Originally posted at RefuseFascism.org
Refuse Fascism in the Mix at Angry Tax Day Protests
From a correspondent in NYC
April 15, 2017 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
Many thousands of people marched in “Tax Day” protests in over a hundred cities Saturday. Organizers called these actions to protest Trump’s refusal to release his tax reports, and this was a focus of their speeches and the signs they handed out as well as many homemade signs. Thousands rallied and marched in New York alone. A Refuse Fascism contingent was in the mix.
Large numbers of people were drawn into the streets behind the “release your taxes” demand. Among the crowd there were many who felt that the problem is “Putin is really pulling the strings,” and this is what Trump is hiding by not releasing his tax forms. At the same time, there were people in the crowd, which was mainly middle class and middle aged, for whom this was not their starting point. They expressed a lot of contempt for and anger at Trump and everything he represents. One woman said “It’s not about what he’s hiding. Not for me anyway. It’s about what he’s doing that we know. Like the way he hates everyone who’s not like he is. I’m a woman, I’m a Mexican, so I got two strikes against me right there. It’s about not wanting to see who can build the biggest bomb.”
Another man said, “I really don’t give a shit about his taxes. I mean, I do, when it pays for things like that bomb he just dropped. But I’m here to say, New York City hates you, Mr. Trump. I’m here to say, fuck you, Mr. Trump, and everything you stand for. Everyone is focused on taxes, but this problem goes way beyond that. Here’s what I think. This guy has got to go.” And with that, he started chanting “hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go”, and was joined by pretty much everyone around him.
A youth who hooked up and marched with Refuse Fascism said “when we talk about Donald Trump’s tax returns, it gets at things that are a problem, like corruption, wealth and poverty. But why I want him out of power, him releasing his tax returns are not at the top of my list. It’s about the things, the substantive things that are affecting the whole planet, and people everywhere. It’s like the people who organized this protest organized it around New York Times headlines. It’s a bit surreal to see people addressing his taxes, but not things that really matter. I mean, if he released his taxes tomorrow, I’d still want him out of power”.
People with Refuse Fascism struggled with people to understand the urgency of acting NOW to drive out the regime. That what makes the Trump/Pence Regime illegitimate is its FASCIST character! There is an opening, and what masses of people do or don’t do in the next two weeks will contribute greatly, one way or the other, to what the future looks like.
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