Rage Against the War Machine will host a second rally opposing war in Washington, D.C., next month. Organizers have announced that the rally is scheduled for Saturday, September 28, outside the Washington Monument.
Rage Against the War Machine is a collaborative effort between the Libertarian Party and the People’s Party to create an anti-war coalition. Along with these two parties, listed coalition supporters include the Libertarian Party of Maryland, the Mises Caucus of the Libertarian Party, the Center for Political Innovation, US Students Against Imperialism, Liberty Speaks, and the Libertarian Institute. The coalition held its first rally outside the Lincoln Memorial in early 2023.
The second rally will take place outside the Washington Monument, with organizers confirming over X that it will occur on September 28. “In case you were wondering, folks… it’s definitely happening,” they posted over the weekend. “Please join us on Saturday, September 28th. We are getting the band back together. Please come and support us. And either way, please help us fundraiser for continued anti war activism!
Organizers had initially planned a second event for this past February, titled Defeat the Deep State, but it was ultimately rescheduled. It’s likely this upcoming event is a continuation of that previous effort.
At its first rally, the coalition called for an immediate end to U.S. funding for the war in Ukraine, advocating for negotiations toward a ceasefire. Additionally, it demanded the disbandment of NATO and a significant reduction in the Pentagon’s budget, among other objectives. A list of key demands and specific policy goals has not yet been outlined on the organization’s website, but it is expected to continue the themes of the previous rally.
At present, organizers have announced at least seven speakers, with several returning from the first event, including LNC Chair Angela McArdle, Josie Glabach, Clint Russell, Tatiana Arnold, Keith Knight, Scott Horton, and Garland Nixon.
This year’s rally also appears to be part of a broader effort, Rescue the Republic, which will feature additional speakers and address policy objectives beyond opposing war, planned for the following day.
“Putin at this point is an illegitimate dictator who does not represent Russia”
Except he does, and is more popular than ever. When his soul inevitably ascends to heaven, hopefully many years from now, the vacuum he will leave risks a devastating scramble, because while there are several good, or at least competent potential replacements, none of them are as universally popular as Putin.
“wars of aggression, of which the Putin regime’s invasion of Ukraine is clearly one”
Exactly not. The “Ukrainian” nazi terrorists are waging a war of aggression, but Russia is purely protecting innocent lives. One of his biggest failures was not to immediately liberate and denazify “Ukraine” the first time the west overthrew democratically elected president Yanukovich in 2004.
“this should be determined by internationally monitored plebiscites, not by a ruthless invasion including ethnic cleansing efforts and war crimes against civilians.”
The only ones who have engaged in ruthless invasion, ethnic cleansing and war crimes against civilians are the “Ukrainians” with backing from the same evil western countries that reject internationally monitored plebiscites whenever they don’t like the outcome.
“And it is highly disingenuous to champion their right to secede, while denying the self-determination of people in the rest of Ukraine.”
What is highly disingenuous is to ascribe national rights to a nazi terror organisation. As soon as “Ukrainians” admit that they are in fact, variously, Russians, Poles, Hungarians, Romanians, Slovaks, Tatars, Cossacks, Ruthenians, Rusyn, etc., and stop clinging to the non-existent “Ukrainian” identity invented by communists in 1917, they will be ready to use their right to determine their future. Which is exactly what Putin seeks to achieve.
PS: You were treated very poorly during Trump’s talk at the Libertarian National Convention. You were physically pulled off of your chair and thrown to the ground, kicked in the head and dragged out of the hall. As someone who cannot disagree more with you about almost everything, especially libertarianism, I am angry about how you were treated. Do you know, and can you say, whether those abusing you were Trump’s secret service detail or McArdle’s security arrangement for the convention?
Although I participated in and spoke at one of the sister rallies of the previous “Rage Against the War Machine” event, here in San Francisco, I was concerned that the event did come off as too strongly pro-Putin rather than truly reflecting an unbiased anti-war stance. I don’t say “pro-Russia” because although initially democratically elected over two decades ago, Putin at this point is an illegitimate dictator who does not represent Russia. The Russian people are among Putin’s biggest victims, along with of course the Ukrainian people.
To have credibility beyond just opposing the U.S. government, any “anti-war” rally or effort should make it clear that they oppose ALL war, or at least all wars of aggression, of which the Putin regime’s invasion of Ukraine is clearly one. While people in eastern Ukraine do deserve to have their rights of self-determination respected, this should be determined by internationally monitored plebiscites, not by a ruthless invasion including ethnic cleansing efforts and war crimes against civilians. And it is highly disingenuous to champion their right to secede, while denying the self-determination of people in the rest of Ukraine.
