11/12/2025
"Keep the military off our streets! We won't back down, we won't retreat!" chanted protesters led by veterans in Washington DC this afternoon, Veteran's Day in a rally for "No War on Our Cities."
"We've heard the threat of invocation of the Insurrection Act and deploying the 82nd Airborne to Portland," said Harrison Mann, a U.S. Army major who resigned over U.S. support for Israel's war in Gaza.
He says troops will have difficult judgements on what's moral or legal.
"I'm really worried about the scenario where we have ICE next to active duty or National Guard troops, and the ICE officers start shooting, or the ICE officers who are older - who are going to be nominally in charge - tell soldiers to start shooting," he tells News2Share, adding that civilians need to express their support "morally and materially" who would defy unlawful orders.
"We'll be lucky if it doesn't happen" he says of the invocation of the Insurrection Act.
"White veterans, we need to use our privileges in the right way. We're the ones who can get away with filming ICE, and chasing ICE out of our neighborhoods," said FLARE activist Randy Kindle.
"To our service members, remember who you're fighting for," he tells News2Share. "These are your neighbors too."
"This isn't Afghanistan or Iraq anymore. When all this is said and done, you're going down the street, and you're going to have to face these same people that you oppressed."
An apparent right-wing content creator entered the crowd and was surrounded by protesters chanting "Trump must go now!" and ultimately "Go home N**i, go home!"
Former U.S. Army Captain Josephine Guilbeau, who resigned over Israel's war in Gaza, asked the crowd to consider the "thank you for your service" line.
"Who was I serving? What was I serving?" she considered. "17 years of my life, I was a pawn. I was a pawn to this government. I was a pawn to the rich."
"The political repression is knocking on our door," said advocate and journalist Abby Martin. "We've got to get out of these atomized spaces, we're all here together with one message: We want a livable planet, we don't want endless wars, we don't want genocide in our names!"
"If America knew what America was doing, America would invade America," said Jolly Good Ginger. "It would come here and stop it and deliver some democracy!"
"Fascism is not coming, fascism is not on the way, fascism has arrived," he said. "If you're waiting on an election to save you, I've got bad news for you!"
"We're gonna fight! It is our responsibility to be in the streets," he concluded, encouraging participants to sign up with activist organizations and network.
Filmed by Ford Fischer
