We are featuring here some of the voices of individuals and organizations—coming from a diverse range of political perspectives and viewpoints—who are courageously speaking against the brutal inhumanity of the Trump/MAGA fascist regime. Now is a time to unite all who can be united to demand: The Trump Fascist Regime Must Go NOW! In the name of humanity, we refuse to accept a fascist America!
Voices of Resistance, October 14 to present >>
Voices of Resistance, August 18 to October 13, 2025 >>
Voices of Resistance, June 23 to August 17, 2025 >>
Voices of Resistance November 18 to November 24, 2025
Artists Launch Fall of Freedom November 21-22
Fall of Freedom initiated a call in late summer for artists to “unite in defiance of authoritarian forces sweeping the nation.” The vision was to launch this massive decentralized effort by artists November 21-22. At this point the Fall of Freedom web site lists 721 events in the U.S., six in Europe, two in Mexico and one in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The official launch was November 21 at National Sawdust in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, along with other events in NYC. At National Sawdust there were a number of extraordinary artists whose work embodies resistance through beauty, spirit, liberation, and truth. These included Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins, Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, Tony Award nominee Daniel J. Watts, visionary theatre artist Qween Jean, Grammy-nominated composer and trumpeter Amir ElSaffar, Obie Award winner Carl Hancock Rux, Grammy-nominated vocalist J Hoard, Grammy-winning jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader David Murray, multi-instrumentalist and composer Michael Thurber, award-winning composer and performer Tamar-kali, soul collective Britton & The Sting, the Resistance Revival Chorus, tap and percussive trio Soles of Duende, classical Indian dancer and choreographer Barkha Patel, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Paul Beaubrun and more.
Here is a sampling of events. See more posts.
Lynn Nottage and Dread Scott speak on why they launched Fall of Freedom.
XXXXX XXXXX
The revolutionary future rock band Outernational released "I’m Afraid of Americans" (feat. NightNight)
For the Fall of Freedom, in unison and with purposeful resistance to authoritarianism, members from the Amherst, MA community gathered in the Reading Room of Frost Library at Amherst College for simultaneous reading of one of the most banned books, Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye.
Richmond, CA Antennae Gallery owners Todd Hale and Hovey Brock pulled together a list of artists that included Pia Bakala, Hope Ginsburg, Brian Palmer, Sue Johnson, Aimee Joyaux, Ronald Johnson, Tom Chambers, Gordon Stettinius, Christiane Riederer, Archie Marz, Sirena Pearl, Frankie Slaughter, and others.
Fall of Freedom, Richmond CA Credit: Todd Hale
Joseph DeLappe participates from London: Beginning at 12:00 noon, DeLappe at at a small desk adorned with a cotton American flag, altered by hand-sewn woollen letters to read ‘SORRY’. A placard on the desk read ‘USAD – United States Apologies Desk’, playfully framing the action as an unofficial diplomatic mission. An empty chair opposite DeLappe invited passers-by to sit, talk, and reflect. Each participant received a hand-signed apology card, including a personal pledge from DeLappe that he will continue to resist Donald Trump and all forms of fascist ideology through civic and creative engagement.
Christine Rose, a Portland-based award-winning author, is debuting a large-scale sculpture, "Liberty Wept," a reimaging of the Statue of Liberty, as part of the Fall of Freedom.
Fall of Freedom - Christine Rose, Portland OR
Kris Grey: Built from materials that once formed a queer dance floor at the original Stonewall Inn, the sculpture "Capital T" reminds me that resistance is tactile, heavy, and unruly. Motivated to act up, I joined Fall of Freedom as an artist initiator in August. Fall of Freedom is an urgent call to the arts community to unite in defiance of authoritarian forces sweeping the nation. “Capital T” will make its public debut the opening of An Incomplete Haunting at 601Artspace in New York City, as part of Fall of Freedom. Read story
Credit: Kris Grey
Pope Leo calls on people to “listen to the Bishops”
Last week in Voices of Resistance revcom.us published the “Special Message on Immigration” from Bishops of the Catholic Church. On November 18, Pope Leo was asked about this message and commented in part:
“But when people are living good lives, and many of them for 10, 15, 20 years, to treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful to say the least - and there's been some violence unfortunately - I think that the bishops have been very clear in what they said…”
Jesse Welles: “If you're lackin' control and authority, Come with me and hunt down minorities. Join ICE”
Jesse Welles, a grammy-nominated folk protest singer and songwriter, played his “Join ICE” song on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show November 20.
J. Michael Luttig is a very well-known conservative judge. He has been sounding the alarm about the shredding of the rule of law since January 6. This article was p
… The question weighing heavily on the minds of many Americans is whether Trump will subvert next year’s midterm elections or the 2028 presidential election to extend his reign.
With his every word and deed, Trump has given Americans reason to believe that he will seek a third term, in defiance of the Constitution. It seems abundantly clear that he will hold on to the office at any cost, including America’s ruin.
Trump proved in 2021 that he would do anything to remain in the White House. Even after the violence of January 6, his second impeachment, and the conviction and incarceration of scores of his followers, he reiterated his willingness to subvert the 2024 election. That proved unnecessary. Yet since his victory, Trump has again told the American people that he is prepared to do what it takes to remain in power, the Constitution be damned….
Trump has turned the federal government against the American people, transforming the nation’s institutions into instruments for his vengeful execution of the law against honorable citizens for perceived personal and political offenses. He has silenced dissent by persecuting and threatening to prosecute American citizens for speaking critically of him, and he has divided us, turning us against one another so that we cannot oppose him.
Trump has always told us exactly who he is. We have just not wanted to believe him. But we must believe him now….
Earth to Eve sings at November 22 “Remove” rally: “Will you still stay silent?”
Earth to Eve first released her song “Have you heard the news today?” in August 2025, and performed it live for thousands on November 22 in Washington DC.
Daniel Maurer: OPERATION RECIPROCITY “would unlawfully employ military force abroad to combat suspected criminal misconduct by foreign nationals.”
Operation Reciprocity is the code name of U.S. attacks on board in the Caribbean Sea. Dan Maurer is a retired Army lieutenant colonel and judge advocate, with combat tours in Iraq as a combat engineer officer and later as legal counsel to the army. Maurer has taught at both West Point and the Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School. On November 18 he published a hypothetical (not official) legal memorandum on the U.S. attacks for JUST SECURITY.
HYPOTHETICAL MEMORANDUM FOR: Commander, U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM)
FROM: Staff Judge Advocate, Headquarters, USSOUTHCOM
Subject: Legal Review – OPERATION RECIPROCITY (counternarcotic kinetic airstrikes, Caribbean Sea)
1. Purpose:
This memorandum discusses the legal basis for OPERATION RECIPROCITY, which the Secretary of Defense has approved for further planning. Our specific objectives are to determine whether the operation complies with both domestic and international law and to assess criminal liability risks to U.S. military personnel participating in, planning, and commanding the operation if it is approved for execution.
2. Legal Conclusion Executive Summary:
After reviewing all applicable facts and law, we conclude that OPERATION RECIPROCITY, as currently envisioned, would unlawfully employ military force abroad to combat suspected criminal misconduct by foreign nationals.
a. No Domestic Legal Basis If executed according to current planning guidance and direction from the Secretary and the President, the operation will violate U.S. domestic law because it will exceed the president’s commander-in-chief authority under the U.S. Constitution. Absent domestic legal justification, this operation will expose military personnel to domestic criminal liability under the federal murder (18 U.S.C. § 1111) and conspiracy statutes (18 U.S.C.§ 371), as well as the Uniform Code of Military Justice’s prohibitions on murder and conspiracy (see 10 U.S.C. §§ 881 & 918).
b. No International Legal Basis. The operation will also violate U.S. obligations under international law in two ways:
(1) The international law governing the initiation of international or non-international armed conflict is commonly known as “jus ad bellum” or the customary international law of self-defense. As currently conceived, this operation would violate these legal principles.
