By Rivera Sun
| Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun In the United States, this week (Jan. 27-Feb. 2) [saw] both authoritarian moves from the Trump/Vance Administration … and a heartening surge of resistance. In dramatic ways, people are shifting from paralyzed dread to outraged defiance. And defiance is working. Trump rescinded his memo about a federal funding freeze after mass outcry and a pause order from a federal judge. Although some of the details are unclear, it’s still an important victory. It shows that Trump is not invincible. It has emboldened several campaigns, including federal workers facing an onslaught of firings. Musk’s buyout offer seems to have insulted them, with AltNatParkService and legislators like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez urging workers not to take this potentially illegal offer. On Reddit, federal workers reacted with statements like “I’ll be honest, before that email went out, I was looking for any way to get out of this fresh hell. But now I am fired up to make these goons as frustrated as possible, RTO be damned. Hold the Line!” This shift – from fearful strategizing for personal safety into coordinated, bold intention of causing trouble before being fired – has promising potential for thwarting the Trump/Vance’s attempts to abuse power. Another crack in the facade of his administration’s power came from his “Border Czar” who complained that “Know Your Rights” trainings and widespread resistance to ICE raids is making it ‘very difficult‘ to arrest people. As we reported last week, migrants are refusing to come to work or send their children to school, coordinating what we might call stay-at-home strikes with up to 75-85% of fieldworkers. Schools, especially, have become a hotbed of resistance with the Los Angeles School District telling ICE that they will not cooperate with ICE in any way. Faith communities are defending their right to provide sanctuary, and Quakers are suing the federal government for invading their meeting halls. Chicago groups plan to uphold the municipality’s Sanctuary City status. It’s worth noting that this surge of resistance was preceded by widespread circulation of articles, social posts, and guidebooks on responding to authoritarian regimes. Knowledge is power. Keep sharing the stories of how people are resisting and encouraging everyone to join in. Researchers Chenoweth and Stephan proved that any movement that mobilizes 3.5% of its populace always wins its struggle. That’s around 9 million adults in the US, in case you’re wondering what that math looks like. Right now, we’re already seeing how tens of thousands (perhaps hundreds of thousands) of defiant people are successfully pushing back on the administration’s goals. Imagine what will happen when the resistance climbs into the millions. If you’re wondering how to resist, there’s a growing call for boycotting the corporations that recently repealed DEI policies. Black Lives Matter has issued a call to #BoycottTarget. Social posts have been circulating calling for a February boycott of Target, Walmart, McDonalds, Lowe’s, and Amazon. Instead, people are being actively encouraged to shop at stores like Costco and Aldi’s which have made public declarations that they will uphold DEI policies. Rev. Al Sharpton even led a buy-in at Costco. Additionally, Palestinian solidarity groups are urging people to #BoycottChevron for “fueling genocide” in Gaza. You can join these campaigns by spreading the word among friends, coworkers, and the businesses or organizations you work in. For example, while federal workers are being told to end DEIA policies, they could purchase their supplies at Costco instead of Walmart. Here are a few more heartening wins in the US this week. The longest-running Las Vegas hotel worker strike in decades secured a historic 32% wage increase over 5 years. A US court struck down a rule that would have allowed ‘bomb trains‘ of explosive liquified natural gas – each car carrying enough fuel to wipe out a city – to be sent along rail lines. New York’s Climate Change Superfund Act passed the finish line and will tax oil companies for climate disasters. Pennsylvania wiped out jail debt for millions of adults and Michigan abolished past court debt for children and stopped imposing new court fees them. In New Orleans, 80% of voters passed a measure for a Workers Bill of Rights to reduce labor exploitation. The US’ struggles might be on the forefront of my mind, but across the world, there are so many interesting and important campaigns to watch. Serbia’s prime minister resigned amidst mass protests over corruption and the deadly collapse of a building. The Solar Repair Movement in Africa is building a flourishing economy aligned with climate justice. DeutschPost launched a warning strike, a swift and short strike to signal that they’re ready for more sustained action if their contract demands aren’t met in negotiations. India’s farmers are back in the streets using tractor parades ahead of upcoming talks with officials to put the pressure on them to follow through on promises to meet their demands after the 2021 protests. Trains were cancelled in Bangladesh as rail workers went on strike. Nepal’s youth-led Indigenous Movement is opposing name changes and cable car plans. Tens of thousands of people protested “Invasion Day” in Australia, opposing colonization and genocide, and demonstrating support for Aboriginal Rights. Survivors of the Sri Lankan civil war are coming to the aid of Rohingya asylum seekers. Chinese men are increasingly seeking vasectomies, sparking long overdue conversations about masculinity and contraception. Youth in Ethiopia are pushing hard to have their voices included in national talks aimed at ending the civil war. If you’ve only got a few more minutes to click through and read an article, I recommend this piece about how earlier movements used to fight inflation with boycotts. Does this offer a popular movement strategy that could undermine billionaires and stop pitting citizens against citizens? In a time of rising cost-of-living protests around the world, can strategic boycotts make examples out of the worst, price-jacking offenders and force the industries to rein in their greed? It’s certainly worth giving it a try. Check out the 78 stories that inspired this article in our Nonviolence News Research Archive>> If you have time, explore the a world of resistance that is happening! From climate justice swans disrupting the ballet to teaching Mayan language through videos games, there’s a lot you won’t want to miss. You’ll find those stories in this week’s collection of our Nonviolence News Research Archive. Also, if you’re wondering how best to share this article, I recommend that you use this link from our website. Thanks! In solidarity, Rivera Sun Image: Remix by Nonviolence News from image by Josh Santos on Pexels.  We collect the stories from far and wideso YOU can see the power of noviolence in action. Donate here>>  Tune in to this incredible overview of 3,000 years of nonviolent movements.We are a proud partner on this youth-led project. Listen here>>  Share  Tweet  Forward  Author/Activist Rivera Sun has written many books and novels featuring nonviolence, including the bestselling Dandelion Insurrection Trilogy and the award-winning Ari Ara Series. She is a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements and her essays are published in journals across the country and around the world. You can find out more about her at: www.riverasun.com  Nonviolence News is a sister project to Nonviolence Now. Nonviolence Now is a campaign that is intended to introduce and share stories of nonviolence, and to ignite the potential of principled nonviolence globally. They place thought-provoking nonviolence images in unlikely spaces and connect people who might be leaning toward violence with an alternative. |