University of Kwazulu-Natal

The Resistance Movement Reaches Into Trump Country

Bonisiwe Shabane
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the resistance movement reaches into trump country

In this report, Matthew Cebul, Lead Research Fellow for the Nonviolent Action Lab, examines the effectiveness of nonviolent action movements in supporting democratic resilience globally. Identifying challenges faced by nonviolent pro-democracy movements, Cebul offers key takeaways for combating accelerating democratic erosion in the US and abroad. The historic number of No Kings Day protesters and their expansive geographic spread are signs of a growing and durable pro-democracy movement. This article was originally published in Waging Nonviolence. In this report, Matthew Cebul, Lead Research Fellow for the Nonviolent Action Lab, examines the effectiveness of nonviolent action movements in supporting democratic resilience globally. Identifying challenges faced by nonviolent pro-democracy movements, Cebul offers key takeaways for combating accelerating democratic erosion in the US and abroad.

In this op-ed, Liz McKenna examines the second ‘No Kings’ protest on October 18 and offers strategies for translating successful protest movements into influential policy change. She emphasizes the importance of sustained organizational efforts alongside protest activity to engage actors across partisan lines, building a broad coalition and a durable base for the movement. Archon Fung and Stephen Richer are joined by University of Pittsburgh’s Lara Putnam to discuss the recent No Kings protest movement. Excellent analysis! This is basically me over the past year, along with many others in the various orgs I’ve acted with to try and find a lane. Although given our proximity to a lot of the early destruction, we were shaking off our Phase 0 shock in December and moving out to Phase 1 in January and February.

“Staying in rhythm with solidarity remains a challenge. It’s helpful if we can remember that whenever we feel some relief it’s likely at another group’s back-breaking moment — and vice versa.” While helpful, this is what has made this year so exhausting... Knowing there is a Phase 3 is motivating and keeps us in the movement. The local nature of NoKings2 was brilliant but the 7m+ who acted need to become more connected as a united entity, to act in waves if necessary, and to create that positive message and... Beautiful article(s), David! Powerful, succinct overviews of what’s being done, what can be done, and when.

Thanks! It feels great to see some positive reporting on the stages of U.S. resistance to Fascism and to feel we’re making some progress. Thank you! My question is why are we not resisting both R’s and D’s….are we to overlook the easing-in of Fascism brought on by Obama and Biden? Granted, in a 2 party system we have nowhere else to go but back to the Dems…..but we have to be shown a way to resist them both.

We need a clear list of all the steps taken by Obama and Biden and earlier Democrats that led us to this right wing supreme court, that did in Rowe v. Wade, that brought us the war against Russia by proxy using Ukraine, support for the Israeli Genocide and support for wars in Syria and Sudan, plans for war in China using Taiwan as proxy,... How do you help us find our way out of the bi-partisan corporate structure that rules us? Our goal needs to find a path away from cruelty and greed for the sake of this beautiful planet and for all her inhabitants. I’ll look forward to your response. Thank you.

We’re going with this classic message: Liberty and Justice for All. No exceptions. Dear friends at WNV, I would like to translate this inspiring Analysis for the paper Graswurzelrevolution (GWR) in Germany. Do I need someones yes for this? So far I have not offered it to the editors of GWR yet, but will do tonight. If I get your go ahead in time and if I can translate it (with the help of google translate and deeple) in time (beginning of the coming week) that would be great.

This article was originally published on Pat Mitchell’s blog and weekly newsletter. Tuesday marks the 100th day of Donald Trump’s presidency, and many Americans are unhappy with him and his administration. According to a new Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll, “Trump’s approval rating is lower than for any past president at the 100-day mark in their first or second terms. … In broad strokes, the judgment of his presidency so far is that a majority think Trump has exceeded his authority, a majority say the economy is worse and about half say that U.S. leadership in the world has become weaker.” During Trump’s first term, public demonstrations of disapproval were rapid and massively visible.

The 2017 Women’s March, held the day after the inauguration, was the largest single-day protest in history (later surpassed by the George Floyd protests in 2020). This time around, it’s building in a different way. Researchers at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Crowd Counting Consortium note that 2025 protests “are far more numerous and frequent—while also shifting to more powerful forms of resistance,” such as commercial and labor boycotts. “In February 2025 alone, we have already tallied over 2,085 protests, which included major protests in support of federal workers, LGBTQ rights, immigrant rights, Palestinian self-determination, Ukraine and demonstrations against Tesla and Trump’s agenda... The #Resistance (also known as the Resistance) is an American anti-authoritarian and liberal democratic hashtag and political label and used to protest the first and second presidencies of Donald Trump.[1][2][3][4][5] Commencing on an unknown date shortly after the presidential election in November 2016, it initially included Democrats on Twitter and Facebook before expanding to include independents and Republicans who opposed Trump on various social...

Generally, the #Resistance symbolizes solidarity against Donald Trump. Its hashtags have also been used alongside other policy-specific hashtags, targeting marginalized groups such as minorities and women. Though its height of popularity occurred during the days following Trump's first inauguration, it resurfaced during times of political controversy and animosity.[9] For instance, there was a notable spike in use throughout the week... In 2017, Françoise Mouly and her daughter Nadja Spiegelman released two issues of the comics paper Resist!, part of The Resistance movement, criticizing the Donald Trump administration. [11][12][13][14] Demonstrators take to the streets during a nationwide "No Kings" protest in Rock Springs, Wyoming.Imago via ZUMA

It’s been a week since an estimated 7 million people across 50 US states and the District of Columbia—and countless others all over the world—took part in the “No Kings” protests to speak up... From Washington, DC, to Oakland, California, protesters proudly waved American flags and declared their love for the country. They spanned generations, and many were dressed in various inflatable costumes—ducks, SpongeBob Squarepants, dinosaurs, and more—borrowing from Portland’s example of defying the rhetoric from Republicans and the administration that vilified anyone who demonstrated as... The peaceful October 18 pro-democracy protests, which naturally drew the ire of President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, marked one of the largest single-day demonstrations in US history. Two million more people than the previous “No Kings” gatherings from June showed up across 2,700 events in big Blue cities and, notably, in reliably Republican towns. “Even my small, conservative hometown of Brenham, Texas, held a ‘No Kings’ Rally with at least a hundred people in attendance,” wrote the ACLU Justice Division leader Ellen Flenniken in a post about the...

No crowns!” “The current protest movement has already reached deeper into Trump country than at almost any point during the first Trump administration.”

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