By Rivera Sun
Over the weekend (January 10 and 11, 2026) people across the United States are taking action to say #ICEOut of US cities and #HandsOffVenezuela. (I am one of them.) The first week of 2026 horrified us all over again, as the Trump administration illegally bombed Caracas and abducted President Maduro in violation of international law. Protests against this took place around the globe, including in Colombia, Australia, and across the United States, with more on the way. The US Senate advanced a repeal of the war powers resolution on Venezuela that would cut off funding and authorization for further military intervention. Although unlikely to pass in the House, it is an important signal to the president that he does not have support for the occupation of Venezuela. It might also help rein in his threats to other nations.
In Minneapolis, an ICE agent brutally murdered legal observer Renée Nicole Good, just a few blocks away from where George Floyd was murdered by police in 2020. Good is the fifteenth person to be shot by ICE (and the fourth to be killed) since the escalation of the immigration crackdown in 2025. Another 32 people have died in ICE custody and the long list of ICE’s law-breaking and abuses have snowballed into a watershed moment for the US populace. In Minneapolis, a large memorial and protest march took place. Prompted by the shooting and a violent assault by US Border Patrol at a local school, Mayor Jesse Frey closed the Minneapolis schools to keep students and families safe. Community organizations, faith groups, and mutual aid networks are working to provide childcare and food deliveries for families. Some young students are joining demonstrations or holding their own marches to demand that the 2,000 ICE agents that descended on the Twin Cities leave. Impeachment charges for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have been filed in the Senate. Meanwhile, protests have been held in cities across the US, including New Orleans where an immigration crackdown is underway. Other major demonstrations are expected to occur this weekend calling for the removal of all ICE agents from all cities under the slogan “ICE Out For Good”.
As this mobilization unfolds, it’s important to note that months of civil resistance to the immigration crackdown is translating into measurable shifts. Spotify has quit running ICE recruitment advertisements after #CancelSpotify organized people to quit using the platform. Avelo Airlines is exiting the deportation flights business as the boycott against them plummeted their sales, and forced them to close their flight hub and service in the western states. Local opposition and legal challenges boxed Trump into ending National Guard deployment to Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland, Oregon.
As Daniel Hunter with Choose Democracy pointed out, these volatile actions of the Trump administration are not a sign of power … they are a sign of weakness. As we reported in our special report on 2025, social movements blocked, stalled, delayed, and rolled back many of Trump’s plans, providing important pushback to his assumptions of unchecked power. His Republican base is starting to crack over issues like extending healthcare subsidies, the Epstein Files, and foreign policy. With the midterms coming, these fractures are likely to deepen. But remember: faltering authoritarians are dangerous. They lash out. They attempt to seize more power. They go to extremes. These next months will require courage and strategic fortitude.
In more Nonviolence News, Portugal lawmakers amended their labor reforms in the wake of the largest general strike in decades. That may be encouraging news for the Italians who poured into the streets as 61% of all public and private sector workers joined a national strike against a proposed budget bill. In India, gig workers pulled off a massive 1-day nationwide strike with 100,000 participants in 22 cities. Tens of thousands of Somalis protested against Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, a region of 3 million people which attempted to declare independence in 1991 and has never been recognized by any nation before. Algeria is working on a bill to criminalize the 130 years of French colonial rule, seek recognition and apology, and gain redress as part of a reconciliation process. German youth continue to protest and oppose the new military draft laws.
Meanwhile, Iran has been rocked by major demonstrations in 30 cities, driven partly by economic hardship caused by US sanctions. Opposing high fuel prices and increased taxes, merchants also launched a bazaar strike that shut down markets. Major protest movements have risen up again and again in Iran over the past 50 years. The most recent were the 2022 Women-Life-Freedom demonstrations against police brutality, hijab laws, restrictions on women’s rights, and the murder of Mahsa Amini.
Mass protests are powerful, often leading to the resignation of political leaders, but following up on a moment of breakthrough remains a challenge for many across the globe. GenZ protesters in Nepal are pressuring their interim government to take more immediate action on corruption and criminal charges for police brutality during the protests. With new elections scheduled for March, the youth want current decision makers to stop delaying on these important issues. In Bangladesh, demonstrators took to the streets to demand justice after the assassination Sharif Osman Hadi, a 33-year-old youth leader of the 2024 uprising. Hadi’s murder took place as he challenged the elite-managed democracy to take greater strides toward a more fair and equitable system. These stories are a reminder that movements must stay mobilized after major victories in order to achieve long-term success.