(2) Even if the facts and law support the president’s classification of this operation as a non-international armed conflict (NIAC), any lethal strikes on these targets will violate international law governing the conduct of armed conflict. Otherwise known as “jus inbello,” or the law of armed conflict, these rules require armed forces to distinguish between civilians protected from attack and lawful military targets. Neither drugs nor the vessels transporting them are military objects. The crews – even if they are members of drug cartels or “foreign terrorist organizations” – are either not members of an organized armed group or not directly participating in hostilities against the United States. Again, absent international legal justification, U.S. personnel would not only be exposed to the same U.S. criminal liability described above, they might also be subject to international prosecution as war criminals. Civilian federal employees would not be subject to the UCMJ unless they happened to be retired regulars or were deemed to be serving with or accompanying an armed force in the field in time of a declared war or contingency operation (10 U.S.C. § 802(a)(4) and (a)(10)).
The band Sugar Horse releases “What’s Your ETA? Let’s Have a Tear Up”: “From the Nakba to to Gaza, the through-line is clear: settler-colonialism maintained by force, legitimized by myth, resisted by an unbroken people.”
Sugar Horse, a post-metal band from Bristol, UK, released this statement with the release of their single on November 18.
"Since 1948 the Israeli state has illegally subjugated the peoples of Palestine. Stealing/occupying their land and treating them as worse than second class citizens. Since 2023 they have conducted a genocide the likes of which cannot even be fathomed. Unbridled suffering and death has been inflicted on these proud and courageous people, and our government is selling weapons to the people conducting said genocide. They’re helping them commit these fucking horrendous crimes.
"It disgusts us more than words can adequately describe and it fills us with a kind of despair that is unfightable. However, the bravery of the Palestinian people in the face of these horrors is something that I am utterly stunned by on a daily basis. Those who have been subjected to so much, are still willing to push through. To find joy and love where they can.
"This song is for them and we would like to ask those who enjoy our music – to some degree at least – and who want to compensate us for these new tunes, to instead direct this help and these funds towards the people of Palestine. Please donate what you can to UNRWA.
"Free Palestine."
Irish Actress Denise Gough: “Is the question of Palestine complicated? Absolutely not.”
Denise Gough has been very active in protests against the genocide in Gaza, and here is interviewed November 12 on the podcast “Celebrities4Palestine”.
Voices of Resistance November 11 to November 17, 2025
Artist Anish Kapoor on ICE posing in front of his sculpture in Chicago: “This is fascist America”
On November 10, Commander at Large of the Border Patrol Gregory Bovino gathered ICE agents in front of artist Anish Kapoor’s sculpture Cloud Gate in Chicago, commonly known as “The Bean”. The agents posed in fatigues, with firearms, and chanted “Little Village” in place of “Cheese” for the photo. (Little Village is the neighborhood in Chicago where many ICE attacks have taken place.)
Border Patrol at Chicago's Cloud Gate, commonly known as The Bean. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
In response, Anish Kapoor has said he is going “to do everything I can” in terms of legal actions against ICE, and went further:
Kapoor told Artnet: “In my view, they are no different to SS Nazi troops, intimidating citizens and people they deem to be immigrants. Cloud Gate in Chicago is a place to which citizens and visitors for 20 years now have come together as a place of gathering and I stand with Mayor Brandon Johnson in his denunciation of Border Patrol’s activity in Chicago.”
Kapoor told The Guardian: “Abducting street vendors, breaking doors, pulling people from cars, using teargas on residential streets, I mean, this is fascist America and just beyond belief.”
Los Tigres del Norte foreground the voices and experiences of immigrants at the Latin Grammys
Los Tigres del Norte is a norteña band that has long connected closely with the lives and experiences of people in desperate conditions, including events such as their concert at Folsom Prison. At the Latin Grammys on November 13, they performed their song “La Lotería,” referring to a common board game in Latino homes. In the song, each card was a symbol of migration and determination. Behind them flashed images of Los Angeles protests against ICE raids, of families being torn apart, families crossing the border and more. This version of the song criticizes President Donald Trump’s criminal past with lyrics like “El diablo ya lo mandan a la corte” (They’re even sending the devil to court), and “Nuestra gente se rebela en estos tiempos” (Our people are rebelling in these times). Watch it here:
La Lotería, Los Tigres del Norte, Latín Grammy 2025
Chicago TV journalists: "Federal immigration agents have traumatized us and eroded our rights"
A list of prominent retired Chicago TV broadcast veterans sound the alarm on November 13 in an editorial. The list included Derrick Blakley, Kathy Brock, Chris Bury, Bill Cameron, Pat Cassidy, Lilia Chacon, Muriel Clair, John Cody, Janet Davies, Craig Dellimore, John Dempsey, Mark Giangreco, Theresa Gutierrez, Walter Jacobson, Robert Jordan, Sherman Kaplan, Anne Kavanagh, Rich King, Bill Kurtis, Alan Krashesky, Ron Magers, Carol Marin, Linda MacLennan, Paul Meincke, Steve Miller, Phil Ponce, Phil Rogers, Jim Rose, Rich Samuels, Steve Sanders, Andy Shaw, Tom Skilling, Rob Stafford, David Stewart, Jim Williams, Larry Yellen, Linda Yu and Pam Zekman.
For years, you watched and listened to our coverage of the Chicago area. As journalists, we did our best to bring you accurate, objective information about the people, events and issues that mattered. We hope we gained your trust.
So please trust us now when we say that what is happening in the Chicago area is wrong. The fact that some federal immigration forces may be leaving soon is cold comfort given the damage they’ve done and what they may do in other cities....
Let us be clear: We support the lawful apprehension and deportation of undocumented immigrants with criminal records. The president says he’s after the worst of the worst, but that’s not what’s happening. It’s gone way beyond that. People are presumed guilty until proven innocent. It is not law enforcement; it is terror.
This dragnet seems to be based on racism and is snaring citizens of color, documented immigrants and people who have committed no serious crimes — your neighbor, friend, co-worker, babysitter and landscaper. People whose work ethic and honesty have contributed to the city for years.
Bass player Hiro Yamamoto as he accepts Soundgarden’s Induction into the Rock & Roll of Fame: "It's up to us to take the child power back."
On November 9 Hiro Yamamoto’s speech as he accepted the induction included in part: “Thanks to my parents, whose story is American citizens who were rounded up and placed into prison camps just for being Japanese during World War II. Well, that affected my life greatly. And it really echoes strongly today. Let’s not add another story like this to our history…. Come on, we could do a lot better than this. And it’s up to us to take the child power back.”
Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski, Tuscon: Speaking out against unjust laws amid mass deportations
A number of religious forces are speaking out against the Trump Regime's war on immigrants. The following are excerpts from the November 12 statement from Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Tuscon, Arizona:
The mass deportation of irregular migrants continues to grow in momentum. Richly funded by the recently passed "Big Beautiful Bill," it is increasingly apparent that the targets for these enforcement actions are not only "bad actors," criminals that no one wants loose on our streets, but also hard working, honest people -- many of whom have been in this country for decades -- paying taxes, raising families and contributing to the common good of our nation.
In Victor Hugo's famous 19th-century novel, "Les Miserables" (perhaps more familiar to many in a modern musical version, Les Mis), motivated by bitterly zealous legalism, Inspector Javert relentlessly pursues Jean Valjean, who had spent years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread.
Today, modern day Javerts bent on enforcing a broken and thus unjust immigration regime are deporting agricultural, construction, service and hospitality workers who have an irregular immigration status. As a result, various personalities in the government and the news media fan flames of resentment against these supposed law breakers, equating them with terrorists intent on hurting us....
We can be a nation of laws, without becoming a nation of Javerts. As Jesus reminded the embittered zealots of his day, positive laws, even divine positive law like the Sabbath observance, are designed for the benefit of man, not to harm humankind.
Artists launch "Fall of Freedom" call against American Fascism
On November 21-22, a prominent group of artists is calling for a weekend of exhibitions, performances, and public events “in defiance of the authoritarian forces sweeping the nation.”
