Just out of high school in the early 1970s, my friends and I dressed up in animal costumes and picketed a local shopping center, carrying blank signs and shouting nonsensical slogans. The mock protest bewildered shoppers and amused us greatly.
Months later, I joined a very different demonstration — a protest against the war in Vietnam, a national bi-coastal action that drew nearly one million people under the simple banner “Out Now!” Unlike the theatrical “protest” my friends and I had staged, this march was serious and effective. It caught the attention of the ruling class, which feared a mass insurrection if the U.S. continued the war effort.
Echoes of Resistance in Gaza
In recent weeks, millions worldwide have marched against the genocide in Gaza. The demand is clear: No aid to Israel’s genocide. In Australia, 400,000 people joined one march alone in Sydney. In Rome, 250,000 took to the streets at the conclusion of four days of coordinated action. Paris, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Dublin, and Kraków also saw thousands marching for Palestine, demanding their governments impose sanctions on Israel. Italian dockworkers even conducted a national strike in solidarity.
Soon after, several governments and the European Union announced that they would, for the first time, recognize a Palestinian state and begin the process of sanctions. The success of these marches mirrored that of the antiwar protests of the 1970s, which forced governments to begin peace moves to quell mass dissent. Yet one thing was conspicuously missing: mass marches in the United States today in solidarity with Palestine .
The Hollow Spectacle of “No Kings Day”
Marches did occur in the United States — but not for Palestine. Instead, protests were staged around the nebulous theme of “No Kings,” a reference to the imperious actions of the Trump administration. There were no demands addressing the fact that Congress — not just Trump — remains the main enabler of Israel’s genocide, having provided over $22 billion in arms since the assault on Gaza began on October 8, 2023.
There was no unified call to halt ICE operations and its Gestapo-like raids that terrorize immigrant communities. There was no unified demand to end illegal deportations or support immigrants’ rights.
Instead, protesters largely carried signs with platitudes like “Nothing Is More Patriotic Than Protesting” and “Resist Fascism.” While issues such as LGBTQ rights, health care, inflation, and social spending were represented, they were lost amid the formlessness of the event.
Without focus or identifiable purpose, the “No Kings” protests took on a party atmosphere, with many participants wearing costumes and even dancing. Al Jazeera likened the demonstrations to street festivals. These protests had far more in common with my youthful shopping center prank than with the disciplined, focused movements of the Vietnam antiwar marches or the recent marches abroad demanding an end to genocide.
From Radical Organizing to Liberal Containment
The “No Kings” actions reveal two trends that have stifled domestic opposition to U.S. imperialism. First is the serious decline of the radical left. Second is the resulting vacuum, now filled by the bourgeois Democratic Party — whose purpose is to divert energy into electoral channels safely managed by the ruling class.
It was the radical left that led the great labor organizing of the 1930s and 1940s and built the antiwar movements of the 1960s and 1970s. That organizing spirit helped ignite women’s and gay liberation, militant Black and Chicano struggles, and a nascent concern for the industrial destruction of the earth.
The left’s eclipse has left the working class largely unorganized. As the Democratic Party tightened its control over labor unions — seeking both political action funds and a volunteer army — union membership as a percentage of American workers has plummeted. In the 1950s, roughly one-third of American workers belonged to unions; today, that number stands at a paltry 9% and shrinking.
The Democratic Party: Manager of Empire
The Democratic Party has dutifully played its historic role as the ruling class’s buffer. It has been an enthusiastic partner with Republicans in constructing the most gargantuan military machine in history — one that sustains “endless wars” and topples democratic or populist governments abroad to preserve U.S. capitalist hegemony.
The Democratic Party is an instrument of the ruling class to diffuse populist anger and potential radical challenges to the capitalist enterprise and direct this to the dead end of electoral politics, which the ruling class controls. Hence the “No Kings Day” action — organized by Democratic Party operatives Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg, founders of Indivisible, who describe its mission as “growing our roster of blue states.” Their website urges voters to “defy Trump and his dangerous attacks” by electing Democrats — but makes no mention of calling on the Democrats to stop funding genocide.
