A report from activists in Ohio. Actions like this must happen, on an increasingly massive scale, anywhere Trump and any of his fascist cabal dare to show their faces in public.
July 26 Three of us waited in line outside the Covelli Center for the doors to open. We were surrounded by a sea of red caps with “Make America Great Again!” written on them.
Trump supporters were waiting to be part of a Nazi rally. The doors opened and we went in. We got good seats behind the stage and were surrounded by thousands of people holding up American flags, carrying posters with “Drain the Swamp,” “Deplorables for Trump,” “Fake News/CNN Sucks,” and many more.
A woman held up a poster that said, “Get on Board, or Get Run Over.” These vicious words bring to mind what the Refuse Fascism Call to Action says: “The Trump/Pence regime will repeatedly launch new highly repressive measures, clamping down on all resistance and remaking the law.” It was clear we had just walked into a fascist rally and for the next three hours the crowd revved up for the entrance of their fascist leader Trump with lots of chants, like “Build that Wall, Build that Wall.”
As that chant was yelled, I teared up thinking of the huge truck filled with Mexican immigrants, many who suffocated inside the truck, or seeing Lara Lopez last week being deported and ripped away from his crying children, and knowing that nearby Youngstown has one of the largest detention centers in the United States.
After several fascist speeches, Fuhrer Trump arrived. We waited for the moment when the audience calmed down and he started his speech. At that moment we unfurled the TRUMP AND PENCE MUST GO banners and shouted “HUMANITY FIRST, NOT AMERICA FIRST” over and over.
As we were yelling, Trump was interrupted and stopped speaking and looked up at us. Then the police came and grabbed one of us, but as they did he held onto the banner. As we were forced to go, we continued to chant “HUMANITY FIRST, NOT AMERICA FIRST!”
When we went to our cars, we all agreed that we were a part of the protest against the Trump/Pence regime, part of a moment in history when “millions stand together with
conviction and courage, overcoming fear and uncertainty, to resist and say NO! Not just for ourselves, but in the name of humanity.” (From the Call to Action).
We agreed that disrupting Trump’s fascist speech was worth any risks and that this action was part of building a movement of millions to be in the streets day and night until this fascist regime of horrors against the people of the world is gone.