RefuseFascism Mission Statement
July, 2021
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RefuseFascism.org exposes, analyzes, and stands against the very real danger and threat of fascism coming to power in this country. Seventy-four million people voted for Trump in 2020. The Republi-fascist Party has been purged of dissenting voices. The mass fascist movement has hardened in the wake of their January 6 coup attempt. Fascist initiatives around restricting voting, immigration and abortion rapidly advance in statehouses across the country. The election of Biden has not eliminated the danger, it has only bought some time.
Fascism is not just a gross combination of horrific reactionary policies. It is a qualitative change in how society is governed. Once in power, fascism’s defining feature is the essential elimination of the rule of law and democratic and civil rights. Fascism foments and relies on xenophobic nationalism, racism, misogyny, and the aggressive re-institution of oppressive “traditional values.” Truth is obliterated and fascist mobs and threats of violence are unleashed to build their movement and consolidate power.
The Democratic Party will not stop this nightmare. Trump, fascist Fox News, and the Republi-fascist Party have branded them as enemies and “traitors.” Yet, the Democratic Party will consistently pull to try to work with, conciliate with and collaborate with them. There can be no reconciliation with fascism except on the terms of the fascists. Fascism must be resolutely opposed.
RefuseFascism.org unites with people from diverse perspectives to sound the alarm and prevent the consolidation of this American fascism. Through our website, podcast, social media, and publications we engage, dialogue and debate with a broad array of writers, scholars, legal experts and people from different walks of life to educate people on the roots, nature, trajectory of the real and present danger of fascism. And, through our engagement and networking with people and social movements we are forging understanding and relationships aimed at preventing the consolidation of fascism.
Since the founding of RefuseFascism.org our stand and resolve have not wavered:
We pledge to the people of the world:
In the Name of Humanity, We Refuse to Accept a Fascist America
What is FASCISM? Podcast Refuse Fascism Organize/Resist
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The Refuse Fascism podcast, featuring commentary on the latest events and interviews with scholars and activists from many different perspectives, is an essential tool for understanding and uniting to stop an American fascist movement that imperils all of humanity. PROMOTE THIS PODCAST
Produced and brought to you by volunteers with RefuseFascism.org. Hosted by Sam Goldman.
Resistance on Hold: The Crisis of Inaction in Perilous Times
Sam comments on the fourth anniversary of the January 6th coup attempt. Then, she chats with co-producer of the pod, Mark Tinkleman, exploring questions we’ve received. In this conversation, Sam and Mark discuss the current political landscape in the U.S., focusing on the lack of visible resistance against the rising fascism represented by Trump/Republi-fascist return to power. They draw parallels with South Korea’s history of mass mobilization against oppressive regimes, emphasizing the need for sustained and organized resistance. They highlight the urgency of action in the face of a rapidly deteriorating political situation and the necessity of mass action to disrupt the status quo. The discussion also addresses the phenomenon of people tuning out from political issues, the urgency of challenging the non-fascist majority, and the dangers of basing movements solely on popular opinion.
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2024: Year in Review
We find our power together, not by finding a way to get by or accommodate to the new horrific normal, but together paving a path for mass nonviolent noncooperation, mass nonviolent disobedience. Prepare for the fight ahead in 2025 with some guests from this past year including:
Zoltán Grossman
Lee McIntyre
Sasha Abramsky
Jefferson Cowie
Ece Temelkuran
Aziz Rana
Tom Schaller
Alberto Toscano
Graie Hagans
Amanda Tyler
Annika Brockschmidt
Robert P. Jones
Clarence Lusane
Matt Shuham
Paul Street
Rick Perlstein
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How Trump’s Leveraging “Unitary Executive” Theory to Harness Supreme Power
Sam discusses “The Great Capitulation” and the need for us to come together now to defeat Trump/MAGA fascism through collective action.
Then she interviews veteran legal scholar, activist and political analyst, Marjorie Cohn, to discuss the implications of the “unitary executive” theory with Trump returning to power next month. They explore how this theory has evolved over time, its impact on the system of checks and balances, and the alarming agenda outlined in Project 2025, which aims to consolidate executive power. Cohn warns of the threats to civil liberties and democratic norms, emphasizing the need for organized resistance against fascism.
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Gender Liberation, Radical Defiance & The Power of Street Art
Sam recaps some of the fascist developments from this past week and interviews author and activist, Raquel Willis, co-founder of The Gender Liberation Movement (@genderlib). Raquel discusses the current anti-trans landscape, focusing on the implications of the U.S. v. Skrmetti case and the broader cultural backlash against trans rights. Willis highlights the need for radical defiance and collective action to combat the ongoing threats to trans rights and healthcare access. You can follow Raquel on social media @raquelwillis.
Then Sam speaks with Philadelphia-based street artist YOMI to discuss art, fascism, and resistance. Follow Yomi’s work @yomitgmb.
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MORE Episodes of the Refuse Fascism Podcast →
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Understand, STOP this American Fascism
Fascism is not just a gross combination of horrific reactionary policies. It is a qualitative change in how society is governed. …What is crucial to understand is that once in power fascism essentially eliminates traditional democratic rights. – READ MORE
This American Fascism A Retrospective
We’re sharing a round-up of excerpts from interviews over the past four years with 20 experts on fascism. If you want to know “what is US fascism in this century” or “who are the fascists in America” or “where did fascism in the US come from” – this is your crash course (and it’s episode 200!).
Perspectives on Stopping Fascism in The U.S. in 2024
A wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Clarence Lusane and Sunsara Taylor over what it will take to stop fascism in the United States. We discuss the 2024 elections in the context of the prospect of civil war, the genocide in Gaza and the uprising to stop it, the threat of today’s wars spiraling out of control, the nature of the fascist threat, and the possibility of wrenching a better future out of this moment.
Nine Lines of Bullshit: Digging into Dangerous, Stupid, and False Takes on the Fascist Election
Originally published on the Paul Street Report
Much of what I am hearing from mostly decent and non-fascist US-Americans on the presidential re-election of the fascist brute Donald Trump is dangerously erroneous and misguided. Here are nine forms of this bad thinking:
“We got through the first Trump presidency and so we’ll get through a second Trump presidency.”
· “All the fascist rhetoric of Trump and his party is just campaign rhetoric and bluster. He won’t really act on all this menacing braggadocio.”
MORE on the danger of fascism →
See: Voices of Conscience and Courage →
Organize / Resist – Resources
Refuse Fascism
What is Refuse Fascism?
RefuseFascism.org was initiated on an emergency basis in the wake of the election of Trump and Pence in 2016. Our founding mission called on all who recognized the catastrophic danger of the Trump/Pence regime to unite and organize to drive the regime out of power through sustained, non-violent mass protest. We pledged to the world that we would not stand aside while there was still a chance to stop a regime that imperiled humanity and the earth itself. With our slogan: In the Name of Humanity, We REFUSE to Accept a Fascist America! And our single unifying demand: The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go!
This Pledge to the People of the World, initiated by Refuse Fascism, appeared in the New York Times on November 9, 2020
Co-initiator of Refuse Fascism Cornel West on the impact of the analysis and work of Refuse Fascism over the past years
It was the Refuse Fascism movement … that has put fascism on the map for the past five years. And that needs to be said!
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