
Protesters rally against National Guard deployment and President Donald Trump as they march on Capitol Hill on September 2, 2025 in Washington, DC.
It’s Time for a National Mobilization Against Fascism
If we do not rise up in unprecedented, unified, coordinated resistance now, it will very soon be too late.
Saturday September 6, an even more-atrocious-than-usual Trump social media post pushed the fascist envelope further wide open, creating heightened alarm and urgency. “I love the smell of deportations in the morning,” taunted the text above an AI image ripped from Apocalypse Now, superimposing US President Donald Trump’s face on a warzone scene from the classic film. In the background, the Chicago skyline is filled with army helicopters and orange hellfire.
Yet more ominously, Trump’s post went on, “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.” Yes—Trump is now directly and openly declaring war on American cities.

Sickeningly, the Trump “White House” (using quotes here to emphasize how utterly surreal and beyond-the-pale they are) reposted the open threat with helicopter emojis. As Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council noted, with this post Trump “drops all pretense and openly admits the mass raids in Chicago are about ICE raids and deportations (not crime), and essentially declares that he’s going to war with the city.”
The blatant, in-your-face nakedness, vicious meanness, and fearmongering are all the point—a central aspect of fascism is its normalization, the forceful imposing of a new normal. Trump’s ghoulish post this Saturday took this to new heights and depths and cannot be ignored or diminished.
Trump’s rapidly intensifying fascism is on daily display, everywhere: the military takeover of Washington, DC, and soon Chicago and other cities, violating both federal law and local will; unmarked vans with the masked, unidentified Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents rounding people up and detaining and deporting them without any due process; his constant declarations that he can do whatever he wishes because he is president, such as violating court orders, profiting directly off the presidency, and endlessly, relentlessly more.
The time has come to take the resistance to a new level. Everyone who is outraged, upset, scared, anxious, and sickened by Trump’s rapidly intensifying fascism must unite in coordinated mass resistance. If we do not rise up in unprecedented, unified, coordinated resistance now, it will very soon be too late. If you are outraged and sickened by what this administration is doing, do not wait—the longer we wait, the worse and more irreversible Trump’s fascism will be.
The next mass protest action in Washington should be 1 million strong.
As I write this, a massive “We Are All DC” protest in Washington, DC could pave the way forward. A diverse, steadily growing, and loud crowd of many thousands took to the Capitol’s streets Saturday, marching near the White House and other sites of power, with shouts of “Shut it down” and “Trump must go now.” On October 18, an array of groups will hold a nationally coordinated “No Kings” protest. The last “No Kings Day” drew record crowds and marked a potential turning point in the growing movement against Trump’s fascism and bigotry.
The anti-Trump resistance movement is steadily growing and congealing. The question now is, when and how will this burgeoning uprising go beyond protests and mobilize coordinated actions that create concrete impacts? When do we coordinate a national General Strike, or similar effort that shuts things down for a time? When will we all go to Washington, DC and simply sit down, sit in, refuse to leave, and prevent this fascist administration from creating further harm?
Actions like these must be done thoughtfully, carefully, and strategically. This is not a time for whimsy or flippancy. We must create real infrastructure, systems of solidarity, support, and mutual aid, to sustain nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience, including a General Strike. Such efforts must include organized labor and other diverse major movements.
This is not a criticism of the current protests—I have been to and supported all the marches I can muster, while supporting online, signing petitions, and making phone calls daily; this is an urging in solidarity. Now is the time for a new level of national mobilization and resistance action that goes beyond marches and rallies.
Building on Saturday’s inspiring turnout in DC, we need to coordinate and organize a truly massive, nationwide “STOP FASCISM NOW” protest in Washington—one that people can plan for and that unites and coordinates the many uprisings across the country. The next mass protest action in Washington should be 1 million strong. Yes, 1 million.
It’s time to aim higher and dig deeper. All of us. The time to UNITE, COORDINATE, and MOBILIZE a MILLION people in DC is NOW. Of course, many can’t make the trip, and cities across the nation will continue their own protests—but mobilizing 1 million people in DC for a national day (or week) of action and, potentially, a General Strike Against Fascism, would be dramatic, powerful, and impactful.
One million against fascism and for democracy, diversity, love, solidarity, and a future that is equitable, inclusive, and sustainable. One million against fascism and for our shared futures.
Maybe we call it simply: The National Mobilization Against Fascism. The General Strike Against Fascism.