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB): “We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement.”
The following are excerpts from the November 12, 2025, U.S. Bishops' “Special Message” on Immigration from the Plenary Assembly in Baltimore.
As pastors, we the bishops of the United States are bound to our people by ties of communion and compassion in Our Lord Jesus Christ. We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement. We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned about the conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care. We lament that some immigrants in the United States have arbitrarily lost their legal status. We are troubled by threats against the sanctity of houses of worship and the special nature of hospitals and schools. We are grieved when we meet parents who fear being detained when taking their children to school and when we try to console family members who have already been separated from their loved ones.
Despite obstacles and prejudices, generations of immigrants have made enormous contributions to the well-being of our nation. We as Catholic bishops love our country and pray for its peace and prosperity. For this very reason, we feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity.
We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement. We pray that the Lord may guide the leaders of our nation, and we are grateful for past and present opportunities to dialogue with public and elected officials. In this dialogue, we will continue to advocate for meaningful immigration reform.
Judson Memorial Church Is Fighting Fascism by Remaking a Famed—and Controversial—Art Show About the US Flag
This week, starting November 10, Judson Commons, is remounting a new version of the “People’s Flag Show” with more than 60 artists, commemorating the original show of 55 years ago, and taking a stand against fascism today. In an interview with ARTnews November 10, Rev. Micah Bucey, senior minister of Judson Memorial Church and artistic director of Judson Commons, spoke about the new show, saying in part:
Judson Commons: Peoples' Flag Show
ARTnews: Can you briefly talk about the original “People’s Flag Show” and the context in which it was staged?
Micah Bucey: The year 1970 was at the height of the Vietnam War, and there were three artists—Jean Toche, Jon Hendricks, and Faith Ringgold—who came to the pastors at Judson Memorial Church and essentially said that they wanted to do a dual protest through this show. They wanted to, of course, protest the war and the US’s continued funding of that war, and also to test the limits of freedom of expression, especially as there was such a crackdown on flag desecration laws. The pastors at Judson, as usual, said, “This is the exact place where you can and should do this show.” The show opened in November 1970. It was a week-long exhibition where there were several dozen works on display for that week, combined with talks, etc., much like what will be happening this year.
At that time, the police came into the show and arrested the three curators of the show, and also arrested two of our pastors. That has built into its mystique; Jean, Jon, and Faith being arrested, created a name for them: the Judson Three. That name isn’t only well-known in certain circles, but it’s also the title of a beautiful piece by Faith [Ringgold]….
To put a finer point on it, can you explain a bit more about the overlap in the context of 1970 and the context of 2025?
We are seeing genocidal wars that are funded by our US government occurring right now. This is not historical. This, of course, rhymes and harmonizes with history, but it is happening right now, and it is not getting better. Right now, we have a fascistic regime that is presently here. It is not a threat of fascism. It is fascism fully present as a clear and present danger in our midst. For us, coming together around this show, it isn’t navel gazing. It’s meant to activate. It’s meant to allow us to interrogate our complicity and accept our invitation—as artists, as activists, as organizers, as art lovers—to know that we have a place and a part to play in a revolution and in a resistance.
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez: “I have been very alarmed by the campaign of control and censorship that I saw this administration embarking on”
Anna Gomez is the only FCC commissioner speaking out against the Trump Regime’s relentless campaign to censor dissenting voices and transform news outlets into mouthpieces for the president. Since May, Gomez has been on a “First Amendment Tour.” The following quotes are from Gomez at a conversation with a crowd of journalists, academics and community members who came to Camden, New Jersey, on Nov. 13.
“I embarked on my First Amendment Tour earlier this year because I became alarmed by the campaign of control and censorship that I saw this administration embarking on.”
“Capitulation is the worst thing that you can do, but unfortunately the corporations are capitulating, the broadcasters are capitulating. We've seen law firms capitulate. We've seen universities capitulate... And capitulation breeds capitulation. On the other hand, we've seen a lot of courage. We've seen some law firms courageously push back and say 'no, this is not the right thing to do here. We want to preserve the rule of law in this country. We want to preserve our constitutional values.' We've seen some universities push back. We've seen individuals push back. Because courage breeds courage. And we need courage. We ALL must stand firm against every attempt to silence dissent.... To surrender our right to speak freely is to accept that those in power, not the people, will set the boundaries of debate that define our free society.”
Listen to the conversation with Anna Gomez here, here and here:
Authors Joanna Ho and Caroline Kusin Pritchard: "When schools and district leaders choose to silence diverse voices instead of uplifting them, students are most impacted. They learn that school is not a safe place for all..."
Authors Joanna Ho and Caroline Kusin Pritchard have spoken to thousands of pre-schoolers through fifth graders on their tour promoting their new book, The Day The Books Disappeared. The book is about book banning. It celebrates the freedom to read diverse texts, and shows what happens when one person tries to ban all books except the ones they want. When they arrived for their district-approved speaking engagement with students at Country Club Elementary in San Ramon, California, the principal told them they couldn’t talk about book banning, and they were not allowed to give their presentation, which included seven slides addressing book bans, with a slide featuring a sample of the kinds of books being banned.. On October 29 the authors said this about the school's refusal to allow them to speak:
Voices of Resistance November 3 to November 10, 2025
The Prophecy 23 vocalist and guitarist Hannes Klopprogge: “This song is a short, fierce punch against hate — clear anti-fascist and anti-racist messaging, backed by heavy riffs and full conviction.”
German thrash crossover band Prophecy 23 earlier this week released “Fresh Metal Fights Fascism,” which has quickly made its way up the German charts.
Olivia Rodrigo to ICE: “Don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda.”
Olivia Rodrigo’s 2023 song "all-american bitch" was featured without her apparent permission in a social media video posted jointly by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the White House on November 4. The video showed dramatic footage of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detaining individuals, followed by messages urging undocumented immigrants to “self-deport” via the CBP Home app — with Rodrigo’s track playing in the background. In response, she commented on the post, writing: “Don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda.” Message was later deleted—though it's unclear by whom.
Following the deletion, fans began reposting her statement in the comments as an act of protest, with many calling on her to sue the administration for unauthorized use of her music.
Olivia has previously spoken about immigration-enforcement actions in her hometown:
“I’ve lived in LA my whole life and I’m deeply upset about these violent deportations of my neighbors under the current administration. L.A. simply wouldn’t exist without immigrants… Treating hardworking community members with such little respect, empathy, and due process is awful”
“Sandwich Guy” Says After Acquittal: “Justice prevails… I was protecting the rights of immigrants”
On November 9, Sean Dunn was acquitted of misdemeanor assault charges stemming from a protest in August when Trump took over the DC police, flooded the city with armed federal agents, and deployed National Guard troops. When Dunn saw Border Patrol agents outside a bar that was hosting a “Latin Night,” he called them “fascists” and “racists.” A video captured Dunn throwing a salami grinder toward an agent. The sandwich bounced harmlessly off the heavy armored vest the agent wore. The whole thing was captured on a video, which went viral—and Dunn became known as the “Sandwich Man.” Federal prosecutors at first tried to indict him on a felony charge, but a grand jury refused to go along. The prosecutors downgraded the charge to a misdemeanor. And now, a jury in the DC District Court rejected that charge too! Sean Dunn said after the innocent verdict, “I am so happy that justice prevails in spite of everything happening.” See his full statement below.
Jack Black: "What would L.A. be without the Mexican-American community?"
At this year’s Día de los Muertos festival on November 2 in Los Angeles, actor and musician Jack Black made an appearance that quickly drew attention for his warm tribute to the city’s Mexican-American community. Speaking to the crowd amid the marigolds, music, and ofrendas, Black said, “What would L.A. be without the Mexican-American community?” Videos of the moment circulated widely on social media, where many praised him for using his platform to honor the people and traditions that define one of the city’s most important celebrations.
Ms Rachel: "Every child everywhere has the right to be protected from violence and hunger"
Ms. Rachel is children's educator, whose social media posts (@msrachelforlittles) in support of children in Gaza and other oppressed places, are loved around the world.
