the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jun 23, 2025
On June 14, many people around the country came out for what the organizers called “No Kings” rallies held in over 2,000 cities and towns. It’s certainly possible there were at least two to three million people protesting that day, based on the crowds that were seen.
It’s not a surprise that so many would come out to protest. The working population is under attack today. Many people are angry and their homemade signs at the rallies showed why they are angry. Some were protesting the arrests and deportations of immigrant workers. Others were protesting the cuts to Medicaid and other essentials.
What would it take to go from a one-day demonstration to a massive movement or a general strike? To have a movement strong enough to force changes?
First, it would take a focus on an issue or issues that people agree is worth a fight for, like attacks on immigrant workers or cuts to Medicaid. Or it could be issues like low wages and high prices that every working family is feeling today.
To build a fight would mean involving the general population, bringing together people in workplaces and neighborhoods to discuss what people fight for and what they were ready to do.
If many people were ready to go forward, then the goal could be bringing as many people as possible together in a show of force. Such force as could take over the streets and shut down Washington or other cities and keep them shut down until they got changes. A movement organized in the factories and workplaces could lead to a general strike.
That’s where a protest could lead. That’s not what June 14 was; the slogan “No Kings” was obviously leveled against Trump. Clearly it was a call to get rid of Trump. And while that is understandable, it focuses on an electoral solution that will call, once again, for a vote for one of the two major parties, in this case, Democrats.
Yes, Trump is making outrageous attacks on the working people, like deportations of immigrant workers or budget cuts. But most recently, Biden and Obama, deported more immigrants than Trump has so far. The Democrats made the same kind of cuts when they were in office. And both parties represent the capitalist class which is driving down the standard of living of the working class.
The working class needs its own party, a party based on its own interest to organize a real fight. This party will have to put forth the goal of fighting not just to defend against everyday attacks. Finally, we need to fight with the goal of bringing down capitalism with its wars and exploitation. We need an end to capitalism—to replace it with a system run by and for the workers.