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Washington DC – Shortly after President Donald Trump took the oath of office at the U.S. Capitol on the other side of town, John Delacruz, 31, a local Filipino-American nurse, walked into Meridian on 16th Street NW in another corner of the nation's capital. -Started from the hill and joined the cacophony. Drums, chants, signs, and lots of conversation that leaves little ambiguity about the rally's ideology.
A man held up a ready-made placard that read, “Socialism will defeat fascism!” Below the message is the name of the organization that paid for the sign's production: Democratic Socialists of America.
Walk Army withdraws from Washington DC protests, pivots to 'counterattack' on Gaza
Pre-made neon green placards read, “Worker's rights and the needs of the people. Not war and genocide,” and were inscribed with “People Power Rally.”
Another slogan, “Fight Trump's Agenda,” bore in small print an affiliation with the Freedom Road socialist organization.
Filipino-American nurse John Delacruz expresses support for socialism (Asura Nomani, Pearl Project)
A pre-printed banner held by a group of demonstrators read: “Workers should be in power, not billionaires!” Under it, the achievements of the Party of Socialism and Liberation were recognized.
“I am proud to be a socialist who supports the socialist movement,” Dela Cruz told me without hesitation. “I believe that is the future of humanity and the right side of history. Well, the 'left side' if you will,” he added with a laugh.
But you wouldn't know it from the Guardian's media coverage of the so-called professional “resistance” to Trump. report All that is said is that “anti-Trump protests swept the world on Inauguration Day.” simply the voice of america description Calling the demonstrators “anti-Trump protesters,” NBC News wrote: “Progressive Group” They marched across the country, but for many groups there was not a single mention of the self-proclaimed socialist dream.
Nearby, three activists in winter clothes held blue and red banners of Puerto Rico's flag and also waved above their heads. It had the name Diaspora Palante Collective and advocated independence for Puerto Rico and a socialist government to lead it.
A man and a woman wearing black masks dramatically pushed a guillotine with the ominous message: “Get Sam.”
Lacey McCauley called herself an anarchist and expressed support for socialism. (Asura Nomani, Pearl Project)
These were not gatherings of enthusiasts. Among them was Medea Benjamin, Code Pink's wealthy co-founder, marching with a heart-shaped cardboard sign painted hot pink.
“The media doesn't give full and honest coverage of movements like this,” Delacruz told me. “It has the objective of maintaining the status quo of the capitalist system. If we believe that socialism is the antithesis to capitalism, then of course it is not going to cover that. At best it is an antithesis. I think we're just saying, “–and even if that were the case, I highly doubt that Trump protesters from various grassroots movements would heed our specific calls and demands. ”
Understanding these demands is important. The group here wasn't just protesting Trump, they were promoting socialism, Marxism, and communism. Many of these organizations also have pro-Russian positions rooted in agitprop, a propaganda tradition pioneered by the Soviet Union. Agitprop, short for “agitation and propaganda,” combines political messages and provocative actions with the aim of influencing and mobilizing. I call these kinds of protests “agitprop actions.”
Journalists I spoke to at the rally acknowledged that they had done little to identify the groups behind the protests. “Viewers don't really understand socialism,” one reporter told me. “When they hear that word, they tune out.” It's easier to reduce activists to concepts that readers can understand.
The night before the protests, I stayed up until 3 a.m. to interview 205 people around the country who were involved in the Jan. 20 protests as part of my reporting for The Pearl Project, a nonprofit investigative reporting project I co-founded. We investigated the group's ideology. my analysis: 27 were Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, or Islamist. 63 people identify as socialists. And 115 fell into a category I call “adjacent.”
The protest industry, like an effective “agitprop” operation, is a network of organizations, financial flows, and ideological agendas that work together to coordinate demonstrations, shape public narratives, and influence political outcomes. It is a complex and opaque network. Understanding this ecosystem is critical because it reveals the motivations, alliances, and strategies behind what appears to be a spontaneous grassroots movement.
A walk through Meridian Hill Park made these challenges more clearly apparent. The group's slogans championed socialism and anti-imperialism in countries such as the Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba, as well as here in the United States.
Protests are not isolated events; Efforts that are frequently adjusted Global stakeholders, local chapters and significant financial support are involved. Through the Pearl Project, I aim to investigate and uncover the mechanisms of this industry, identify the players, track funding, and analyze their impact. I now position ourselves as a “resistance force” against the Trump administration, and by shedding light on how protests are organized and sustained, I provide transparency and shape political discourse and activism. I would like the people to deepen their understanding of the forces that control the government.
A walk through Meridian Hill Park made these challenges more clearly apparent. The group's slogans have championed socialism and anti-imperialism in countries such as the Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba, and here in the United States, their supporters have made no secret of their intentions.
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The group's 205 “supporters” across the country make no secret of their agenda. Based in Salt Lake City, “Mormons with hope for a better world” is “committed to anti-racism, intersectional feminism, transgender and queer liberation, disability justice, individual bodily autonomy, reproductive justice, socialism, anti-imperialism, and decolonization.” states. leader of Ciao Collectiveone media outlet states that they aim to “build a bridge between the American left and China's rich Marxist, anti-imperialist political activities and ideas.” of “Project for a Revolutionary Marxist International” The name has an agenda in it.
As the march turned from 16th Street NW to Massachusetts Avenue NW, 46-year-old Lacey McCauley became the focus of cameras. Dressed in a disco outfit for a nearby “dance-off protest,” she wore a mask that read “Trump is not in the mood” over her sunglasses.
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“I'm an anarchist,” she said with a smile. “I identify as myself, which means I question and oppose class systems and people dominating others.” McCauley said socialism is Although he criticized the country for often being “too centralized,” he added, “Socialism is thinking in the right direction.”
By the end of the day, protests had subsided at Dupont Circle. The smell of marijuana hung in the air until the protesters dispersed. One marcher shoved his sign into a trash can, with the message “WE FIGHT BACK NETWORK” peeking out.
For more information about Asra Nomani, click here
