Organizing in the Face of Crisis and Far-Right Terror: A Conversation with Unity & Struggle

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In this episode of the It’s Going Down podcast, we speak with two members of the autonomist Marxist group, Unity and Struggle, who’s recent essay about the possibility of the upcoming election leading to a constitutional crisis we published here on IGD. Since that essay was first published, far-Right Boogaloo Boys and militia members in Michigan were arrested after plotting alongside an undercover FBI agent to kidnap and execute the Governor of Michigan in response to the State’s COVID-19 lockdown. Predictably, the Republican party has also already engaged in a variety of attempts to suppress voter turnout: from putting up literally fake ballet collection boxes in California to the use of online bots pretending to be Black Trump supporters.

A collection of far-Right boogaloo boys, conspiracy theorists, and militia members were arrested today in a plot to storm the #Michigan capitol, kidnap the governor + kick off a "civil war." These arrests follow months of far-Right 'Re-Open' rallies and activity. A thread. pic.twitter.com/74QVYua6qL

— It's Going Down (@IGD_News) October 8, 2020

During our discussion, we speak with our two guests about what scenarios they see taking place on the streets and within the halls of power in an effort to keep Trump in office. We talk about how Trump supporters have already shown up to harass voters in Virginia and how continued far-Right interventions might play out. We also discuss what it might look like if Trump moves to install loyal “electors” into key swing states in an effort to win the electoral college.

Neoliberals refuse to organize as Trump openly calls for a coup + his fascist supporters push for open civil-war. What can everyday working + poor people do in the face of this three-way-fight? Time to get organized. Our latest podcast. #TrumpIsARacist https://t.co/nLFlswCram pic.twitter.com/gsgHr6VnZg

— It's Going Down (@IGD_News) October 1, 2020

Finally, we talk about what autonomous social movements should be doing in this moment in terms of mass organizing and how groups could begin to share skills and resources with each other while encouraging action on a broad scale. With some unions already calling for a general strike and Trump continuing to tank in the polls, the need for reflection and analysis around the current situation is as great as the need to get organized.

More Info: Against Trump’s Coup and Fascist Boogaloo: Towards a General Strike, How It Might Should Be Done by Idris Robinson, How Could Everyday People Stop a Coup?