“They are objectively supporting the Russian aggressors in this conflict.”
There are no Russia aggressors in this conflict.
“What are their arguments against aid to Ukraine?”
That “Ukraine” violently overthrew the democratically elected president Yanukovich twice (in 2004 and in 2014), massacring many innocent civilians in the process.
That “Ukraine” then invaded the areas which used their right of self-determination and voted to secede in response to those violent coups, and there began a whole-sale occupation and genocide no different from the occupation and genocide “Ukraine” carried out in Poland and Hungary, to name only the two most recent prior examples of many.
That “Ukraine” again extended this genocide to encompass all minorities throughout its entire territory, not to mention all Christians and opponents of their unelected government.
That “Ukraine” is using foreign aid to continue this occupation and genocide, and for the personal enrichment of its perpetrators, its unelected leadership.
“There are no American troops in Ukraine, and nobody is advocating sending American troops to Ukraine.”
You sure about that? There are NATO troops fighting on the ground in Sudzha (which nobody is denying is Russian) right now, and others testing the Belarusian-“Ukrainian” border. Since NATO has already sent German, French and Polish troops to do that, what makes you think they won’t send US troops?
“The US is not attacking Russian cities with missiles as we did in Iraq. American planes are not bombing Russia, as we did in Afghanistan.”
The US is providing terrorists with the arms, ammunition and intelligence to do so. That is also what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The one argument that can be made is the cost to American taxpayers.”
No. The one argument that should end all discussion is that God’s Will must be done. The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to stand by and do nothing. The unacceptable cannot be accepted, and if you do not fight evil then you become part of it.
Nobody in or around “Ukraine” is, has ever been, or will ever be safe, as long as there exists anyone who pretends “Ukraine” is a country or “Ukrainians” are a people. Only complete liberation and denazification will bring security, freedom, truth, justice and peace.
Any truce, cease-fire, peace treaty, etc. can only be temporary, because so long as the myth of “Ukraine” survives, “Ukrainians” will recommence the invasions, occupations and genocide that have marked their entire history, since they were first invented during the Russian Revolution.
“That is not non-interventionism – that is vocal support for Aggression.”
No, it is a vocal support for an end to aggression. The problem is that vocal support is not material support. What the US should be doing instead, is paying reparations to Russia for having materially supported “Ukrainian” aggression for the past twenty years.
Jim is right about the way the Russian war in Ukraine can end.
The “Rage Against the War Machine” coalition is not anti-war. They are objectively supporting the Russian aggressors in this conflict.
What are their arguments against aid to Ukraine? That Ukraine threatened Russia by wanting to take measures to protect its independence? It looks like it needed to take measures to protect its independence.
There are no American troops in Ukraine, and nobody is advocating sending American troops to Ukraine.
The US is not attacking Russian cities with missiles as we did in Iraq. American planes are not bombing Russia,
as we did in Afghanistan.
The one argument that can be made is the cost to American taxpayers. That argument is undermined when they ally with socialist organizations that want to raise taxes on all Americans. In any case, I have not hear that argument from the opponents of aid to Ukraine.
Instead, when Putin announced his “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine, Daniel McAdam stated on Antiwar.com (sic) that he “…looked forward to a quick success of the Special Military Operation” in Ukraine. That is not non-interventionism – that is vocal support for Aggression.
Allying with socialist and communist organizations is another way Angela McArdle is bringing shame and disrespect to The Libertarian Party.
Hi Jeff — Thank you for the correction. I had the Lincoln Memorial on my mind from the previous event.
There are only two ways the war ends. 1. Russia stops its aggression and withdraws. 2. Ukraine loses militarily and submits to Russian rule. The second is made more possible by stopping the transfer of aid enabling Ukraine to defend itself. That is the outcome these people want. They aren’t anti-war. They are pro-Russia.
I’m still not convinced that naming the rallies after a pro-war, pro-establishment band was the best way of conveying their message. Any word on what RATM thinks of it – any cease-and-desist letters or derogatory messaging on the band’s socials, for instance?
They probably should have just stuck with “Defeat the Deep State” or “Rescue the Republic rally”, or gone with something even longer and less mellifluous like “Unburden the military-industrial complex by what is” or “Let’s stop supporting nazi genocide and pushing for nuclear holocaust”.
Hi Jordan – do you mean the Washington Monument, as opposed to memorial?