At the 2025 Glamour Women of the Year Awards in New York, Ms. Rachel walked the red carpet in a custom up-cycled gown embroidered with artwork made by children in Gaza. The drawings included symbolic imagery such as a dove filled with flowers and a girl hugging a watermelon.
In her acceptance speech, Ms, Rachel spoke about children in crisis zones—specifically naming Gaza (and also Sudan) as places where children’s rights are being violated. She urged the audience:
“My love and care for children doesn’t stop at my own children. It doesn’t stop at the children in our country. It embraces every child of the world. I don’t think that our love should end at religion or skin color or where people are born.”
She further declared:
“Every child everywhere has the right to be protected from violence and hunger, to have a home and medical care, and to go to school. As grown-ups, it’s our moral responsibility to make sure that children’s rights are respected and that we raise our voices when they’re not.”
Norman Rockwell's family: “Trump's DHS has shamefully misused his work.”
Norman Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. He became famous for his cover art for The Saturday Evening Post magazine. Recently, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security posted—without authorization— three Norman Rockwell paintings with the labels: “Protect our American way of life,” “Manifest Heroism” and a quote from Calvin Coolidge, “Those who do not want to be partakers of the American spirit ought not to settle in America.” In response, on November 2 in USA Today, members of Rockwell’s family wrote regarding Norman Rockwell that “Trump's DHS has shamefully misused his work.” They wrote in part:
From 1916 to 1963, [Norman Rockwell] regularly painted covers for the Saturday Evening Post, which by and large depicted only White people. The scarcity of people of color in Rockwell’s paintings has led those who are not familiar with his entire oeuvre to draw the conclusion that his vision was of a White America, free of immigrants and people of color. But nothing could have been further from the truth.
Rockwell was profoundly shaken by the injustices toward Black Americans that were brought to the forefront during the Civil Rights Movement. He felt an urgent need to raise his voice against the racism and injustice he witnessed all around him.
Norman Rockwell: "The Problem We All Live With," 1964
In January of 1964, just one month shy of his 70th birthday, his iconic painting “The Problem We All Live With” appeared in Look magazine. The painting was inspired by the experiences of Ruby Bridges, a 6-year-old girl who had been escorted by U.S. Marshals to desegregate her New Orleans school in 1960….
His efforts to eradicate prejudices both within himself and others led him to explore issues of racism, violence and segregation well into his 70s: “Golden Rule” (1961), “Murder in Mississippi” (1965) and “New Kids in the Neighborhood (Negro in the Suburbs)” (1967) all demonstrate his deep commitment to equality and anti-racism…
If Norman Rockwell were alive today, he would be devastated to see that not only does the problem Ruby Bridges confronted 65 years ago still plague us as a society, but that his own work has been marshalled for the cause of persecution toward immigrant communities and people of color.
We—as his eldest son, grandchildren and great-grandchildren—believe that now is the time to follow in his footsteps and stand for the values he truly wished to share with us and all Americans: compassion, inclusiveness and justice for all.
Los Angeles art project “Am I Next?” projects faces of the disappeared on walls at night
The “Am I Next?” project was launched November 6 by the California Community Foundation, the Japanese American National Museum, and La Plaza de Cultura y Artes. At night images of people disappeared by ICE and of people putting their names with “Am I Next?” are projected as billboard-sized illuminated images on downtown L.A. buildings. The campaign is designed to raise this question: If people are arrested without regard to constitutional rights, who is safe? The project says:
“Am I Next? is a public declaration against silence in the face of growing injustice. What began as a response to immigration raids has become a larger stand against racialized targeting and the erosion of civil liberties.
“Through projections, billboards, and visual storytelling, the campaign brings real faces and truths into public view—reminding us that when one voice is silenced, all voices are at risk. It is both an act of resistance and an invitation for collective responsibility.”
See project at https://www.aminextla.org/.
Judge Mark Wolf: Why I Am Resigning
Mark Lawrence Wolf has been a U.S. district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, serving in the federal legal system for 40 years. On November 7 he resigned in response to the assault on the rule of law by the Trump administration, he says "I can now think of nothing more important" than joining others in opposing these assaults. In his article in The Atlantic announcing his resignation, he details at length many of the ways Trump has broken the law. Below are excerpts from his article.
In 1985, President Ronald Reagan appointed me as a federal judge. I was 38 years old. At the time, I looked forward to serving for the rest of my life. However, I resigned Friday, relinquishing that lifetime appointment and giving up the opportunity for public service that I have loved.
My reason is simple: I no longer can bear to be restrained by what judges can say publicly or do outside the courtroom. President Donald Trump is using the law for partisan purposes, targeting his adversaries while sparing his friends and donors from investigation, prosecution, and possible punishment. This is contrary to everything that I have stood for in my more than 50 years in the Department of Justice and on the bench. The White House’s assault on the rule of law is so deeply disturbing to me that I feel compelled to speak out. Silence, for me, is now intolerable....
I decided all of my cases based on the facts and the law, without regard to politics, popularity, or my personal preferences. That is how justice is supposed to be administered—equally for everyone, without fear or favor. This is the opposite of what is happening now.
As I watched in dismay and disgust from my position on the bench, I came to feel deeply uncomfortable operating under the necessary ethical rules that muzzle judges’ public statements and restrict their activities. Day after day, I observed in silence as President Trump, his aides, and his allies dismantled so much of what I dedicated my life to....
What Nixon did episodically and covertly, knowing it was illegal or improper, Trump now does routinely and overtly. Prosecutorial decisions during this administration are a prime example. Because even a prosecution that ends in an acquittal can have devastating consequences for the defendant, as a matter of fairness Justice Department guidelines instruct prosecutors not to seek an indictment unless they believe there is sufficient admissible evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Trump has utterly ignored this principle. In a social-media post, he instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek indictments against three political adversaries even though the officials in charge of the investigations at the time saw no proper basis for doing so. It has been reported that New York Attorney General Letitia James was prosecuted for mortgage fraud after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, one of Donald Trump’s former criminal-defense lawyers, questioned the legal viability of bringing charges against James. Former FBI Director James Comey was charged after the interim U.S. attorney who had been appointed by Trump refused to seek an indictment and was forced to resign. Senator Adam Schiff, the third target of Trump’s social-media post, has yet to be charged....
I resigned in order to speak out, support litigation, and work with other individuals and organizations dedicated to protecting the rule of law and American democracy. I also intend to advocate for the judges who cannot speak publicly for themselves.
Noam Shuster Eliassi:
New documentary “Coexistence, My Ass!”
Noam Shuster Eliassi is a comedian raised in an intentional “peace community” of Israelis and Palestinians. This is a documentary of her comedic shows and what goes into them, coming from the terrible devastation in Gaza and the West Bank. The film opened October 29, and is currently showing in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto and other cities. Her shows are in Hebrew, Arabic and English.
She built this show out of frustration with the sloganeering of peace: the celebrity visits, the lip service, the lack of real reckoning with how true coexistence cannot coexist with occupation. “It has been so frustrating to always see this notion of coexistence used repeatedly as a nice decoration. It’s like how Trump can come here and say that he is making peace—these are words. Nobody is ‘against’ coexistence.”
“But to me, it was so clear that we will only be able to taste [coexistence] after we talk about the root of the problem and we act on it, especially as Israeli Jews that have privilege and the responsibility to do this.”
Reverend Dr. Caleb J. Lines: "Hey, you know what's terrifying? When the Department of Homeland Security intentionally manipulates scripture to threaten people!"
In a recent Instagram post, Reverend Dr. Caleb J. Lines from San Diego called out U.S. Department of Homeland Security for what he described as the agency’s misuse of scripture to threaten immigrants and leverage faith in support of enforcement actions. He argued that the deployment of religious language and biblical passages by a government body transforms spiritual texts into tools of intimidation rather than care.
