The movement needed beyond No Kings protests
Organized by the liberal groups Indivisible, 50501, and MoveOn, an estimated 7 to 8 million people took to the streets of over 2,500 U.S. cities on October 18 for the No Kings Day protests. For the most part, the political demands of these groups focused primarily against President Donald Trump, but raised few issues beyond calls to “re-establish democratic rights” or efforts to put Democrats back in office in Congress and state houses during the 2026 midterm elections.
In many cities, speakers were limited to official Democratic Party spokespeople. Unlike the No Kings event in June 2025, few if any Palestinian politicians were invited to speak. There were even calls for marchers to wear or carry yellow items to show solidarity with reactionary protesters in Hong Kong and the NATO-backed right-wing government in Ukraine, yet no mention was made of stopping U.S. imperialism’s war threats in Africa or South America. However, these calls found little support among participants.
From the Hands-Off demonstrations in April to No Kings in June, and to these recent marches, worsening political repression and declining economic conditions are driving more people into the streets. Beyond these one-day events, ongoing opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and the presence of federal troops in Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles; and elsewhere demonstrate that a resistance movement beyond Democratic Party politics is indeed possible.
While not officially encouraged by those who organized the actions, many pro-Palestine contingents participated in the October 18 No Kings marches, speaking out against Israeli-U.S. actions in Gaza, which they described as genocidal. In several cities, demonstrators held signs and chanted slogans like “U.S. Hands off Venezuela!” and “ICE: U.S. Troops Out of Our Cities!”
For example, in Dallas, there was notable openness among youth towards a more radical, revolutionary solution. After the official Seattle rally, a militant Free Palestine contingent—including Seattle Against War, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Students for a Democratic Society, and Workers World Party—urged continued solidarity with the Palestinian revolution.
In New York City, unions fighting against the growing threat of layoffs and attacks on government workers joined together in a powerful contingent.
Since October 18, the Trump administration has continued to threaten deep cuts, if not the complete elimination, of social programs for low-income workers. This includes plans to cut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for 42 million people if the federal budget standoff is not resolved by November 1. Meanwhile, thousands of federal workers are being forced to work without pay—essentially unpaid labor—and many are turning to food banks to obtain essential items for their families.
It was indeed impressive that millions protested a president less than a year into his administration. This was arguably the largest one-day protest demonstration in U.S. history. Yet the real challenge for the working-class and anti-imperialist left is to engage with these newly mobilized masses and offer them a path that goes far beyond the Democratic Party.
To defeat Trump’s aggressive moves toward a police state, we need to do more than just march. Following the lead of workers in Italy and Spain in solidarity with Palestine, organizing a one- or two-day general strike would have a much broader impact.
Pushing back against Trump’s fascist agenda will require a mass movement independent of both capitalist parties, with a clear anti-imperialist orientation. As the demonstrations against ICE and federal troops in our cities are showing, the opportunity is ripe for a strong, united left movement to emerge—one that offers more effective leadership than the establishment groups that support the Democratic Party, which itself is a pro-imperialist party.
https://www.workers.org/2025/10/88697/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-movement-needed-beyond-no-kings-protests
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