It’s time to imagine it, build it, and make it happen. Our country, our communities, and our future are on the line, and there is truly no time to lose. The time is now.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Saturday September 6, an even more-atrocious-than-usual Trump social media post pushed the fascist envelope further wide open, creating heightened alarm and urgency. “I love the smell of deportations in the morning,” taunted the text above an AI image ripped from Apocalypse Now, superimposing US President Donald Trump’s face on a warzone scene from the classic film. In the background, the Chicago skyline is filled with army helicopters and orange hellfire.
Yet more ominously, Trump’s post went on, “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.” Yes—Trump is now directly and openly declaring war on American cities.

Sickeningly, the Trump “White House” (using quotes here to emphasize how utterly surreal and beyond-the-pale they are) reposted the open threat with helicopter emojis. As Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council noted, with this post Trump “drops all pretense and openly admits the mass raids in Chicago are about ICE raids and deportations (not crime), and essentially declares that he’s going to war with the city.”
The blatant, in-your-face nakedness, vicious meanness, and fearmongering are all the point—a central aspect of fascism is its normalization, the forceful imposing of a new normal. Trump’s ghoulish post this Saturday took this to new heights and depths and cannot be ignored or diminished.
Trump’s rapidly intensifying fascism is on daily display, everywhere: the military takeover of Washington, DC, and soon Chicago and other cities, violating both federal law and local will; unmarked vans with the masked, unidentified Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents rounding people up and detaining and deporting them without any due process; his constant declarations that he can do whatever he wishes because he is president, such as violating court orders, profiting directly off the presidency, and endlessly, relentlessly more.
The time has come to take the resistance to a new level. Everyone who is outraged, upset, scared, anxious, and sickened by Trump’s rapidly intensifying fascism must unite in coordinated mass resistance. If we do not rise up in unprecedented, unified, coordinated resistance now, it will very soon be too late. If you are outraged and sickened by what this administration is doing, do not wait—the longer we wait, the worse and more irreversible Trump’s fascism will be.
The next mass protest action in Washington should be 1 million strong.
As I write this, a massive “We Are All DC” protest in Washington, DC could pave the way forward. A diverse, steadily growing, and loud crowd of many thousands took to the Capitol’s streets Saturday, marching near the White House and other sites of power, with shouts of “Shut it down” and “Trump must go now.” On October 18, an array of groups will hold a nationally coordinated “No Kings” protest. The last “No Kings Day” drew record crowds and marked a potential turning point in the growing movement against Trump’s fascism and bigotry.
The anti-Trump resistance movement is steadily growing and congealing. The question now is, when and how will this burgeoning uprising go beyond protests and mobilize coordinated actions that create concrete impacts? When do we coordinate a national General Strike, or similar effort that shuts things down for a time? When will we all go to Washington, DC and simply sit down, sit in, refuse to leave, and prevent this fascist administration from creating further harm?
Actions like these must be done thoughtfully, carefully, and strategically. This is not a time for whimsy or flippancy. We must create real infrastructure, systems of solidarity, support, and mutual aid, to sustain nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience, including a General Strike. Such efforts must include organized labor and other diverse major movements.
This is not a criticism of the current protests—I have been to and supported all the marches I can muster, while supporting online, signing petitions, and making phone calls daily; this is an urging in solidarity. Now is the time for a new level of national mobilization and resistance action that goes beyond marches and rallies.
Building on Saturday’s inspiring turnout in DC, we need to coordinate and organize a truly massive, nationwide “STOP FASCISM NOW” protest in Washington—one that people can plan for and that unites and coordinates the many uprisings across the country. The next mass protest action in Washington should be 1 million strong. Yes, 1 million.
It’s time to aim higher and dig deeper. All of us. The time to UNITE, COORDINATE, and MOBILIZE a MILLION people in DC is NOW. Of course, many can’t make the trip, and cities across the nation will continue their own protests—but mobilizing 1 million people in DC for a national day (or week) of action and, potentially, a General Strike Against Fascism, would be dramatic, powerful, and impactful.
One million against fascism and for democracy, diversity, love, solidarity, and a future that is equitable, inclusive, and sustainable. One million against fascism and for our shared futures.
Maybe we call it simply: The National Mobilization Against Fascism. The General Strike Against Fascism.
It’s time to imagine it, build it, and make it happen. Our country, our communities, and our future are on the line, and there is truly no time to lose. The time is now.
- Who Will Stand Against the Fascist Trump? ›
- Fascism Is an Underestimated Threat to US Democracy ›
- How to Turn the Anti-Trump Resistance Into a Movement ›
- Why Liberal Anti-Fascism Upholds the Status Quo ›
- We Must Create a Broad Anti-Fascist Movement to Fight Back Against Trump 2.0 ›
- We Need a Progressive Democracy Movement to Defeat Fascism—Now! ›
Saturday September 6, an even more-atrocious-than-usual Trump social media post pushed the fascist envelope further wide open, creating heightened alarm and urgency. “I love the smell of deportations in the morning,” taunted the text above an AI image ripped from Apocalypse Now, superimposing US President Donald Trump’s face on a warzone scene from the classic film. In the background, the Chicago skyline is filled with army helicopters and orange hellfire.