Dima Khatib: “In Gaza, 253 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed since October 2023 — more than those killed in the wars of Afghanistan, Vietnam, the Balkans, World War I, and World War II combined.”
As of October 2025, various monitoring groups report that at least 240 to nearly 300 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the conflict on October 7, 2023. This makes the war in Gaza the single deadliest conflict for journalists ever recorded. The following excerpt is from a November 2 article by Dima Khatib, which exposes and speaks out against the killing of journalists in Gaza. Khatib is a Syrian-born journalist, poet and translator, who is the Managing Director of AJ+. (AJ+ is a digital news and storytelling project, founded by the Al Jazeera Media Network, that produces short, shareable videos on social media platforms.)
It is the largest massacre of journalists in human history. In Gaza, 253 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed since October 2023 — more than those killed in the wars of Afghanistan, Vietnam, the Balkans, World War I, and World War II combined. Yet these killings remain mostly uninvestigated, unpunished, and unacknowledged by those responsible — a stark example of the impunity that allows attacks on journalists to continue...
No other media organisation [as Al Jazeera Media Network] has ever lost so many journalists in such a short time, in any single conflict. These are reporters and camerapersons who have been working under inhuman conditions for a prolonged period: bombed, starved, displaced, hunted, and threatened. Their killings are not accidents of war but deliberate state policy — and the whole world is watching it live on their phones…
Their work should be celebrated as heroic. Were it not for them, the world might never have known what has been happening in Gaza, since Israel allows no foreign journalists to enter unless embedded with the Israeli army and reporting under its scrutiny. It is still the case today, after the ceasefire agreement has entered in place.
If the community of journalists does not defend its own — regardless of colour, race, nationality, ethnicity, or religion — then Israel’s war on journalists will inevitably become a war on journalism itself. If this massacre is allowed to continue in Gaza today, unpunished and unaccounted for, it can happen anywhere, anytime, again.
Silence is complicity.
Silence is complicity.
Trump booed at Washington Commanders game November 9
Donald Trump was met with a loud chorus of boos from fans when he appeared on the jumbotron at the Washington Commanders game on Sunday, November 9 — marking the first time a sitting U.S. president has attended a regular-season NFL game since 1978. He was also loudly booed at halftime and during a military enlistment ceremony on the field, underscoring the mixed response to his appearance.
Voices of Resistance October 28 to November 3, 2025
Dodgers' Kiké Hernández: "All people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights."
Posted on October 31
October 31 Interview in The Guardian with Harrison Ford:
Harrison Ford: Trump’s assault on climate policy ‘scares the shit out of me’
In a blistering attack upon the president, Ford told the Guardian that Trump “doesn’t have any policies, he has whims. It scares the shit out of me. The ignorance, the hubris, the lies, the perfidy. [Trump] knows better, but he’s an instrument of the status quo and he’s making money, hand over fist, while the world goes to hell in a handbasket.”
The actor, who is 83, added: “It’s unbelievable. I don’t know of a greater criminal in history….”
Ford, a longtime environmental advocate, said Trump’s dislike of wind turbines was because “he has just not seen a gold one” and that the president’s legacy on the climate crisis would be “a clear expression of ignorance, of hubris and purposeful subterfuge”.
Richard Gere Slams Trump as “One of the Bad Guys,” Calls His Immigration Policies the “Greatest Crime”
October 2, Actor Richard Gere on Donald Trump: “We have a president who’s not only crazy, he’s a dark, dark presence. And it’s happened so quickly. Six months, he’s almost destroyed our country”
Nigerian Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka on the U.S. revocation of his VISA:
“It has nothing to do with me personally. It has to do with the brutal, cruel and often unbelievable treatment being meted out to strangers, including Nigerians.”
“A principle is involved. Human beings deserve to be treated decently, whereever they are.”
On October 23, 2025, the Nobel Laureate author Wole Soyinka, 91, received a letter from the U.S. State Department revoking his non-resident visa for the U.S. He was told it was because "additional information became available after the visa was issued.” Soyinka has long been outspoken against Trump, cutting his green card to pieces after Trump was elected the first time. Soyinka believes the current revocation may be because he recently referred to Trump as a "white version of Idi Amin," a reference to the dictator who ruled Uganda from 1971 until 1979.
See Sunsara Taylor, "Is Wole Soyinka right? Is Trump acting like a “white version of Idi Amin?”
Country singer Bryan Andrews goes viral after criticizing Trump's immigration policies.
Bryan Andrews released “The Older I Get” on October 10, 2025, and since then has made a number of shorts using elements from the song to go after the horror of Trump’s program, especially the immigration policies. See his channel for more like this one:
“Jesus is Being Tear Gassed at Broadview”
An Open Letter from Chicago Clergy
Over 210 Chicago-based clergy of various denominations published an open letter on October 24 decrying the immorality of what Kristi Noem and ICE are doing, and pledging their nonviolent resistance to “stop this evil.” It read in part:
“Can I use my pastoral expense account to buy a gas mask?” It’s a question dozens of Chicago pastors asked our church boards this month. Few of us expected to be met with this degree of hostility and cruelty at the Broadview detention center, as we remain committed to nonviolent action and the peaceful exercise of our First Amendment rights. Our group comprises dozens of pastors and is still only a fraction of the clergy who are showing up and standing in support.
Unfortunately, peaceful actions—such as prayer and communion—have meant little to ICE agents. They lob tear gas, use pepper spray and bully sticks, body slam and drag protestors. One of our colleagues was hit in the face multiple times with pepper balls and rubber bullets. This is the brutality we are now accustomed to. We come offering bread and prayer, hope for justice and healing—we leave washing pepper spray out of each other’s eyes.
We willingly submit to these risks. What Kristi Noem and her ICE agents are doing is immoral. They aren’t arresting criminals; they are arresting our neighbors. They are tearing families apart. They wait at bus stops to detain children and use them as bait to lure parents from their homes. People of all ages are in hiding, businesses shuttered, and our friends and congregants—the people we have been ordained to serve—are being taken to Broadview in unmarked vans….
As Christians, we cannot look away. We must act to stop this evil and witness to the goodness and dignity of all God’s children. For us, the stakes couldn’t be higher. As Matt 25:46 clarifies, those who refuse hospitality to the stranger, refuse to see Jesus in the faces of the persecuted, stand condemned.
The Christian Century: Facing Fascism:
“The crisis isn’t coming; it’s here. Yet it remains easy to become paralyzed in inaction. Autocrats count on this.”
The Christian Century is an independent progressive religious magazine, noted among other things for being the first to publish Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” On October 29 they published an editorial headlined “Facing Fascism” which read in part:
….some Americans know exactly what time it is, because it’s their families, neighbors, parishioners, and communities under threat—ICE has brought the problem to them. And they’re responding: by organizing mutual aid networks and the like but also by putting their bodies on the line—getting beat up, tear gassed, and shot with nonlethal weapons—to prevent people from being taken.
When the rest of us encounter ICE, we can take guidance from their courageous witness. If you see agents confront someone, and if you yourself feel comparatively safe, then go toward the trouble—don’t walk away. Get in the way of oppressive power. Throw sand in the gears. Publicly shame those tasked with brutalizing people—it turns out ICE will sometimes stand down when confronted by a crowd willing to make some noise (and record some video)…..
We believe that nonviolent action is the only moral option (see “A time for nonviolence,” November). But all who seek to protect their neighbors from Trump’s jackboot thugs should wear his antifa smear as a badge of honor. Because fascism is indeed what we face, and resisting it is the urgent challenge of this moment.
Neil Young releases “As Time Explodes” as message to Trump
Neil Young released “As Time Explodes” October 30. It is a video montage of images that critiques Trump and billionaires, and then shows images from No Kings Day. An instrumental track behind the images is a nod to his song ‘Be The Rain’, which he released with Crazy Horse in 2003, the chorus of which is “We’ve got a job to do. Save Mother Earth.”
The Gaza People’s Tribunal issues final judgment and moral judgment:
“Genocide in Gaza is the concern of all humanity. When states are silent, civil society can and must speak out.”
