When reading more into Levin’s views, it is clear that the line he adopts is very similar to that of Indivisible, in that it unequivocally condemns the Hamas-led October 7.
On October 18, millions of Americans took to the streets across 2,700 locations to protest the creeping authoritarianism of US President Donald Trump. Notably, the involvement of key Democratic Party-linked organizations sought to sideline Palestine, elevate NATO causes, but, due to the protest coalition being so broad, Gaza was still an item on the agenda.
While the No Kings protests notably featured a large range of groups, from mainstream Democratic Party-affiliated non-profit organizations to grassroots Socialist and anti-war activist groups, the millions-strong movement has received a fair amount of criticism from each side of the political spectrum.
On the No Kings official website, there was notably no mention of Donald Trump’s pro-war policies, including his continuation of the Gaza genocide, attack on Iran that was opposed by the overwhelming majority of the American public, and his continued friendship with Israel.
While some commentators defended No Kings for their relative silence on such issues, arguing that it is a protest movement focused primarily on domestic issues, such as ICE raids, creeping authoritarianism, and funding cuts to federal programs, the No Kings website itself does make mention of foreign protest movements.
For example, the website urged demonstrators to wear Yellow. “Throughout history, people who have come together in protest against authoritarian regimes have utilized a color that is easy to see among a sea of thousands,” it states.
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It then goes on to cite the anti-China protests in Hong Kong, where demonstrators used yellow umbrellas and yellow ribbons used to represent resistance to Russia in Ukraine, as its two specific examples to align the movement with. Both of these examples are in line with the US foreign policy interests shared between the Democratic and Republican parties. In the case of the Hong Kong protests, in both 2014 and 2019, the US government was accused of directly interfering and helping to direct the demonstrations, especially through its CIA-linked soft-power projects like the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
Furthermore, the escalation of the most authoritarian crackdowns on academic freedom in US history has occurred under the Trump administration, specifically on the question of free speech about Palestine on college campuses. This issue is not only connected to ICE, which was responsible for kidnapping countless pro-Palestinian students and protesters – the most prominent case being that of Mahmoud Khalil – but also to the Republican President’s threats to defund universities allowing criticism of Israel.
The ruthless attacks on universities and their federal funding, which worked alongside Zionist donors pulling their own financial backing, have spanned from Columbia to Harvard and beyond. Yet, as No Kings is seen as directly aligning with the Democratic Party agenda, this assault on academic freedom is evidently something that began under the Biden administration and would implicate the Party in Donald Trump’s ongoing free speech crackdown.
Prominent in the organizing of No Kings were Democratic Party groups like Indivisible and MoveOn. In the case of Indivisible, they have come under fire from right-wing media, like Fox News, for reportedly receiving 3 million dollars from the Open Society Action Fund of George Soros, a billionaire Democratic Party donor who has become the most well-known boogeyman on the American right.
From the left, Indivisible front-man, Ezra Levin, came under fire for a previous post on X (formerly Twitter) where he stated the following:
“If we could press a button to eliminate every Hamas fighter, I’d support it. But Netanyahu clings to power by making Israel & the world less safe for Jews. Indiscriminate killing of Gazan civilians doesn’t make anybody safer. The only moral and strategic answer is ceasefire now.”
When reading more into Levin’s views, it is clear that the line he adopts is very similar to that of Indivisible, in that it unequivocally condemns the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack, labeling Israel’s attacks on Gaza as a response, while also assuming the position that Israel has gone too far and committed war crimes. While this view often tries to equivocate between the violence of Palestinians under occupation and Israel, it is still in line with the more progressive strain of thinking associated with Democratic Party members.
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Meanwhile, at one of the protest locations itself, some of the pro-Democratic Party voices began making scenes over anti-war activists attending with Palestinian flags. Medea Benjamin of Code Pink was even approached by a woman who attempted to force attendants of the No Kings demonstration holding Palestinian flags to leave, stating, “You are in the wrong place”.
Yet, as is usually the case with such large movements, the voice of anti-war activists and those concerned with Donald Trump’s unprecedented free speech crackdown against supporters of Palestine was still very much present in large numbers. These groupings, referred to as “Palestine Contingents,” received special attention from Fox News and other pro-Israeli media outlets, who tried to argue that they were part of a radical “globalize the Intifada” project connected to the Democratic Party.
Keynote speakers, such as journalist Mehdi Hassan, also voiced their condemnation of Israel’s genocide at different No Kings events that day, while socialists and anti-war activists featured prominently carrying the Palestinian flag.
Whether mainstream Democratic Party-aligned figures, politicians, and organizations like it or not, the majority of Democratic Party voters support the Palestinian cause over Israel. For example, Pew Research polling data published earlier this year found that 69 per cent of Democrats expressed more sympathy for Palestinians, a figure much higher amongst the young, specifically.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Robert Inlakesh is a journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. He focuses on the Middle East, specializing in Palestine. He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.
Analysis is correct, but saw this during the anti-war movement 20 years ago – they came around. This time, there is WAY more interest in Palestine! Our ‘no kings’ (in CA) had a 50-ft Free Palestine banner, and crowd chanting with us while getting selfies. NK is clearly yet-another-NED-manipulation, but a terrific venue for Palestine outreach! As for the Dems, they are doomed. Their ‘anyone-but-Bernie’ strategy gave us their preferred Trump. The face of the party is still Hillary, and resembles Trump more and more. Both parties have colluded to give us ‘elections’ to decide who is the biggest loser. And, the ONLY action against ICE and homelessness comes from young ANTI-ZIONISTS.
I should clarify: activists on the left get NO support from the Dems (who spend their time between elections whining about losing and doing NOTHING about the issues). So, it is mutual between the party and the voters. Meanwhile, Palestinian genocide on our dime is NOT a partisan issue. We are organizing a campaign to pledge not to vote for candidates who vote to $upport Israel. No more words. In fact, all this talk about taking AIPAC money is just words. DO SOMETHING. Stop the support for genocide on our dime, or lose votes.