Trump is on a rampage against the First Amendment right to burn the American flag. Not only has he railed against it in his fascist speeches from Tulsa to Mt Rushmore, he has asked the Supreme Court to overturn Texas v Johnson, the landmark ruling in 1989 that made flag burning a constitutionally protected act of free speech, and he urged Republican senators to introduce legislation criminalizing flag burning with a year in prison.
In light of this blatant and illegal attack on the First Amendment and the right to dissent, Gregory “Joey” Johnson – the Johnson of the Supreme Court case – and a supporter of the Revolutionary Communist Party – said that he would defiantly burn the flag on July 4 and issued a “flag burning challenge” to anyone who wanted to join him. Members of Revolution Clubs initiated flag burnings in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and DC.
This was incorrectly covered by a number of press outlets as a Refuse Fascism protest. Refuse Fascism called for protests on July 4 to demand Trump Pence Out Now – In the name of humanity we refuse to accept a fascist America. Although Refuse Fascism did not issue or initiate the flag burning challenge, members of Refuse Fascism were free to join with others who did burn the flag. RefuseFascism.org as an organization does not have a position on the meaning of the flag. We are made up of people from a very diverse range of political views – including many who would wave the flag as well as others who would burn it – united in our common recognition that the Trump/Pence regime is fascist and must be driven from power through mass, sustained, nonviolent protest.
That said, Trump’s attacks on the right to burn the flag should be widely condemned by everyone who cares about justice – whether you would ever burn a flag yourself or not. This threat from the mouth of Donald Trump who declares himself to be the law and above the law represents an ominous attack on the very right to dissent and yet another assault on the rule of law.
We are at a crossroads. The sustained protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder have increasingly called on millions to reckon with America’s history of white supremacy and to wage a fierce struggle for a different way forward – in stark contrast to the hate and bigotry of the Trump/Pence regime. This has been expressed mainly through rallies, vigils, and marches, but the toppling of Confederate statues and other monuments to slavery and genocide, as well as burning the flag, have become a more widespread dimension of this struggle in the streets. This spirit of rebellion is a tremendous threat to the regime’s ability to hammer in their promised “Make America Great Again” fascist program, a threat they are determined to eliminate.
Trump’s latest attack on the First Amendment goes hand in hand with his vicious, targeted attacks against the movement for Black Lives. He calls “Black Lives Matter” a symbol of hate and urges the full force of the police and military to “dominate the streets,” while doubling down on stoking the white supremacy and false victimhood of his rabid followers. He is telling us how determined he is to crush these protests through brute force.
Gregory “Joey” Johnson’s call to defiantly oppose this escalation of fascism and refuse to allow this genocidal lunatic to set the terms for what is considered “criminal” was necessary and righteous. And the fact that Trump’s precious July 4 was marked by different forms of protests all over the country is truly something to treasure and build upon.
Whether you wave the flag or burn it, there is undeniable power in uniting to stop a regime that poses a catastrophic danger to humanity and the planet. Our power is in the streets. Let’s stand shoulder to shoulder, building sustained non-violent mass protests to demand Trump/Pence Out Now and not stopping until our demand is met.
This nightmare must end.
The Trump/Pence regime must go now.
In the name of humanity, we refuse to accept a fascist America.