this post was submitted on 20 Mar 2026
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It should scare them because it is rallying the troops. Not in the most literal sense perhaps, but in the sense of being able to move a segment of the population to act contrary to all of their conditioning and get them out in an unmediated space to network. It is a literally awe-some experience to join a massive rally for the first time.
One day the revolution will start in the streets with rallies like these and I'm glad the tradition is alive because its how generations of activists pass knowledge and networks along to each other.
But it isn't contrary to their conditioning. Part of the conditioning is "anyone who does anything 'disruptive' is not welcome, this is a 'peaceful' protest" which means that the bourgeoisie have erected guardrails and told the population they must stay within them, and the vast majority of the people in the No Kings protests are not only fully compliant to stay within those guard rails, they will actively prevent anyone else from going outside of them. Many of the people in these protests will do the cop's job for them by making absolutely sure nothing "gets out of hand."
Not sufficiently, or the frankly pathetic state of leftist organizing in the US would not be what it is. I am in agreement with those who say that these marches are an opportunity to go out and organize, and activists should be doing that. But the point is to radicalize more people, not to participate in the show, which itself really does not scare the rulers because it's still all well within the rules!
Maybe the protests you were at were more compelling, but the ones I've known about were pep rallies that absolutely do not "move a segment of the population to act contrary to all of their conditioning." It's like a little music festival except most of the music is replaced by vacuous speeches by vote blue types (though there's still some music), and the agitating done by leftists at these rallies is not the core of what they are nor do most of the people there engage with it.
I recall Black Lives Matter protests not upsetting them at all. /s
But Black Lives Matter protests actually were showing teeth because they were willing to destroy private property and burn police stations. That is not going to happen with No Kings, and if it starts to, the very same people making up the bulk of the protest will put a stop to it without the cops needing to lift a finger (though I'm sure the latter wouldn't pass up the opportunity to bash some skulls regardless).
Many of the BLM rallies were much more disruptive.
BLM had demands