The Gaza People’s Tribunal, an international civil society initiative composed of jurists, academics, and human rights advocates, on October 26 in Istanbul issued its final statement and moral judgement after four days of public hearings and a year-long process of investigation.
The panel, which examined testimony from witnesses, legal experts, and survivors, was chaired by Professor Christine Chinkin, an expert in international law, and presided over by Professor Richard Falk, former UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories. The jurors came from multiple continents.
The Final Statement read in part:
The jury condemns the ongoing genocide and the crimes listed below. We believe these crimes and their impact on the Palestinian people should be separately named to understand the holistic nature of the genocide, its dehumanization of the people, its sadistic character, and its temporality. These crimes did not commence in October 2023 and they will not end with the ceasefire. Deaths and severe physical harm will continue. The physical and psychological trauma of the surviving population will be transmitted through the generations….
The jury finds a coherent and consistent pattern of exterminatory violence in the intentional and targeted destruction of homes, water supplies, schools, hospitals, clinics, universities, cultural and religious institutions, agricultural land, and natural ecosystems. The weaponization of hunger, denial of medical care, forced displacement are not collateral damages of war. They are instruments of collective punishment of an entire population and of genocide. They are not justified by any claim of military objectives….
The jury affirms that the struggle is with Zionism as a racist supremacist settler colonial enterprise, not with Jews or Judaism. The strategic horizon is a single rights-based political order grounded in equality, decolonization, restitution, and the unfettered right of return. Only this course can end the ongoing genocide and open a path to just and durable peace for all who live in Palestine and beyond.
We issue this statement in the name of justice, dignity, and peace, and in remembrance of all those who have perished in Gaza and throughout Palestine. Silence is not neutral. Silence is complicity. Neutrality is to surrender to evil.
To read the findings of the panel, go here: final-verdict-1.pdf
Retired Army Colonel Steve Gabavics: “No reasonable doubt” Israel intentionally killed Al Jazeera journalist
Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was a prominent Palestinian-American journalist who worked as a reporter for 25 years for Al Jazeera, before she was killed by Israeli forces on May 11, 2022. At the time, she was wearing a blue press vest and covering a raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Retired Army Colonel Steve Gabavics, the only U.S. official to investigate the killing of Abu Akleh on the ground in May 2022 has now gone public opposing the U.S. conclusions that it was not intentional. In an October 27, 2025 interview with Mehdi Hasan and again with the New York Times on October 28, he said that his findings left "no reasonable doubt" it was intentional.
Fascist ICE advertisement uses video game “Halo’s” Master Chief for recruitment: Many fans furious—“Don't use the game I grew up on to advance your dogshit political bullshit”
The game “Halo” is a military science fiction video game, with battles against the Covenant, a grouping of aliens who are called “the Flood”. ICE’s October 27 post on X.com called on people to join ICE to “Destroy the Flood” meaning to destroy the flood of immigrants into the U.S. Many game players responded with outrage.
ICE uses Halo game imagery to recruit people ICE
"My 12-year-old self never could have imagined my favorite video game franchise of all time, would be posted by Homeland Security in the form of meme propaganda slop bullshit. Eat shit"
"Can you please keep your filthy barbaric inhumane ugly fat greasy butt digging unclean deformed bloated infected hands off of halo"
"You literally are the covenant. stop using master chief and the halo franchise in your posts. You are antithetical to everything master chief stands for. He went rogue when he started getting orders from people like you."
“The only difference is the uniform” (image of Nazis and ICE)
Voices of Resistance October 21 to October 27, 2025
Two Illinois National Guard members:
"There is a point where if you didn't stand up to the Gestapo, are you just actively one of them now?"
Staff Sgt. Demi Palecek, a Latina guardswoman and state legislative candidate from Illinois's 13th District, and Capt. Dylan Blaha, who is running for Congress in the same district, spoke to CBS News for an article published October 28, 2025.
"It's disheartening to be forced to go against your community members and your neighbors," said Staff Sgt. Demi Palecek, a Latina guardswoman and state legislative candidate from Illinois's 13th District. "It feels illegal. This is not what we signed up to do."
"I signed up to defend the American people and protect the Constitution," Blaha said. "When we have somebody in power who's actively dismantling our rights — free speech, due process, freedom of the press — it's really hard to be a soldier right now."
Asked if she would refuse a direct order to deploy to Chicago, Palecek didn't hesitate. "Absolutely. I would definitely say no," she said. "I'm not going to go against my community members, my family and my culture. I believe this is the time to be on the right side of history."
"Look at 1930s, 1940s Germany," Blaha said. "There is a point where if you didn't stand up to the Gestapo, are you just actively one of them now?"
Below are IG posts by Palecek and Blaha.
LCD Soundsystem & Pulp, (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang at the Hollywood Bowl
LCD Soundsystem & Pulp did a cover of Heaven 17’s (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang at the Hollywood Bowl September 26. Heaven 17 originally released the song March 13, 1981. The original included lyrics describing Ronald Reagan as a "fascist god in motion" and was banned by the BBC.
John Cusack to Trump: “Go to Hell”
Actor John Cusack participated in No Kings Day October 18, 2025 in Chicago, and when asked by a reporter about Trump, he responded:
Rosie Perez: “We do not have time to waste, and we do not have the privilege to be fearful.”
Rosie Perez is a Puerto Rican actress, choreographer and activist. After receiving the Hispanic Heritage Award for Leadership at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. on September 4, 2025, she said:
CarlLa Horton, Executive Director Hopes Door, NY: Trump’s statements on domestic violence send a dangerous and emboldening message to all abusers.
Donald Trump does not consider domestic violence a crime. On September 8, he commented “If the man has a little fight with the wife, they say this was a crime.” Two days later CarlLa Horton responded:
Michael Varga, former diplomat: “
Michael Varga is the author of “Under Chad’s Spell." He was a Foreign Service officer, serving in Dubai, Damascus, Casablanca, and Toronto. In an op-ed on Fulcrum.us on October 13, he wrote in part:
Michael Varga at No Kings Day October 18, 2025 Michael Varga
“This moment has compelled me to take to the streets to raise my voice against what I see as a dangerous attempt to remake our country according to the Project 2025 blueprint. For me, resistance means showing up, standing firm, and saying NO. But each American must decide for themselves how best to respond. Some may choose the ballot box, others may write, organize, or speak out in their communities.
“Whatever your conscience calls you to do more, I honor that. Love of country requires each of us, in our own way, to defend the core democratic values that have guided our nation for 250 years.”
Oak Lawn Methodist Church in Dallas responds to governor's order banning rainbow crosswalks
Oak Lawn United Methodist Church (OLUMC), which describes itself as a long-standing inclusive faith community started painting its front steps October 21 in the colors of the rainbow. This was their response to Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s directive ordering the removal of rainbow crosswalks throughout the Oak Lawn neighborhood, a neighborhood which is widely considered the center of Dallas’ LGBT community. Abbott's order claims that such crosswalks—funded privately by community members—constitute “distractions” to drivers.
Rev. Rachel Griffin-Allison, Senior Pastor of Oak Lawn UMC, said: “It’s important because silence is not neutral — silence in the face of harm always sides with the oppressor. At Oak Lawn UMC, we believe love belongs in public. Painting our steps in the colors of the rainbow is a visible witness to the gospel we preach: that every person is created in the image of God and worthy of safety, dignity, and belonging.
"When forces of power try to erase symbols of queer joy and inclusion, the Church has a choice — to retreat into comfort or to step forward in courage. We’re choosing courage. This is not a political act; it’s a pastoral one. It’s an expression of our faith in a God whose covenant love is wider than fear and whose grace refuses to be painted over. The rainbow is a reminder that God keeps showing up — especially for those the world tries to silence....
"The church’s leadership hopes the rainbow steps will serve as both a statement of solidarity and a sanctuary of hope for the LGBT community and allies across Dallas."
