On October 3, federal police in DC tore down the permitted FLARE encampment outside Union Station that for months has been an important presence and pole of resistance to Trump fascism. They showed up at 5 am with dump trucks, saying the permit was revoked and then tearing down the tents and stealing all the supplies and belongings of the encampment.

As it was still happening, this illegitimate attack was immediately reported on by Jolly Good Ginger, the social media influencer and veteran who recently called on veterans to come to DC demanding military off the streets of DC and setting up a tent next to FLARE (the vets’ tent is still permitted and up). Refuse Fascism DMV quickly responded and worked with FLARE and Jolly to mobilize an emergency protest demanding the reinstatement of FLARE’s permit and a stop to the fascist assault on dissent. People began coming by to show support, and at 5 pm about 70 people gathered for a rally, including a significant contingent representing Refuse Fascism. Jolly opened the rally exposing how FLARE has meticulously followed the permit rules for months and this revocation was completely illegitimate and part of a larger fascist clampdown. FLARE leaders spoke to their determination to continue to fight for the removal of this fascist regime and for liberation everywhere including the struggle to stop the genocide in Gaza. Refuse Fascism spoke to the need to drive out this fascism through mass nonviolent struggle and to unite and defend anyone who comes under attack by this regime, and called people to come into the streets October 18 and November 5 demanding Trump Must Go Now.

FLARE (For Liberation and Resistance Everywhere), has been fighting for the removal of the Trump regime through getting signatures in support of impeachment, and leading protests against the Heritage Foundation, the think tank that created Project 2025, which helped pave the way for instituting Trump fascism. Their encampment, initially set up in May, is right in the heart of DC, with thousands of people passing through daily on their way in and out of Union Station. It has put the resistance to Trump and demand for removal in the public eye in an important way, including raising the specter of mass encampments demanding the removal of the regime (even though it is not an encampment where people can literally live there and sleep there—the permit allows people to be there 24 hours but not sleep there).

The revocation of the permit claims someone at FLARE assaulted a police officer, but there is no evidence to support this and nobody has been arrested for assault. FLARE is fighting for their permit to be reinstated. They have continued to maintain a presence at the encampment location and declared they will not back down off the fight for the removal of this illegitimate regime.