On June 14, over 6 million people across the United States marched as part of the “No Kings” day call to action against Donald Trump. One of the largest “No Kings” demonstrations took place in Los Angeles, California. The crowd swelled to over 200,000 people at its height, but tens of thousands remained downtown demonstrating into the evening.
No Kings in L.A. began in the wake of a week-long rebellion by the broader Los Angeles community against ICE raids and mass deportations. Tired of fascist terror against their communities, Angelinos confronted the federal and local police forces responsible for enforcing Trump’s fascist, xenophobic agenda. For days, militant demonstrations shut down downtown Los Angeles and caused substantial disruption throughout Los Angeles County.
Throughout this struggle, Struggle-La Lucha writers and Harriet Tubman Center activists were on the ground at the various demonstrations, not only to cover the community’s rebellion against racism but also to be in solidarity with that rebellion. This was no different on No Kings Day. The Harriet Tubman Center was in attendance at not only the L.A. No Kings demonstration, but also the “Queers Against Deportations” march and rally in West Hollywood.
L.A.’s No Kings Day demonstration saw a convergence of working-class forces. A substantial portion of the crowd was demonstrably Democratic Party aligned in outlook. This group’s signs and slogans were more likely to focus on constitutional issues, such as executive overreach and due process. A significantly larger portion of the crowd consisted of various Latinx, immigrant, Black, and working-class communities that had been in the streets all week.
The overwhelming message of the crowd was still to end the ICE raids, end the military occupation of L.A., and end Trump’s anti-immigrant policies. As the day progressed, the crowd’s size shrank but its militancy grew. The community wanted to continue to march through downtown with their anti-ICE slogans and Mexican flags. Mayor Karen Bass, the LAPD, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department felt otherwise.
In response to the continued demonstrations from the community late into the day, the fascist LAPD created roadblocks and began advancing columns of heavily armoured riot police at the protestors. As the protesters refused to back down, the LAPD escalated with dangerous crowd control weapons like tear gas, flash bang grenades, pepper balls, and rubber bullets. Mounted police also began beating random demonstrators with nightsticks. The LAPD acted this way even though many children and families remained at the demonstrations. Mothers were seen covering their children’s eyes and ears as the LAPD deployed flash bangs and tear gas canisters into the crowd.
The working class, and particularly the Latinx community, is under siege in Los Angeles and across this country. These communities are facing Gestapo-tier violence, and they are justified in their complete and utter resistance. Fascism has no validity because it is simply another capitalist ideology. Capitalism has no validity because it is the ideology of only a few billionaires, and the only true social validity can come from the masses of workers.
Oppressed and working-class communities were justified when they defended themselves at No Kings Day from LAPD provocation. Those same communities were justified when they rebelled against Gestapo deportations that tore families apart.
The role of revolutionaries and all progressives has to be to stand alongside these communities when they rebel against racism and then organize for working-class power once the rebellion is over. That is why Struggle-La Lucha and the Harriet Tubman Center were on the ground in Los Angeles on No Kings Day and beyond.
All progressive organizations must come to the defense of and be in solidarity with working-class communities that find themselves in fascism’s sights.
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