San Francisco’s City Lights Bookstore displays large banners: ‘Pity the nation’
On October 21, City Lights Bookstore hung a series of quotes across its building, displaying some choice lines from “Pity the Nation,” a poem by San Francisco poet and City Lights founder Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
Jennifer Fumiko Cahill: “This paper is anti-fascist. It cannot be otherwise.”
Jennifer Fumiko Cahill is editor of the North Coast Journal of Politics, People and Art in Humboldt Country, California. She published this editorial October 23, 2025.
A few years ago, this would have been neither controversial nor necessary to say. But here we are.
The fascist tenets of nationalism and racial superiority, the crushing of individual rights and freedoms, and the suppression of dissenting voices through intimidation and force are in absolute opposition to the mission of journalism. That they directly oppose the Constitution and its ideals (realized or not) is lately necessary to state as well, as we watch those sworn to protect it embrace fascism with alarming enthusiasm.
The Trump administration has trampled due process in its frenzied and racist deployment of ICE, literal masked thugs racially profiling and grabbing brown people off the streets. The campaign promise of deporting criminals has unsurprisingly grown into a purge of immigrants in general, the threatening of naturalized citizenship and an unmasked effort to strip our country down to a white, Christian extremist shadow of itself. It is an impossible right-wing fever dream, but one for which the president and his cadre are willing to harm us all in pursuit of….
To say nothing does not make us safe — not our community or our families, and not those who work for this paper. Refraining from naming the forces that encroach on our freedoms does not shield us from them. Pretending at objectivity or neutrality does not absolve us of our responsibilities, especially to those most under threat. The more dangerous it is to say it, the more vital it is to say, if only to each other and the people we need to protect.
This paper is anti-fascist. It cannot be otherwise.
Open Letter from Jews Demand Action: “We shall not rest until this ceasefire carries forward into an end of occupation and apartheid.”
More than 450 prominent Jewish figures, including former Israeli officials, artists, and intellectuals, released an open letter on October 22, 2025 urging the United Nations and world leaders to impose sanctions on Israel for “atrocities” in Gaza amounting to genocide. Signatories include former speaker of the Israeli Knesset Avraham Burg, former Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy, British author Michael Rosen, Canadian author Naomi Klein, Oscar-winning film-maker Jonathan Glazer, U.S. actor Wallace Shawn, Emmy winners Ilana Glazer and Hannah Einbinder, and Pulitzer prize winner Benjamin Moser among many others. The letter read in part:
As Jews and as human beings, we declare: Not in our name. Not in the name of our heritage, our faith, or our moral tradition. The monumental scale of the killing and destruction, the forced displacement, the deliberate withholding of life-sustaining necessities, and the ongoing criminal actions in the West Bank must end and never be repeated.
We deplore the fact that Israeli leaders have repeatedly taken to the world stage to declare that these actions are committed in the name of the Jewish people, as a manifestation of Jewish destiny. The Israeli government may claim to speak on behalf of the Jewish collective, but it does not speak for us.
This affront to our collective conscience cannot stand. It must be challenged. These are not Jewish values nor are they guided by the lessons we draw from our peoples’ history. Instead we see in many of those standing up for Palestinian rights a reflection of the people who stood with Jews in our times of need. Our solidarity with Palestinians is not a betrayal of Judaism, then, but a fulfillment of it. When our sages taught that to destroy one life is to destroy an entire world, they did not carve exceptions for Palestinians.
We shall not rest until this ceasefire carries forward into an end of occupation and apartheid. We write in the hope that this initiative further emboldens a moment of renewed Jewish commitment to act with conscience and compassion. We vow to work urgently to achieve equality, justice, and freedom for Palestinians and Israelis.
Jan Egeland, during a visit to the West Bank: “The ceasefire in Gaza should mark a turning point for all Palestinians, not be a pretext to tighten control over the West Bank”
Jan Egeland is the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). During the week of October 23 he traveled to the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The press release about his trip noted “While attention has been fixed on Gaza, violence and restrictions in the West Bank have intensified. Since January, at least 199 Palestinians have been killed and more than 3,200 injured by Israeli forces or settlers. Military operations in Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarm refugee camps have displaced over 30,000 people, yet humanitarian groups remain barred from assessing the full scale of destruction.”
Egeland said in part:
As there is hope at long last in Gaza, the West Bank is being intentionally and brutally carved up. The same violence and impunity we saw in Gaza is dispossessing whole communities in the West Bank. Recovery in one part of the territory cannot come at the cost of destruction in another.
Humanitarians cannot even reach parts of Jenin and Tulkarm camps to verify the devastation, and communities are not allowed to return. Restrictions and intimidation are silencing the truth about what is happening.
I witnessed how Israeli settler violence, backed by the authorities – including Israeli cabinet ministers – is driving vulnerable Palestinian communities from their homes…..
Pop Singer Reneé Rapp has words for ICE and Trump:
October 21 in Austin Texas.
Dr. Stacey Patton: “I, for one, want never again, for EVERYONE.”
Dr. Stacey Patton is a Black, award-winning journalist, author, historian, child advocate, and college professor. Her Oct 24, 2025 essay on her Substack said in part:
Left, Gaza 2025. Right, Auschwitz, 1945. @Dr. Stacey Patton
Look at these two photos. Look at them good….
In 1945, the world swore Never again.
Never again the camps. Never again the mass graves. Never again the industrial logic of extermination.
But “never again” was too often understood as “never again to us.”
We built monuments and museums, but not moral muscle. We taught people to memorize the names of the dead, but not to recognize their reflection in the living.
Now, in Gaza, families are digging graves with bulldozers. Mothers identify their children by scraps of clothing. Doctors, who once saved lives, spend their days unzipping body bags. The cycle of dehumanization that once consumed Europe is not repeating itself in form, but it rhymes in spirit. The rhyme is the refusal to see the other as fully human.
Both photographs ask a question that no political slogan can answer: What does it mean to remember “Never again” if the shape of atrocity keeps repeating itself, not identically, but with enough resemblance to make the stomach turn?....
The promise of “Never again” was not a shield for one nation or one kind of people. It is supposed to be a moral covenant for all humanity. To betray it anywhere is to betray it everywhere.
Plus, the heart cannot survive on partial empathy. If grief is only legitimate when the dead look like you, then you have learned nothing from history.
I, for one, want never again, for EVERYONE.
The Dude: “Get ICE off our streets, and into our beverages.”
Jeff Bridges on Jimmy Kimmel October 8, 2025
Voices of Resistance October 14 to October 20, 2025
Actor Bradley Whitford: “I am living in a world where we have internment camps!”
"We are giving these internment camps funny names, like there is some fun to be had in it all. It’s a disgrace.”
In the days leading up No Kings Day protests on October 18, dozens of prominent voices used their platforms to call people into the streets including Sally Fields, Robert DeNiro, John Legend, Spike Lee, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Stiller and others. Here is Stephen Colbert:
Fall of Freedom National Call to Action
The Fall of Freedom call was initiated by Dread Scott, a revolutionary visual artist, Lynn Nottage, a playwright and screenwriter, and 15 other artists. The Call reads in part:
Fall of Freedom is an urgent call to the arts community to unite in defiance of authoritarian forces sweeping the nation. Our Democracy is under attack. Threats to free expression are rising. Dissent is being criminalized. Institutions and media have been recast as mouthpieces of propaganda.
Obliterated Power. Artist Dread Scott. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution
This Fall, we are activating a nationwide wave of creative resistance. Beginning November 21–22, 2025, galleries, museums, libraries, comedy clubs, theaters, and concert halls across the country will host exhibitions, performances, and public events that channel the urgency of this moment. Fall of Freedom is an open invitation to artists, creators, and communities to take part—and to celebrate the experiences, cultures, and identities that shape the fabric of our nation.
Art matters. Artists are a threat to American fascism.
Artists create “melting democracy” ice sculpture on National Mall in Washington, DC
A giant ice sculpture of the word “democracy” was unveiled on the National Mall on Wednesday, October 15.
The melting piece of art is meant to symbolize “America’s weakened democracy and the costs of its failure amid growing militarism and authoritarianism,” organizers say.
