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Washington DC – Shortly after President Donald Trump He was sworn in Across town at the U.S. Capitol, Jung Delacruz, 31, a local Filipino-American nurse, set out from another corner of the nation's capital, on Meridian Hill off 16th Street NW, to join a cacophony of drums, chants, signs and conversations that left little mystery about the ideology of Assembly.
A man held up a banner reading, “Socialism defeats fascism!” Below the letter is the name of the organization that paid to produce the banner: Democratic Socialists of America.
Awakened army withdraws amid capital protests, turns to 'fighting' for Gaza
A pre-made green banner read: “Workers’ Rights and People’s Needs. No War and Genocide,” and concluded with the words “People’s Power Rally.”
Another slogan, “Fight the Trump Agenda,” bears a small attribution to the socialist Freedom Road organization.
Filipino-American nurse Jung Delacruz expressed support for socialism (Nomani Family, The Pearl Project)
A pre-printed sign carried by a group of protesters read: “Workers should have power, not billionaires!” Under it, the Party of Socialism and Liberation took the credit.
“I am proud to be a socialist who supports socialist movements,” Delacruz told me without hesitation. “I think this is the future of humanity and the right side of history,” he added, laughing. “Well, the ‘left’ if you will.”
But you wouldn't know that from the media coverage of the so-called professional “resistance” to Trump, with The Guardian. Preparing reports Just that “anti-Trump protests sweep the world on Inauguration Day.” Voice of America only a description The demonstrators were described as “anti-Trump protesters” and NBC News wrote that “progressive groups” They held rallies across the country – and said not a word about the socialist dreams described by many groups.
Nearby, three activists dressed in winter gear carried a blue-and-red Puerto Rican flag banner, which they also waved above their heads. It bore the name Diaspora Pa'lante Collective, which called for Puerto Rican independence and a socialist government to lead it.
A man and woman wearing black masks pushed a fake guillotine, bearing an ominous message: “Come and get paid.”
Lacey McCauley described herself as an anarchist and expressed support for socialism (Nomani Family, The Pearl Project)
These were not fringe gatherings of amateurs. Among them was Medea Benjamin, the wealthy founder of Code Pink, who walked with a cardboard heart-shaped sign painted hot pink.
“The media doesn’t give full and honest coverage of movements like this,” Delacruz told me. “It aims to maintain the status quo of the capitalist system, so to speak. If we believe that socialism is the antithesis of capitalism, then of course, it will not cover it. I think at best it would say anti-capitalist.” “The Trump protesters are from various grassroots movements, if that is the case, but I highly doubt they will agree to the special calls and demands that we have.”
Understanding these demands is crucial. The groups here were not just protesting Trump, they were defending socialism, Marxism, and communism. Many of these organizations also have a pro-Russian stance, rooted in the propaganda tradition that the Soviet Union pioneered: propaganda propaganda. Short for “agitation and propaganda,” agitprop combines political messaging with provocative action to influence and mobilize. I call protests like these “agitprop actions.”
Journalists I spoke to at the march admitted they rarely identified the groups behind the protests. “The masses don’t really understand socialism,” one reporter told me. “They tune in when they hear the word.” It is easier to reduce activists to concepts that their readers can understand.
On the eve of the protest, I stayed up until 3 a.m., researching the ideologies of 205 groups across the country who participated in the January 20 protests, as part of reporting for The Pearl Project, an investigative nonprofit I co-founded. for me analysis: 27 Palestinians, Muslims, Arabs or Islamists. 63 identified themselves as socialists; And 115 fall into what I call “adjacent” categories.
The protest industry is a complex and often opaque web of organisations, funding streams and ideological agendas that work together to organize demonstrations, shape public discourse and influence political outcomes, much like the effective process of “agitprop”. Understanding this ecosystem is crucial because it reveals the motivations, alliances, and strategies behind what often appears to be spontaneous grassroots activity.
Walking through Meridian Hill Park revealed these agendas even more clearly. The slogans of these groups have advocated socialism and anti-imperialism in countries such as the Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, and here in the United States.
Protests are not isolated events; Frequently coordinated efforts Involvement of global players, local branches and significant financial support. Through Project Pearl, I aim to investigate and uncover the mechanics of this industry, identify the players, track their funding and analyze their impact. By highlighting how the protests were organized and sustained, and now positioning themselves as “resistance” to the Trump administration, I hope I can provide transparency and provide the public with a deeper understanding of the forces shaping political discourse and activism.
Walking through Meridian Hill Park revealed these agendas even more clearly. The slogans of these groups advocated socialism and anti-imperialism in countries such as the Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba, and here in the United States their supporters made no secret of their intentions.
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The groups' 205 “supporters” across the country make no secret of their agendas. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, “Mormons with hope for a better world” She says she is “committed to anti-racism, intersectional feminism, trans and queer liberation, disability justice, individual bodily autonomy, reproductive justice, socialism, anti-imperialism, and decolonization.” Leaders Qiao Groupone media outlet says they seek “to be a bridge between the American left and labor and China's rich Marxist anti-imperialist political thought.” the “Project of a Revolutionary Marxist International” She has her own agenda in her name.
As the march turned from 16th Street NW to Massachusetts Avenue NW, Lacey McCauley, 46, became a focal point for the cameras. She was dressed in a disco outfit for the nearby “dance protest,” and wore a mask over her sunglasses that read: “Trump is not it.”
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“I'm an anarchist,” she said, smiling. “I define myself as an individual. This means that I question and oppose hierarchies and people's judgment of others.” While Macaulay criticized socialism as having often become “too centralized,” she added: “It is thinking in the right direction.”
By the end of the day, the protest at Dupont Circle had ended. The smell of marijuana lingered in the air as the protesters dispersed. One protester threw a sign in the trash, with the message: “We are fighting the network.”
Click here for more from Asra Al Nomani
