizations, drawing thousands to state capitals and city halls across America. This movement is powered by regular people—not politicians. From small towns to big cities, we’re organizing, marching and building a future rooted in justice, equity and collective power.
“We are your neighbors—parents, workers, students and community members—coming together to build a better Fresno. We’re passionate volunteers advocating for progress, equity and hope. This movement belongs to all of us.”
Locally, more than 2,000 demonstrators hit the streets of Fresno, gathering at Cary Park and then marching to Fashion Fair Mall. Peace Fresno, Raza Against War, the Brown Berets, San Joaquin Valley Resistance (SJVR) 50501 and several Indivisible chapters were among the many organizations participating.
Amanda Gann, from SJVR 50501, rallied the demonstrators saying, “If we stay silent, we cannot enact change. Trump is an authoritarian leader. We need to get together like we are here for that change. We need to protect our democracy and our rights. We are here to defend democracy and we won’t back down.”
Dan Yaseen, president of Peace Fresno, addressed the large crowd saying, “We are living in extremely dark times but the people in the Middle East are living in extremely dangerous times.
“Trump has been bombing civilians in Yemen and supplying bombs and intelligence to Netanyahu to slaughter innocent civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon with our tax dollars.” (Note: To date, more than 48,000 Gazans have been killed, with many more thousands still under the rubble.)
Speaking of mass deportations, Yaseen continued, “First they came for undocumented immigrants, then they came for university students speaking against genocide in Gaza, then they came for us.”
Teresa Castillo, from WILPF Fresno, said, “Join with your neighbor and join every single action. We have to come together; if we do not come together as a nation, then the few that have wealth beyond belief are going to push us further down. That’s not okay with the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, and I hope that’s not okay with you.”
Paul, from Central Valley Indivisible, spoke of the group’s recent growth noting that “meetings have grown from 20 or 30 [people] to almost 200 last week. Over 900 people signed up for today. We meet every month, we share news, we share rage, we talk about how to build the community and inspire action.
“When we succeed, and we will, it will be because we see each other. Because we connect as humans in all our crazy and beautiful differences. It will be because we purposely join hands together.”
Chance, a community member, said, “Look around everyone, there are people here from all different walks of life, many different groups here. Our history of civil rights and labor rights starts with us working together, collaborating together.
“We are doing what is right to get what we want, by clawing back power. We are challenging power today.
“This government has been abusing us, stripping away our rights, our entitlements that we pay into. We have to stand with the elderly, the poor, the marginalized and those most impacted by [Trump’s policies].”
Although the recent turnout for the demonstrations and marches is encouraging, many say simply marching and demonstrating will not defeat authoritarianism and fascism. Some might even believe that Trump is not a fascist.
Jason Stanley is a philosophy professor at Yale University. In 2018, he authored How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them, a nonfiction book that examines the rhetoric and propaganda of fascism.
He describes how fascism promotes the “politics of hierarchy, a belief in a biologically determined superiority whereby fascists strive to create a mythic and glorious past by excluding those they believe to be inferior because of their ethnicity, religion and/or race.”
Think “make America great again” and the aggressive elimination of all “diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI)” hires and programs.
In the past, many tactics and strategies have been used by movements to effectively confront authoritarian rule:
- Sit-ins and strikes to disrupt operations or make a statement.
- Boycotts and refusing to buy, use or support products, services or institutions to exert pressure.
- Blockades and physically obstructing roads, buildings or facilities to prevent access or operations.
- Non-cooperation and refusing to cooperate with government or institutions, such as refusing to pay taxes or obey laws.
- Occupations and taking control of a space or building to draw attention to a cause, often in a nonviolent way.
- Refusing to perform tasks or duties that are perceived as unjust or unethical.
- Hunger strikes and refusing to eat as a form of protest.
Other nonviolent tactics have been used by people’s movements in the past. There are many historical examples of successful movements that used nonviolent civil disobedience.
In A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict by Peter Ackerman and John Duvall, the authors document 15 successful nonviolent movements around the world in the 20th century. Here are some of those movements:
India. In the 1930s, after Gandhi had returned from South Africa, he and his followers adopted a strategy of refusing to cooperate with British rule. Through civil disobedience and boycotts, they successfully loosened their oppressors’ grip on power and set India on the path to freedom.
United States. In the 1960s, Gandhi’s nonviolent weapons were taken up by Black college students in Nashville, Tenn. Disciplined and strictly nonviolent, they successfully desegregated Nashville’s downtown lunch counters in five months, becoming a model for the entire civil rights movement.
South Africa. In 1985, a young South African named Mkhuseli Jack led a movement against the legalized discrimination known as apartheid. Their campaign of nonviolent mass action, and a powerful consumer boycott in the Eastern Cape province, awakened whites to Black grievances and fatally weakened business support for apartheid.
Denmark. In April 1940, German military forces invaded Denmark. Danish leaders adopted a strategy of “resistance disguised as collaboration”—undermining German objectives by negotiating, delaying and obstructing Nazi demands. Through underground resistance, organized sabotage and strikes, they rescued all but a handful of Denmark’s 7,000 Jews.
Poland. In 1980, striking workers in Poland demanded independent unions. Using their leverage to negotiate unprecedented rights in a system where there was no power separate from the Communist Party, they created a union called “Solidarity.” Driven underground by a government crackdown in 1981, Solidarity reemerged in 1989 as Poland’s governing political party.
Chile. In 1983, Chilean workers initiated a wave of nonviolent protests against the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. Severe repression failed to stop the protests, and violent opposition failed to dislodge the dictatorship—until the democratic opposition organized to defeat Pinochet in a 1988 referendum. There are many other historical examples of successful nonviolent civil disobedience campaigns. Many say such a campaign is needed now in the United States.
A Crowd Marches in Delano
On March 31, Cesar Chávez Day, a crowd estimated at more than 7,000 people by the United Farm Workers (UFW) marched approximately three miles from Delano’s Memorial Park to 40 Acres, the site where the grape strike started in the mid-1960s, an event that led to the creation of the UFW by Chávez and Dolores Huerta, along with dozens of farmworkers and activists.
The march was organized in solidarity with immigrants who today face the threat of mass deportations and in celebration of what would have been César Chávez’s 98th birthday.
The march was organized by the UFW and SEIU unions and the California Federation of Labor Unions.