Marshall Reece, one of the artists who worked on the huge sculpture, said “It’s hard being an American to think that we need pro-democracy advocacy actions and groups, but that’s what we do…. I hope that people see this and are inspired to get to work to save our democracy.”
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers:
“I’m trying, I’m trying; I mean, it’s just awful what you watch and see, people getting zip tied. I mean, that’s not this country. That’s not what we’re about.”
Doc Rivers was interviewed by The Athletic (NYT) before the game Sunday October 12 and denounced mass arrests by ICE:
“I think the [Chicago] mayor’s done an amazing job with everything he says,” Rivers said. “You know, I think this is starting to separate us all, which I hate. This is not; you can be pro-civil rights or what’s right and not be, like, anti-White. And I think that’s what it’s starting to become in some ways. And it shouldn’t be. It really shouldn’t be. I would hope that if these were Ukrainian immigrants being detained, that everyone of both races would fight for it. That’s wrong. It’s just wrong.”
Media Refuse to Comply with Fascist Silencing of the Press at the Pentagon
On Wednesday, October 15, reporters from almost all press organizations walked out of the Pentagon press conference in defiance of an order by Pete Hegseth that they should sign a pledge that they would refrain from gathering any information that hadn’t already been authorized for release by the military. This is an opinion piece in the online eNews Park Forest, Illinois, which included statements from several press organizations.
Make no mistake: the United States of America has been swept up in full-blown fascism. We are beyond the fearful stages of tossing around warnings. The authoritarian Trump Administration has waged war on the press. The president who covets the Nobel Peace Prize renamed the Department of Defense the Department of War. Today, October 15, 2025, the Pentagon confiscated the government-issued press badges from “virtually every major media organization in America,” according to a statement from the Pentagon Press Association.
Authoritarianism. Full-blown Fascism. Threats to imprison journalists. This must end.
Here are excerpts from statements from press organizations:
Statement from the Pentagon Press Association The Pentagon Press Association’s members are still committed to reporting on the U.S. Military. But make no mistake, today, Oct. 15, 2025 is a dark day for press freedom that raises concerns about a weakening U.S. commitment to transparency in governance, to public accountability at the Pentagon and to free speech for all.
Joint Statement from Fox News, CNN, NBC News, CBS News, and ABC News Today, we join virtually every other news organization in declining to agree to the Pentagon’s new requirements, which would restrict journalists’ ability to keep the nation and the world informed of important national security issues. The policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections.
Statement from the White House Correspondents’ Association The White House Correspondents’ Association and the State Department Correspondents’ Association stand in strong solidarity with the Pentagon Press Association as it defends freedom of the press.... The public has a right to know how the government is conducting the people’s business. Unfettered reporting on the U.S. military and its civilian leadership provides a service to those in uniform, veterans, their families and all Americans.
From NPR Editor in Chief Thomas Evans NPR will never be party to limitations on the independence of the press and the objective, fact-based reporting of our journalists. We will not sign the Administration’s restrictive policy that asks reporters to undermine their commitment of providing trustworthy, independent journalism to the American public.
University administrations reject Trump’s “Compact” for education.
The “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” was sent by the Trump fascist regime on October 1 to nine universities. The document asks universities to accept and sign onto the fascist definition of gender — which attempts to erase trans people. The regime demands colleges stop considering race, gender and a wide range of student demographics in the admissions process and to require undergraduate applicants to take the SAT or ACT.
On October 17 teach-ins and demonstrations against the “compact” were held at the nine campuses in addition to earlier demonstrations at some campuses. To date, of the nine universities, six have formally responded by declining the offer—Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Penn State, Brown University, University of Southern California, Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has led the efforts against the compact. Here are excerpts from two of their statements.
The Rutgers AAUP published a statement that said in part: "Accepting the compact—in effect a loyalty oath to the current presidential administration—would compromise the educational and scholarly mission of the university, prevent us from offering the best possible education to the students of New Jersey, negate our members’ and students’ constitutional rights and academic freedom, cede an unacceptable level of control to the federal government, and likely violates state and federal laws." See full statement
The University of Virginia AAUP statement read in part: “This 'Compact' is the most significant threat to the mission of higher education since the McCarthy era. Complying with these mandates would suppress the independence of UVA and its ability to achieve the vision of its founder, Thomas Jefferson: to be 'bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led.' The 'Compact' represents a bright red line for academic freedom and free speech at universities that cannot be crossed.” See full statement
Rachel Cleetus, Union of Concerned Scientists: It’s Time to Confront the Trump Administration’s Authoritarianism
Rachel Cleetus is the policy director with the Climate and Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Her editorial published on the UCS website on October 16 read in part:
Authoritarianism is here
Those of us living in the United States are undeniably facing the rise of an authoritarian regime. The radical overreach for unlimited presidential power that we now see unfolding puts at risk everything we care about in our constitutional democracy. History shows that allowing the administration’s actions to continue unimpeded will only lead to a further consolidation of its power without any guardrails, and a further erosion of our rights and our democracy.
Right now, we exist in a new dual state, where it seems life can continue as normal for some (maybe even most) of us while we watch the news about others being targeted by vindictive court cases, fired without cause from their jobs, or being violently deported without due process. Make no mistake: the administration and its enablers are coming for the people who are easiest to target first, and that’s reason enough to speak out. AND, all of us are at risk of being targeted eventually if the slide into authoritarianism continues.
I am no expert on authoritarianism. Like many of you, I am trying to stay on top of the news, read deeply, and learn from history. But I think we all know that what is happening is NOT normal. This is not about party politics or differences of opinion about policies or how to implement them. The level of cruelty, the scale of wanton destruction, the blatant violation of the Constitution and rule of law, the violence and grasp for power and money—it’s all well beyond the pale. It puts us all in danger.
Resisting together, we are not alone
These are dangerous times because it can feel like all our democratic institutions are fraying. All the checks and balances we took for granted are teetering. Facts are distorted beyond recognition and replaced by propaganda. People in our communities are being arrested, even disappeared, in violation of their rights.
We all have a role to play in what comes next. None of it is preordained.
"From Providence, Rhode Island to Palestine - Fight Fascism! Fight Genocide!"
Jewish Voice for Peace - Rhode Island (JVP-RI) organized a “Free Palestine Contingent" to march in the No Kings Day protest in Providence. They issued the following statement to call people to join them:
Over the past months, the world has been simultaneously rising up against the consolidation of right-wing power, and for Palestinian liberation. It is our obligation to unify these movements. Our struggles are connected, and if we believe in free speech, justice, and inclusion, our fight to save democracy must stand always against genocide and apartheid.
Military occupations and ICE violence are wreaking havoc in Black and brown communities in D.C., L.A., Chicago — and here in Providence. On the streets of U.S. cities, the same weapons and surveillance technologies the Israeli military has used to devastate Gaza are being used in escalated ways against Americans.
We can’t stand for freedom of speech while silencing those who speak out about Israel’s atrocities. We can’t stand against cruelty while ignoring Israel withholding food and medicine from children. We can’t stand against people being snatched from their homes by ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] while ignoring people being snatched from their homes by the IDF [Israel Defense Forces].
What we allow fascists to do in Palestine, they will do to the entire world — it is our duty to resist them and fight for a free Palestine, and it is our duty to win.
Global Sumud Flotilla activists boldly continue their mission after being detained and deported by Israel
The Global Sumud Flotilla launched in early July, with 42 vessels and almost 500 people from 47 countries, with the purpose of carrying two tons of desperately needed humanitarian supplies to Gaza and attempting to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
On October 1-5 the Israeli military boarded the vessels in international waters, seizing the boats and aid, and detaining 479 people, who were held in brutal conditions alongside Palestinian prisoners.
All of the activists have now been released and deported to other countries by Israel. Many of them have since stated that whatever they went through was nothing compared to what the people of Gaza have suffered.
Here are two statements, one from the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, and another from Leigh Evans, a retired Welsh nurse.