Uploaded November 14: Sam Goldman and Coco Das discuss the Kyle Rittenhouse trial in the proper context of the fascist movement he is a part of. Recommended reading: Coco’s recent article The Rittenhouse Trial and Two Sides in Contention: A Beautiful Rising or Rising Fascism and Reflections on Kenosha by Paul Street.
Coco Das:
ll three of these cases really are about the violent reassertion of white supremacy; the domination of white people over all others. You have this deputizing of violent enforcement. There's a direct line from the Confederacy to the fascists of today. Kyle Rittenhouse is part of that continuum. It's actually absurd that he should be able to claim self-defense. He went into this situation holding an AR-15.
Sam Goldman:
We’re continuing to pay special attention to the three trials with tremendous stakes:
In Charlottesville, Virginia: The federal civil trial of 24 white supremacist groups and individuals who came to Charlottesville in August 2017 and unleashed fascist violence that led to the murder of Heather Heyer.
In Brunswick, Georgia: the case against Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William Bryan who are on trial for hunting down and murdering Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old Black man who was out on a jog.
And in Wisoconsin: The criminal murder trial for Kyle Rittenhouse who traveled with an AR-15 to a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha where he shot and killed two protesters and wounded another.
All three concentrate the fascist mobs and threats of violence that are being unleashed to build the fascist movement and consolidate power & it reflects the ways in which there is an assault on the rule of law in this country and the most vicious overt white supremacy that threads it all together.
Sam interviews Vara Ramakrishnan with Strike for Choice on their plans to take action on Dec 1 and how you can join. Dec 1 is the day the Supreme Court will hear Dobbs vs Whole Womens Health, the case which poses an imminent threat to abortion rights and the possible wholesale gutting of Roe v Wade. You can take action wherever you are to refuse to go along with the evisceration of this essential right with the hashtag #StrikeForChoice. Find out more at
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The Refuse Fascism podcast, featuring commentary on the latest events and interviews with scholars and activists from many different perspectives, is an essential tool for understanding and uniting to stop an American fascist movement that imperils all of humanity.
