Hubbell: Saturday's "No Kings" Rallies and Marches Are Pro-Democracy, Pro-America -- and, Yes, Anti-Fascism
Recalling that more than 400,000 Americans died defending the U.S. against fascists, amid the smears and lies by Trump and MAGA seeking to discredit opposition to right-wing extremism.
(Editor’s note: On Thursday, Newsmakers TV will host organizers from Indivisible Santa Barbara, the grassroots group sponsoring Saturday’s “No Kings” demonstration - one of hundreds of such mass protests scheduled across the country - for a conversation not only about the event, but also about the political implications of the coordinated slurs and slander coming from the White House and GOP congressional leaders. /jr).
By Robert B. Hubbell /Today’s Edition
Trump administration officials continue to malign the peaceful intentions and pro-democratic nature of the No Kings Day rallies on October 18. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy this week repeated Speaker Mike Johnson’s claim that the rallies were sponsored by “antifa”—a non-existent organization in the US fabricated by Trump to create division in America.
Duffy also claimed that No Kings Day protesters were being “paid” by antifa—which is a desperate, pathetic lie that only someone who has spent much of his life as a reality TV star could believe.
It is true that there is an “anti-fascist” ideological set of principles that motivates some activist groups in the US. Those principles include opposition to fascism, racism, and far-right extremism.
The U.S. experienced a huge wave of anti-fascism during World War II. Indeed, the U.S. War Department published an “orientation” brochure to educate troops about the dangers of fascism. See History News Network, The Army Warned Troops in 1945 of the Danger of Fascism. That Warning Rings True Today.
The War Department pamphlet said, in part,
(1) Fascism is more apt to come to power at a time of economic crisis;
(2) Fascism inevitably leads to war;
(3) It can come to any country;
(4) We can best combat it by making our democracy work.
The War Department Pamphlet warned about “home-grown” fascism in the US:
The War Department acknowledged that the United States had “native fascists who say that they are ‘100 percent American’ . . . [A]t various times and places in our history, we have had sorry instances of mob sadism, lynchings, vigilantism, terror, and suppression of civil liberties. We have had our hooded gangs, Black Legions, Silver Shirts, and racial and religious bigots. All of them, in the name of Americanism, have used undemocratic methods and doctrines which experience has shown can be properly identified as ‘fascist’.”
More than 407,000 U.S. soldiers died in WWII fighting fascism. Those brave soldiers were the ultimate anti-fascists, along with the 16 million other soldiers of the Alliance who defeated the fascist powers of the Axis.
Actual Facts about Antifa. The claim that “antifa” is “undemocratic” arises from the fact that some anti-democratic groups, mainly in Europe (like communists and anarchists), have adopted the banner of “anti-fascism” to describe their efforts to overthrow their respective states.
The adoption of the “antifa” label by communists and anarchists is the basis for Trump’s attempt to slander the pro-democracy principles of the No Kings Day rallies.
It is also true that small, local activist groups in the U.S. have included “antifa” in their name. One of the most prominent is the Rose City Antifa in Portland, Oregon, which was founded to shut down a neo-Nazi skinhead festival in Portland (called “Hammerfest”). Rose City Antifa has also protested activities by the Ku Klux Klan and Volksfront (a neo-Nazi, white separatist organization founded in Oregon).
But we need not resolve the debate over the proper use and meaning of the phrase “antifa.” The participants in the No Kings Day rallies are pro-democracy Americans dedicated to the peaceful exercise of their First Amendment right to petition the government. (“Congress shall make no law . . . abridging . . . the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”)
See also, NoKings.org. (“A core principle behind all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events.”)
Given the confusion over the historical meaning and current usage of the term “antifa,” claims by the Trump administration that No Kings Day rallies are sponsored by “antifa” is propaganda intended to obfuscate the pro-democracy and peaceful nature of the No Kings Day rallies.
It is also a coded dog whistle intended to provoke right-wing extremists to action. In short, the efforts by the Trump administration to discredit the No Kings Day rallies are reckless and dangerous.
Bottom line. The only appropriate response is to show up by the tens of millions—and to be absolutely clear about our support for America, the Constitution, and democracy.
The first “Protest Photo” above was submitted by reader William R., who plans to display his protest sign in Strongsville, Ohio, on No Kings Day. There is no mistaking the message in William’s protest sign. Rather than “hating” America as Speaker Mike Johnson said on Fox News, William’s sign makes clear that “we love America.”
American flags should be prominent at the No Kings Day rallies, as well. We are not protesting America. We are protesting Trump’s assault on America, the Constitution, and democracy.
The fact that the Trump administration is lying about the true purpose of the No Kings Day rallies demonstrates his nervousness over the message and scale of the protests. Trump is right to be nervous.
Let’s make his fears come true by holding the largest single-day political protest in American history.
Robert B. Hubbell, a retired Los Angeles corporate attorney, began writing his “Today’s Edition Newsletter” in 2017. You can subscribe here.
Image: Sign in the crowd during anti-Trump protest in Santa Barbara, July 17, 2025 (Newsmakers photo).