Rage Against the War Machine rally
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The Rage Against the War Machine Rally was a rally in response to the 2022 Ukraine conflict which took place on February 19th, 2023 in Washington, DC.[1] It was promoted as a protest which would "unite the left and right" against US involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian War; however, its attendees largely included politically syncretic to far-right elements,[2] and its message largely entailed support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, rather than an end to such a war.[3]
Organization
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Attendees
Notable speakers include Jill Stein, Dennis Kucinich, Anya Parampil, Jackson Hinkle, Jimmy Dore and Roger Waters; in attendance was journalist Max Blumenthal.
Criticism
Members of the rally included right-wing libertarians, including Ron Paul, along with syncretic groups such as patriotic socialists, largely those who were organized in Caleb Maupin's Center for Political Innovation as well as a small assortment of "MAGA communism" promoters.[citation needed] Among the main organizations present at the rally which attempted to cement the image of a united front of the "left-wing and right-wing" was the People's Party.[4][3]
The rally saw significant attendance from neo-Nazi and alt-right organizations (possibly including the Ku Klux Klan and National Vanguard). Neo-Nazi figures Matthew Heimbach (founder of a hate group known as the Traditionalist Workers' Party) and Shandon Simpson (who is linked with the terrorist organization Atomwaffen) were present at the rally and actively propagated antisemitic and other racist canards. Strasserists and National Bolsheviks were also present.[5][3][2]
Aftermath
The Rage Against the War Machine Rally was relatively unimpactful, with it only seeing a maximum turnout of around 750-1,000 people, despite it being promoted beforehand by the far-right news pundit Tucker Carlson.[3] However, the rally itself indicated the extreme-right political turn patriotic socialists are undergoing, with them openly allying with far-right, even Neonazi elements, and with the aforementioned Neonazis leaders Matthew Heimbach and Shandon Simpson being spotted soon after the rally in an after-event hosted by the Center for Political Innovation.[6]
The rally would quickly be outcompeted by a much larger rally organized by the ANSWER Coalition a month later, whose general stance, unlike the effectively pro-war Rage Against the War Machine rally, was largely anti-war and left-wing.[7][better source needed]
References
- ↑ Rage Against the War Machine website
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fascists Are Attempting to Win Followers by Rebranding as Antiwar by Shane Burley (March 19, 2023) truthout
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The “Rage Against the War Machine” rally: A reactionary political freak show by Jacob Crosse, Joseph Kishore (February 20, 2023) WSWS.org
- ↑ Rage Against the War Machine: A Reactionary “Right-Left Antiwar” Alliance by Jeff Mackler (February 6, 2023) Socialist Action
- ↑ Rage against the Putin Machine by Jason Unruhe (February 22, 2023) YouTube
- ↑ Post by Socialism for All (February 20, 2023)
- ↑ Sat. March 18 -- National March on Washington: Fund People's Needs, Not the War Machine! Answer Coalition