Challenge in the Base
The Democratic Party faces growing unrest within its ranks. Despite its role in arming Israel’s assault, its base is turning against it. A recent YouGov-IMEU poll found that 72% of Democratic voters believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, 75% oppose renewing U.S. aid, and 65% support sanctions on Israel, including bans on weapons shipments.
Yet the party leadership remains lockstep with the imperial agenda. Israel has been described by government officials as the United States’ giant aircraft carrier in the Middle East, and both parties continue to defend it as such. The Democratic Party’s alignment with U.S. geopolitical interests in Zionist Israel, the Middle East and worldwide ensure that the genocide continues.
Zionist Power and the Media Apparatus
Zionist Israel is more than eager to accelerate its efforts as the Trump so-called peace plan is expected to unravel and Israel will resume its genocide against the Palestinians. The problem is that the tide of public opinion is turning against Israel, and the Zionist settler state is behind in a race to finish the genocide in Gaza before public pressure can stop it. Israel and its U.S. allies will need to intensify their efforts to keep U.S. weapons supply lines open. That entails a concerted offensive to close communication channels that transmit pro-Palestinian views and to spend lavishly to defeat even the handful of politician who question U.S. imperialist policies.
Key Zionists supporters have recently moved to tighten control over public discourse. Most notably, tech billionaire Larry Ellison, a rabid Zionist and IDF benefactor, is reportedly acquiring a controlling interest in the consortium set to purchase TikTok — one of the few platforms where pro-Palestine content circulates widely. His son bought CBS and installed an unqualified Zionist propagandist as news director. The Ellisons are reportedly preparing a bid to acquire CNN, while the Trump administration shows no intention of pursuing antitrust enforcement.
Israel supporters are also expected to double down on their financial influence. AIPAC — the American Israel Public Affairs Committee — has poured more than $170 million into elections and lobbying since 2020, most of it supporting Democrats who back Israel’s “security policies” and Republicans favoring expanded defense cooperation. The relative handful of Zionist billionaires and lobbyists notwithstanding, he ruling class will increasingly rely on its bi-partisan apparatus to suppress opposition and protect U.S. interests in the Middle East.
While a few Democrats have pledged to reject AIPAC funds, leading party figures such as Gavin Newsom, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, and Josh Shapiro have publicly evaded questions about their ties to Zionist funding sources. They remain cautious after AIPAC’s lavish spending unseated two House members critical of Israel, House Representatives Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri, in their primaries. They are also aware that AIPAC has a 100% win rate among the relatively small number of their endorsed Democrats in the last election cycle.
Suppressing Dissent at Home
In California, Governor Newsom recently signed AB 715 — a bill purporting to combat anti-Semitism, but which critics argue conflates criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism, stifling free speech and promoting a pro-Israel bias in education.
The “No Kings Day” actions, in this context, were a propaganda victory for Zionist and Democratic interests alike. They distracted from the ongoing genocide and from the global wave of solidarity marches for Palestine. The Democratic Party may be losing its base, but it remains a loyal steward of U.S. imperialism and the defense of Israel at any cost.
A Decaying Empire and a Desperate State
Israel’s time appears to be running out. Plummeting global support, economic collapse, and diplomatic isolation threaten its survival. Its goals in its Gaza assault have failed: Two years of unrelenting bombardment hasn’t destroyed Hamas or secured the hostages — freed only through third-party negotiations tied to Trump’s 20-point plan. Israel’s economy lies in ruins, investments have evaporated, and professionals are fleeing.
The Task Ahead
But this is not a time for pro-Palestinian forces to let up. A concerted effort of mass action and intense pressure on the U.S. government is needed to deal a quick death blow to the Zionist state to prevent massive Palestinian deaths as Israel strikes out in its death throes. This will come about not through supporting the Democratic Party — an essential tool of the ruling class and imperialism — but through coordinated mass action of all people and groups concerned with justice and peace in the Middle East.
Los Angeles Socialist Action member, Marc Wutschke is a retired educator in Los Angeles. He is a graduate of the University of California and the University of Missouri Graduate School of Journalism. He is an activist who writes about social movements, the genocide, and artificial intelligence and society.
