Communists Cosponsored “No Kings Day.” Why?

Earlier this month, thousands of New Yorkers rallied for “No Kings Day.” While the event was presented as a moderate protest against President Donald Trump, something strange caught the eye of many: the New York event was cosponsored by, among other groups, the Communist Party of the United States. The CPUSA—as well as the New York Young Communist League, Freedom Socialist Party, and other radical groups—made for a stark contrast with more staid supporters like the Manhattan Young Democrats.

Communist sponsorship of No Kings Day is just one example of a broader phenomenon: far-left groups using the anti-Trump moment to try to infiltrate the mainstream. These organizations are forming new coalitions and groups, rebranding themselves as the next wave of grassroots opposition to what they describe as a “fascist America.” Democratic Party faithful and mainstream progressives increasingly find themselves in these alliances, as messaging is carefully tailored to resonate with more popular causes, especially opposition to Trump and anti-ICE organizing.

As the radicals evolve their tactics, the messaging changes, but the goal remains clear: to stay at the forefront of resistance and draw more moderates to the fringes.

One of the most prominent and effective new organizations is the Chicago-based Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA). The group claims support from more than 80 organizations. But from its protests to its steering committee, CATA is closely tied to the far Left. Notable coalition members include Students for a Democratic Society (launched in 2006 but bearing the same name as its 1960s predecessor), the Chicago chapter of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and the Arab American Action Network, among others.

Take Frank Chapman, a national committee member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Chapman’s political journey began in the 1960s while serving time for a robbery that resulted in a murder. During his incarceration, he connected with Communist Party members. He was released in 1976, and thanked Communist Esther Cooper Jackson for bringing “national attention” to his case.

After leaving the Communist Party more than a decade ago, Chapman joined the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Some members of that group later joined the leadership of Students for a Democratic Society. FRSO’s leadership has long been associated with extremist politics, and its members have been targets of an FBI raid.

In addition to its connection to FRSO, CATA is connected to the Arab American Action Network through steering committee member Hatem Abudayyeh, executive director of the Arab American Action Network and a familiar face at protests. AAAN’s former associate director, Rasmea Odeh, was deported from the United States and stripped of her citizenship following a plea deal that stemmed from her lying about her criminal history. Before coming to America, Odeh spent ten years in Israeli prison for her involvement in a bombing that killed two civilians.

Another increasingly visible group is Refuse Fascism. The group has been active online and in major cities like New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. The group has launched a podcast, hosted Zoom-based organizing sessions, and participated in the No Kings Day protests.

Today, Refuse Fascism is most prominently represented by spokeswoman Sunsara Taylor, a leading figure in the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP). Though the RCP is often criticized as a personality cult centered around its founder, Bob Avakian, it has gained traction among younger activists in recent years.

That connection has caused trouble for Taylor in the past. During an online seminar prepping for a Fourth of July protest, one participant challenged Taylor on her affiliation with the RCP. Taylor suggested that the participant was “red baiting” and that such criticism served fascist interests by undermining coalition-building.

In addition to No Kings Day, Refuse Fascism is now organizing a mass action timed to the one-year anniversary of the 2024 election. The group has promised to “Flood DC” and work toward the “fall of the fascist regime.” In its call to action, Refuse Fascism urges supporters to “Surround the White House. Surround the Capitol. Surround the illegitimate fasc[i]st-packed Supreme Court.”

Free DC, another radical group, operates out of the nation’s capital. The group launched earlier this year, and brings together a curious mix of activists, including a committed prison abolitionist and Beltway professionals from the liberal establishment.

For example, the group’s leadership includes Nee Nee Taylor. Taylor is a longtime activist who played a central role in Black Lives Matter DC as the direct action core organizer before co-founding Harriet’s Wildest Dreams (HWD), “a Black-led abolitionist community defense hub.” Taylor spoke at the No Kings rally in D.C., where she eulogized Assata Shakur, a convicted murderer, fugitive, and longtime figure on the FBI’s Most Wanted list who recently died in Cuba.

HWD’s direct action lead, Arianna “Afeni” Evans, is another familiar face at Free DC rallies. Evans frequently uses social media to promote a Marxist worldview infused with an almost spiritual view on indigeneity, saying, for example, that she wants “to go back to indigenous ways of land stewardship and reciprocity” and “to ways of governance that actually edify the communalism that is rooted within our ancestral being as black people.”

Even within radical circles, activists disagree over tactics, messaging, and optics, especially around events like No Kings Day. But many share a common goal of drawing in well-meaning Americans and using them as foot soldiers for radical politics.

Behind the scenes, a small group of organizers and power players use social media and newly formed grassroots organizations to build support for their politics, often without transparency. The mainstream press rarely investigates these groups’ so-called steering committees. Instead, they routinely elevate and praise the activists without the slightest scrutiny of their social-media activity or personal histories.

As ordinary people rush to join what feels like a grassroots anti-Trump movement, they too often become unwitting pawns for left-wing radicals. Regardless of whether they fully adopt activists’ ideology, many will find themselves serving causes that aim to dismantle America.

Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images