Yet more ominously, Trump’s post went on, “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.” Yes—Trump is now directly and openly declaring war on American cities.

Sickeningly, the Trump “White House” (using quotes here to emphasize how utterly surreal and beyond-the-pale they are) reposted the open threat with helicopter emojis. As Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council noted, with this post Trump “drops all pretense and openly admits the mass raids in Chicago are about ICE raids and deportations (not crime), and essentially declares that he’s going to war with the city.”
The blatant, in-your-face nakedness, vicious meanness, and fearmongering are all the point—a central aspect of fascism is its normalization, the forceful imposing of a new normal. Trump’s ghoulish post this Saturday took this to new heights and depths and cannot be ignored or diminished.
Trump’s rapidly intensifying fascism is on daily display, everywhere: the military takeover of Washington, DC, and soon Chicago and other cities, violating both federal law and local will; unmarked vans with the masked, unidentified Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents rounding people up and detaining and deporting them without any due process; his constant declarations that he can do whatever he wishes because he is president, such as violating court orders, profiting directly off the presidency, and endlessly, relentlessly more.
The time has come to take the resistance to a new level. Everyone who is outraged, upset, scared, anxious, and sickened by Trump’s rapidly intensifying fascism must unite in coordinated mass resistance. If we do not rise up in unprecedented, unified, coordinated resistance now, it will very soon be too late. If you are outraged and sickened by what this administration is doing, do not wait—the longer we wait, the worse and more irreversible Trump’s fascism will be.
The next mass protest action in Washington should be 1 million strong.
As I write this, a massive “We Are All DC” protest in Washington, DC could pave the way forward. A diverse, steadily growing, and loud crowd of many thousands took to the Capitol’s streets Saturday, marching near the White House and other sites of power, with shouts of “Shut it down” and “Trump must go now.” On October 18, an array of groups will hold a nationally coordinated “No Kings” protest. The last “No Kings Day” drew record crowds and marked a potential turning point in the growing movement against Trump’s fascism and bigotry.
The anti-Trump resistance movement is steadily growing and congealing. The question now is, when and how will this burgeoning uprising go beyond protests and mobilize coordinated actions that create concrete impacts? When do we coordinate a national General Strike, or similar effort that shuts things down for a time? When will we all go to Washington, DC and simply sit down, sit in, refuse to leave, and prevent this fascist administration from creating further harm?
Actions like these must be done thoughtfully, carefully, and strategically. This is not a time for whimsy or flippancy. We must create real infrastructure, systems of solidarity, support, and mutual aid, to sustain nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience, including a General Strike. Such efforts must include organized labor and other diverse major movements.
This is not a criticism of the current protests—I have been to and supported all the marches I can muster, while supporting online, signing petitions, and making phone calls daily; this is an urging in solidarity. Now is the time for a new level of national mobilization and resistance action that goes beyond marches and rallies.
Building on Saturday’s inspiring turnout in DC, we need to coordinate and organize a truly massive, nationwide “STOP FASCISM NOW” protest in Washington—one that people can plan for and that unites and coordinates the many uprisings across the country. The next mass protest action in Washington should be 1 million strong. Yes, 1 million.
It’s time to aim higher and dig deeper. All of us. The time to UNITE, COORDINATE, and MOBILIZE a MILLION people in DC is NOW. Of course, many can’t make the trip, and cities across the nation will continue their own protests—but mobilizing 1 million people in DC for a national day (or week) of action and, potentially, a General Strike Against Fascism, would be dramatic, powerful, and impactful.
One million against fascism and for democracy, diversity, love, solidarity, and a future that is equitable, inclusive, and sustainable. One million against fascism and for our shared futures.
Maybe we call it simply: The National Mobilization Against Fascism. The General Strike Against Fascism.
It’s time to imagine it, build it, and make it happen. Our country, our communities, and our future are on the line, and there is truly no time to lose. The time is now.
- Who Will Stand Against the Fascist Trump? ›
- Fascism Is an Underestimated Threat to US Democracy ›
- How to Turn the Anti-Trump Resistance Into a Movement ›
- Why Liberal Anti-Fascism Upholds the Status Quo ›
- We Must Create a Broad Anti-Fascist Movement to Fight Back Against Trump 2.0 ›
- We Need a Progressive Democracy Movement to Defeat Fascism—Now! ›

