asra-noman-dc-protest-shifts-focus-to-fght-back-for-gaza

ASRA NOMANI: D.C. Protest Shifts Focus to ‘FIGHT BACK’ for Gaza

On the eve of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, a multi-million dollar network of socialist and Islamist organizations scaled back its plans for a massive citywide “resistance,” retreating to a quiet park in a corner of Washington, D.C., called Meridian Hill. They now predict a crowd of 2,000, a far cry from the 50,000 originally planned for the National Mall, Washington Monument, and Constitution Avenue NW.

But the network of well-funded organizations, which I call the Woke Army, is pressing ahead with protests in 84 cities, rebranded in emails sent Sunday afternoon to supporters with the message, “STAND WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. WE FIGHT BACK,” following Israel’s ceasefire with Hamas. In the nation’s capital, the ANSWER Coalition, a self-declared Marxist organization based in D.C., secured a permit for the smaller Meridian Hill protest after withdrawing its application for the larger citywide demonstration.

Professional Protest Machine Behind the Anti-Trump ‘People’s March’

Despite media portrayals of these protests as grassroots movements, they are anything but. The ANSWER Coalition’s operations are highly coordinated and funded by professional activism networks, much like Saturday’s “People’s March,” which my reporting revealed was organized by a for-profit professional protest logistics company, Movement Catalyst LLC, which executes events with military precision.

These professional organizers create a polished veneer of “grassroots” spontaneity for protests that are, in reality, meticulously engineered political theater and not grassroots but rather AstroTurf. They churned out near identical emails around 4 p.m. on Sunday, summoning followers to their Monday protests.

For years now, I’ve been tracking these organizations as part of my reporting for the Pearl Project, a nonprofit journalism initiative named for Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was murdered in Karachi, Pakistan, in 2002 in the name of identity politics and sectarianism. Democracy thrives on transparency, and the public deserves to know when protests are driven by ideological agendas masquerading as grassroots movements.

The Organization’s History and Concerns

Members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation created the ANSWER Coalition, short for “Act Now to Stop War and End Racism,” after 9/11. It has consistently championed authoritarian regimes, including socialist governments in Russia, China, Venezuela, North Korea, and Cuba. Brian Becker, the ANSWER Coalition leader who got the permit for the Meridian Hill protest, is a vocal proponent of Marxism and socialism.

The organization’s history includes inflammatory anti-American incidents, such as a protest this past summer against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where Zaid Mohammed Mahdawi, president of the Richmond chapter of American Muslims for Palestine, spray-painted “HAMAS IS COMIN” on a statue at Union Station. The National Park Service pulled ANSWER Coalition’s permit after the protest turned violent, with demonstrators burning U.S. flags and clashing with police.

The Permit and Professionalism Behind the Protests

Michael Litterst, a spokesman for the U.S. National Park Service, told me today that the ANSWER Coalition “canceled” its application for the citywide protest. He directed questions to the ANSWER Coalition about why it canceled its application. The ANSWER Coalition didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The permit reveals the intricate planning behind this supposed protest that the media will likely cast as spontaneous:

– 7 a.m.: “Load in equipment to the upper level of Meridian Hill Park.”
– 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: “Speeches and possible acoustic music.”
– 12:30 p.m. to 12:45 p.m.: “Organize for march.”
– 12:45 p.m.: “March steps off (south on 16th Street to H Street at Black Lives Matter Plaza),” near the White House.
– 12:45 p.m. to 4 p.m.: “Remove equipment from Meridian Hill Park.”

The equipment list reveals the professionalism behind these protests: one stage, 20 tables, 40 chairs, 200 handheld signs, banners, a sound system, podium, and propaganda materials, including literature and bumper stickers. The ANSWER Coalition permit said it plans to bring an “opaque secure bucket for collecting donations.”

Behind the banners and bullhorns lies a well-funded operation intent on reshaping the narrative of grassroots resistance into one that serves its own ideological goals. The Park Service permit reminded organizers in bold text: “It is prohibited to climb, remove, or in any way injure any statue, seat, wall, fountain, light poles, elevator towers, or other architectural feature” within the park.

The Woke Army’s Agenda and Concerns

The ANSWER Coalition’s stated purpose for the protest in Washington is to “present a popular resistance to the Trump Administration,” but its true agenda is more insidious: dismantling American democracy and promoting authoritarian socialist ideologies. From Beijing to Caracas, the ANSWER Coalition and its Woke Army allies draw inspiration from regimes, like Hamas, that suppress dissent and curtail freedoms.

As the Woke Army marches from Meridian Hill Park to Black Lives Matter Plaza, it’s crucial for Americans to remain vigilant. Behind the banners and bullhorns lies a well-funded operation intent on reshaping the narrative of grassroots resistance into one that serves its own ideological goals. Understanding these forces is the first step toward safeguarding democracy.