But, on the subject of success, here are a couple of good things happening. US teen drug and alcohol abuse declined for the fifth year in a row. Denver‘s homicide rate is down 48%, thanks to youth outreach, community engagement, better lighting, and not over-policing. At the Struggle of Love Foundation, co-founder Joel Hodge reflected his group’s work youth programs, safe spaces, and outreach. “We do safe havens. We do peace walks. We do our signature program, ‘Brains Over Bullets,’” Hodge said. “It’s a blessing, and we should really be applauding the efforts that happened in 2025.” Their story is one of several that are proving that this approach works. Chicago violence prevention programs are plummeting gun violence, especially in interrupting cycles of retaliatory shootings. Lexington, Kentucky, cut homicides in half, mostly through youth outreach.
These stories are some of the 400+ examples that Nonviolence News contributed to an exciting project called 2026: The Year of Nonviolent Solutions launched by Pace e Bene/Campaign Nonviolence. Throughout the year, they’ll be uplifting these examples of systemic nonviolence and working with local organizers to introduce them to local schools, city councils, and neighborhoods. From climate solutions to interrupting violence to ending war, this collection of nonviolent solutions is eye-opening and inspiring. Nonviolence News is thrilled to collaborate on this hopeful – and powerful – campaign to demonstrate that another world is possible. Here are a few more examples that we gathered this week that will be added to the project’s collection: in the island of Jersey, UK, nearly 50% of the schools have trained their students in conflict resolution and peer mediation through a fun program that uses games and role plays. Nantes, France, is becoming a non-sexist city with breastfeeding centers and tampon dispensers. Find out more here and join in!
As always, there’s so much more to explore in our Nonviolence News Research Archive. Norwegians are no longer buying gas-powered cars; 97% of new purchases in 2025 were electric vehicles. They’re also not buying from Tesla, which lost its status as the biggest EV producer worldwide thanks to Tesla Takedown, Trump tariffs, overseas competition, and canceled subsidies. Activist reporting forced Instacart to drop AI-powered pricing that would have cost consumers an extra $1,200/year. A judge dismissed 61 charges of racketeering and money laundering from #StopCopCity organizers, good news for everyone coordinating bail funds and jail support. You’ll also find stories about a new Gaza flotilla in the works and protests for Palestine in Turkey and the United Kingdom.
Explore all 84 stories in the Nonviolence News Research Archive>>
Building on last year’s remarkable creativity in nonviolent action, let’s end our first Nonviolence News of 2026 with a few more stories that might spark a smile. St. Petersburg, Florida, had a clever response to the governor’s attempts to paint over the rainbow LGBTQ+ crosswalks: they’re turning a bike rack into a rainbow. Los Angeles buildings are displaying giant projected images of local residents standing up for immigrants. At a hacker conference, a hacktivist in a pink Power Ranger suit gave a live demonstration on how to take down offensive websites using three white supremacist sites as examples. And, along with rollerblading picket lines and inflatable frogs, another tactic of weirdly wonderful resistance that helped disprove Trump’s bogus claims that Portland was ‘war-ravaged’ turned out to be knit-ins against fascism. Craftivism at its finest!
2026 promises to be a challenging year … but it might also be a time of immense change. That, of course, is up to us.
In solidarity,
Rivera Sun
Award-winning author Rivera Sun is a visionary writer whose work aims to awaken and empower readers of all ages. For nearly a decade, her popular Dandelion Trilogy has sold thousands of copies annually. Her acclaimed Ari Ara Series has been enjoyed by readers of all ages, taught in classrooms, and read by peace groups. Her high-quality literature captures the imagination with a blend of utterly compelling stories and social justice themes. Find out more about Rivera Sun here.
This article was sent to The PeaceWorker on January 10, 2026.
PS Don’t miss our special reports on creative actions, environmental wins, and anti-authoritarian or anti-corruption struggles in 2025.