I attended the anti-fascism protest today Downtown, Pittsburgh this afternoon. The crowd, of about 100-125, was peaceful, angry and gathered for many reasons including:
Anger at the Musk government takeover.
Anger about fascism infiltrating our democracy.
Frustrated with Sen. John Fetterman’s (Democrat, PA) hard right turn, in particular around his support for Israel as well as his willingness to confirm cabinet nominations.
Anger around Trump's decision to remove the people of Palestine from Gaza.
Speaking loudly about abortion rights and LGBTQ+ rights.
Speaking out about a lack of universal healthcare.
Speaking out about growing a working people's party.
Pro-immigrant support.
People from all walks of life were there to stand in solidarity. The police kept their distance while I was there, standing across the street. There was no permit, so people had to stay in the courtyard outside the Federal Building, Downtown. Many cars that drove by honked in solidarity. It will be interesting to see what grows from this.
I also spoke to people working with grassroots socialist organizations and once again I have to say, the left needs to unify and come up with a more singular message. I failed to see or feel a concerted message at the protest. I believe if we can figure out a few key points, we could make a real move here. This is what I think the party should focus on:
Universal healthcare
Raise the wage to $25 / hour AT LEAST
Paid leave for all
Let’s get people on board with what will put food on the table and go from there. No more purity tests. Our democracy is falling apart. We need people from all parties and backgrounds to stand together against fascism and with the working class. And guess what? Unless you are part of the one of the one percent, you are working class!
This is the only way forward. What do you think?
**Thank you to John Craig Media for sharing his still photos (some of which I used in my video). It takes a village!**
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