November 8, 2017
To: Refuse Fascism Chapter Organizers
On November 4 we made a real beginning. 4,000 people protested in over 24 cities in unity with and support of these two slogans:
This Nightmare Must End: The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go!
In the Name of Humanity, We REFUSE to Accept a Fascist America!
There is summation in the piece called November 4 – A Day of Courage and Conviction, a Real Beginning which expresses the quality of what was achieved and the challenge before us.
And there is a piece called “It Began Like Any Other Day” that adds texture.
Below is a summary of the major plans for the next immediate period.
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I. Refuse Fascism’s Objective and Mission;
1. The Refuse Fascism National Nov 4 Speech is our basic orientation. This details more fully our core plan of aiming for nothing less than hundreds of thousands and then millions of people in the cities and towns of this country demanding that the Trump/Pence Regime Must Go through protests, with masses being in the streets… manifestations that pick up in pace (ie: becoming daily); grow in depth and breadth (spreading among all sections of the people); and increasing in determination and not stop until our demand is met.
This movement will develop in waves and in relation to events in the world (ie: actions of the Trump/Pence Regime, attacks and advances of our movement, and what other forces do will influence the pace and development of this movement). We cannot predict an exact time frame, but we should note that the struggle last year in South Korea which involved millions in mass, nonviolent protest and resulted in the removal of their president took months. Our objective is not to become part of a “protest ecology” that exists as fascism consolidates and is normalized, but neither should we “pack up and go home” when difficulties are encountered. We are serious about what we are calling for and will fight to achieve it.
Underlying this is our understanding of the stakes for humanity. The more we are able to project the fascist nature of the Regime and the catastrophe they will bring to the world, and that only mass and massive action of the people can stop this, the more wave upon wave of people can be moved to act in the way they can and must. We must bring this understanding to the people through our materials, through our public voices, and through our continuing and growing protests (which will increasingly be the heart of how we represent to society). In short, when the masses of people grasp the nature of the reality we face, they can then act with creativity and determination.
The Revised Call (from Nov 4) and our founding Call to Action are our key documents of orientation.
II. Next Step: To Build Off Of Nov 4
2) The protests on Saturday, November 11 and on Saturday, November 18 are critical to build off of November 4. November 11 is Veterans’ Day and the protest will focus against Trump’s War Moves/Nuclear War Brinksmanship. November 18th will be coming back nationwide with even more powerful mass protests as described below.
WE SHOULD RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PROTEST ON VETERANS DAY AND REALLY GO ALL OUT TO MOBILIZE FOR IT.
AT THE SAME TIME: NOVEMBER 18TH IS MOST DECISIVE – IT MUST BE A QUALITATIVE ADVANCE, WITH A FOCUS ON INVOLVING YOUTH AND STUDENTS.
PLANS
**November 11, Veterans’ Day:
No “Fire & Fury Against North Korea or Iran
No U.S. Aggression in the Middle East
This Nightmare Must End: The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go!
In the Name of Humanity, We REFUSE to Accept A Fascist America
There is a need, and a real basis, to reach into sections of the people who have deep conviction and concern about the Trump/Pence Regime’s war moves. We should reach into social and religious movements that have historically taken important and principled stands on these matters. And, we should reach deep into the people more generally who abhor what this regime is doing to the people and the planet.
**November 18th
This Nightmare Must End: The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go!
In the Name of Humanity, We REFUSE to Accept a Fascist America
Break the Silence and BRING THE NOISE!
Pots and Pans… Drums and Marching Bands…
On November 18th we will bring the joyful and insistent noise that Trump and Pence Must Go!
We will sound the alarm and break through the silence of normalization. We will march to a beat with determination that this regime will not destroy humanity and the planet.
MOBILIZE BROADLY – with a serious focus on mobilizing students and youth. Going into the period of the November holidays, exams, and winter break, we must make headway with students. NOW is the time for the YOUTH to really represent. Build organization in the schools – mainly through organizing those who are newly involved into a student/youth network of RefuseFascism.org, but also importantly by reaching out to and partnering with existing student organizations of many different kinds. We should aim for actual contingents of students from different schools representing with banners and signs. And drummers!
