This Week In Fascism is a weekly Refusefascism.org feature that exposes the rapid unfolding of a fascist USA and the necessity to stop it.
Whatever news source you turn to told you all about the Comey hearings. You heard testimony from Comey that Trump demanded loyalty from the only body assigned to investigate him – a tell-tale sign of fascism. But while you’re being inundated with news of these conflicts amongst the rulers, the Trump/Pence program moves at neck-breaking speed.
Whipping Up a Fascist Base and Attacks on The Press
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In over 28 cities fascists gathered in vengeful and xenophobic hate rallies. In many places, especially in the South, these protestors were heavily armed. While in many areas these bigots were drowned out this was not the case for all areas. In all, hundreds of fascists gathered to spew hate emboldened by their champion in the White House.
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Greg Gianforte, Montana’s Representative-elect assaulted a journalist (throwing him to the ground and punching him). Despite this violence, he won an election and this past week was sentenced to nothing but community service and anger management. This is the thuggish behavior that is being promoted in Trump’s America towards any questioning press.
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On June 10th Lester Elementary School (in Jackson, MS) had “Trump” and “n***** kids” spray painted on its front door. The sidewalk near the school also had the n-word scrawled on it. Nearby cars were defaced with more bigotry (KKK, coon, n******, swastikas) along with “Trump”.
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This past week, Trump spoke at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual Road to Majority conference. In his speech to those who helped get him elected he stated, “The entrenched interests and failed bitter voices in Washington will do everything in their power to try and stop us from this righteous cause, to try to stop all of you. They will lie. They will obstruct. They will spread their hatred and their prejudice, but we will not back down from doing what is right. Because as the Bible tells us, we know the truth will prevail.” He then went on to enumerate what he has already done for the movement, and underscore his docket for more repressive measures. In only a few months he has already gifted the Christian Fascists a great deal: demonization of immigrants, appointment of Neil Gorsuch (a vehemently anti-abortion justice), and issuing an executive order that further emboldens hate preachings, churches more freely donating and fundraising for candidates who hold their patriarchal views, and empowering Christian Fascists to affect policy.
Silencing Dissent and Demanding Unchallenged Rule
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Four weeks into the Public Theater’s “Shakespeare in the Park” rendition of Julius Caesar, Fox News blew the whistle: “A New York City play appears to depict President Trump being brutally stabbed to death by women and minorities.” following up with an expose that “Sponsors flee New York City theater company over Trump-killing scene.” The staging clearly alludes to the current regime and the play does depict the murder of a despotic ruler consolidating power. With deep ties to the Trump regime, the Fox news outrage machine has portrayed the theater as advocating for the assassination of a sitting president. Delta and Bank of America have pulled their funding. This is a concerted move to silence and curtail art which dares to even just contemplate the nightmare we face.
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Footage is widely available online of Trump’s first full cabinet meeting. It depicts Trump lying about his accomplishments and then proceeding to invite the members of his cabinet to speak. The subject on which they all spoke was how grateful and blessed they were to be on Trump’s cabinet and to be serving him. The room full of the most powerful politicians in Washington heaped praise upon Trump. After the press dared to ask a question about the Comey hearings, they were summarily dismissed.
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Congressional Staff members suddenly began telling journalists Tuesday that they were no longer allowed to film in the hallways of the Capitol without express permission from both a senator’s office and the Senate Rules Committee. While these orders were reversed later that day after outrage expressed by journalists, it is clear that those running Congress feel it is within their right to shut down access to the halls of power without due process.
Wars for Empire
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On June 13th the Senate approved $500 million in weapons sales to Saudi Arabia. These weapon sales will further inflame the Civil War in Yemen leading to more civilian deaths. Beginning in March 2015 over 4,125 civilians have been slaughtered in Yemen since the Saudi coalition airstrikes began. The weapons the U.S. is providing will only mean more death, destruction, and misery to Yemen a country in the midst of a perilous humanitarian crisis.
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On June 8th images and reports were released by witnesses in Raqqa (a city in northern Syria) indicating U.S. government usage of white phosphorus. White phosphorus, which is routinely used in U.S. wars, is proscribed by international law for use in populated areas like Raqqa. Footage that became available Thursday suggests that the U.S. is loading munitions with white phosphorus in their battle against ISIS in Raqqa. Like napalm, white phosphorus causes extremely hot fires, and is extremely dangerous in a city where 40,000 children are trapped.
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This week was also marked by important acts of bold and courageous resistance: from those who drowned out the anti-muslim fascists to those who brought the message of resistance into Pride Parades. These are precious, should be celebrated, and must be springboards to organizing for mass resistance to drive this regime from power. In these heartbreaking times our brothers and sisters of the world sit in great peril. We may want to put our rose colored glasses on to help ourselves cope. We may choose to think that because more people in the halls of power speak of impeachment, because some are bravely resisting, that things are on the uptick. We do this because we think it makes us feel less helpless. But truly the real cure to helplessness is a cold look at reality – it is up to us, only us, to drive this regime from power. Nothing positive, nothing worth celebrating can truly come to pass until this whole cabal is out. Get started now in mobilizing people to manifest their refusal to live in a fascist america on July 15th so that a new and brighter future is possible.