After the 18th march, youth can march, go to concerts and clubs, hold parties and spread the news and the noise.
Break the Silence/Bring the Noise should have families. Kids – here’s your chance to bang a pot with a ladle and do a public service!
All ages. Be Creative. There is joy in resistance… At the same time this must be resistance – serious about our objective. In some places, the offices and studios of news media that have been whiting out coverage of RefuseFascism.org could be places where the march stops and makes noise.
We should aim to transform the situation through all of this to such a degree that by the time families are gathering for holiday dinners, the movement to End the Nightmare and Drive Out the Trump/Pence Regime becomes a hotly debated and discussed topic of conversation.
** Have a place every day or as many days as possible where people can find Refuse Fascism – where people can be deployed to spread the word, where there are other local protests and Speak Outs around different aspects of Nightmares and the Indictments
** November 19th: Mass Meetings of Refuse Fascism – open air or in venues to accommodate a big meeting. These meetings will sum up and give vision of the next 6 weeks and concrete plans for the next few weeks (this will come next week).
B. ORGANIZING APPROACH: TWO MAIN FOCUSES:
[1] Enlisting all who came forward, really uniting people to go reach out very broadly with this plan. SATURATE with materials (in other words, spread them so pervasively that people see them everywhere!). Organize and Mobilize and Unite. This is key and fundamental.
In October, across the country we mobilized to get out massive amounts of materials and learned that BROAD STRATA OF PEOPLE WELCOMED AND RESPONDED to the Refuse Fascism Message and Call. This must be built upon! There was a real need to reach out beyond the “activist” movements and there was receptivity when we got the word out to people who had no idea there was anyone building protests against Trump/Pence. WE NEED TO EXPAND THE NUMBERS OF ACTIVE ORGANIZERS WHO WORKED TIRELESSLY PRIOR TO NOV 4, INTO SCORES AND HUNDREDS AND THEN THOUSANDS OF ORGANIZERS IN THE MAJOR NATIONAL CENTERS, AND ALSO ADD BUILD UP CHAPTERS IN MANY MORE CITIES. WHEN? NOW. The Refuse Fascism National Office is ready to guide chapters in this process. BUT chapters and organizers everywhere need to take initiative, be creative, sum up and spread the lessons learned through the organizers page on the website. This is what the bulk of our efforts should be dedicated to.
[2] Refuse Fascism needs to make a qualitative advance by 11/18 in broad participation and partisanship to this cause. One aspect of this is winning more broader organized forces (religious, school, social service, community, legal, political) to be a part of this movement. And, to seriously discuss and struggle with prominent people who have disproportionate influence in society. Chapters should assign one or two or more people who can represent for Refuse Fascism to reach out and engage others and to encourage everyone to bring their own organization out on Nov 18 and then again to a mass meeting on Nov 19th.
There is a lot of room “at the table” under the umbrella of the two main slogans (This Nightmare Must End: The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go!, and In the Name of Humanity, We REFUSE to Accept a Fascist America!). It is possible and necessary to get in the room with diverse representatives of the broadest movements nationally and locally and “make the case” for why driving out the regime is both necessary and possible.
We will be working on this outreach nationally, but local organizers around the country also need to be on a mission discussing and struggling for diverse movements to join with RefuseFascism.org because what is at stake is nothing less than the future. We have to struggle with people that you can’t be “too busy” to fight fascism. We need to sum-up both what can be learned from advances in this as well as what concerns or differences we encounter and share how we are addressing them. We need to make the case in person whenever possible.
Chapters should review and apply the method and approach of “Unite All Who Can Be United.”
CONCLUSION:
Friends, we made a real and great beginning. There are people who came out and many more who watched and were moved by the fact that we did what we said we would, and what is so urgently needed. Over the 10 days to November 19th let’s springboard off of Nov 4 so to be in position to where soon tens and then hundreds of thousands are moving to drive out the regime.