The 'No King' protests in the United States have reminded us that people power is the only antidote to the rule of a few. Democracy is not a gift bestowed from above, but a struggle waged from below. In a week that will see over 100,000 New Zealand workers go out on strike, the same grassroots power displayed on the streets of Los Angeles and Chicago can be harnessed here to seek the end to a suffocating and oppressive neoliberal orthodoxy that remains unaccountable.
When millions poured into the streets under the banner 'No Kings,' they were not simply opposing one man’s policies—they were asserting that sovereignty belongs to the people, not to a demagogue who treats the presidency as a personal fiefdom.
These protests were not polite appeals to power; they were an eruption of grassroots energy that signalled that America is on the cusp of something far more transformative. We are reminded that there are decades where nothing happens, and then there are weeks when decades happen.
The symbolism of 'No Kings' could not be clearer. Trump’s second presidency has been marked by open contempt for democratic norms: deploying National Guard troops into cities, unleashing ICE raids without due process, and attempting to bend Congress and the courts to his will. His insistence on staging military parades and glorifying himself as the embodiment of the nation is not just vanity—it is authoritarian theatre. The protesters understood this. Their chants, their placards, their sheer presence in thousands of towns and cities were a collective refusal to accept the coronation of a strongman. They are saying: America is not a monarchy, and we will not be subjects.
What made these protests remarkable was their scale and spontaneity. Over 2,600 events were organised across all fifty states, with millions participating. This was not the work of a single party machine or a handful of NGOs. And it was certainly wasn't the work of 'Antifa', an organisation that only exists in the fantasy world of Donald Trump and his acolytes.
'No Kings' was a decentralised uprising, coordinated but not controlled, echoing Rosa Luxemburg’s insight in her 1906 pamphlet The Mass Strike, the Political Party and the Trade Unions. Luxemburg argued that mass strikes and protests are not manufactured by leaders but arise organically from the contradictions of society itself. They are the living expressions of the working class and oppressed, that break through when conditions become intolerable. The 'No Kings' protests embodied this Luxemburgist principle: they were not a top-down campaign but a bottom-up revolt, a rehearsal for revolution.
Rosa Luxemburg insisted that the mass strike was not merely an economic weapon but a political one, capable of shaking the foundations of the state. The 'No Kings' protests was not a general strike, but was the precursor of one. They revealed the latent power of ordinary people when they act collectively, outside the narrow confines of electoral politics. In the United States, where voter suppression, gerrymandering, and corporate money have hollowed out democracy, the streets are becoming the true arena of politics. Each march, each rally, each act of defiance chips away at the illusion that Trump’s authoritarianism is unassailable. The protests are not just resistance—they are a rehearsal for a new order.
The relevance of these protests extends beyond America’s borders. In New Zealand, we face our own struggles with concentrated power, neoliberal orthodoxy, and the erosion of democratic accountability. While we do not have a Trump figure in office, although some politicians draw their 'inspiration' from Trump, we are not immune to the global tide of authoritarian populism. Nor are we free from the suffocating grip of market dogma that treats public needs as secondary to private profit. The lesson of 'No Kings' is that people power is the only antidote to elite domination. When ordinary people refuse to be passive, when they take to the streets in their thousands, they can shift the political terrain in ways that parliaments and think tanks never will.
New Zealanders should not view the 'No Kings' protests as a distant spectacle. They are a mirror, reflecting back to us the urgency of building our own movements capable of confronting entrenched power. Just as Americans are rejecting the idea of a president who rules like a king, we must reject the idea that our economic life should be ruled by the invisible hand of the market. The same grassroots energy that filled the streets of New York and Los Angeles can be harnessed here to demand public ownership, climate justice, and genuine democracy. The protests remind us that history is not made by leaders in parliament but by masses in motion. Perhaps we will see a glimpse of that on Thursday, when over 100,000 workers will go on strike in protest at government policies.
There is also a warning embedded in these events. The United States is a society where inequality has reached grotesque levels, where billionaires thrive while millions struggle. That inequality has created fertile ground for authoritarianism, as Trump exploits fear and resentment to consolidate power. New Zealand is arriving at that point, and the trajectory of housing unaffordability, wage stagnation, and privatisation points in the same direction. If we fail to act, we too could find ourselves facing a homegrown authoritarian who promises order while dismantling democracy. The 'No Kings' protests are both an inspiration and a cautionary tale: they show what resistance looks like, but they also show what happens when inequality festers unchecked.
Ultimately, the 'No Kings' movement is a reminder that democracy is not a gift bestowed from above, but the result of struggle waged from below. Rosa Luxemburg’s vision of the mass strike lives on in these protests, where ordinary people discover their collective power and glimpse the possibility of a different world. Whether in Washington or Wellington, the lesson is the same: no kings, no oligarchs, no masters. The future belongs to those who refuse to bow.
The symbolism of 'No Kings' could not be clearer. Trump’s second presidency has been marked by open contempt for democratic norms: deploying National Guard troops into cities, unleashing ICE raids without due process, and attempting to bend Congress and the courts to his will. His insistence on staging military parades and glorifying himself as the embodiment of the nation is not just vanity—it is authoritarian theatre. The protesters understood this. Their chants, their placards, their sheer presence in thousands of towns and cities were a collective refusal to accept the coronation of a strongman. They are saying: America is not a monarchy, and we will not be subjects.
What made these protests remarkable was their scale and spontaneity. Over 2,600 events were organised across all fifty states, with millions participating. This was not the work of a single party machine or a handful of NGOs. And it was certainly wasn't the work of 'Antifa', an organisation that only exists in the fantasy world of Donald Trump and his acolytes.
'No Kings' was a decentralised uprising, coordinated but not controlled, echoing Rosa Luxemburg’s insight in her 1906 pamphlet The Mass Strike, the Political Party and the Trade Unions. Luxemburg argued that mass strikes and protests are not manufactured by leaders but arise organically from the contradictions of society itself. They are the living expressions of the working class and oppressed, that break through when conditions become intolerable. The 'No Kings' protests embodied this Luxemburgist principle: they were not a top-down campaign but a bottom-up revolt, a rehearsal for revolution.
Rosa Luxemburg insisted that the mass strike was not merely an economic weapon but a political one, capable of shaking the foundations of the state. The 'No Kings' protests was not a general strike, but was the precursor of one. They revealed the latent power of ordinary people when they act collectively, outside the narrow confines of electoral politics. In the United States, where voter suppression, gerrymandering, and corporate money have hollowed out democracy, the streets are becoming the true arena of politics. Each march, each rally, each act of defiance chips away at the illusion that Trump’s authoritarianism is unassailable. The protests are not just resistance—they are a rehearsal for a new order.
The relevance of these protests extends beyond America’s borders. In New Zealand, we face our own struggles with concentrated power, neoliberal orthodoxy, and the erosion of democratic accountability. While we do not have a Trump figure in office, although some politicians draw their 'inspiration' from Trump, we are not immune to the global tide of authoritarian populism. Nor are we free from the suffocating grip of market dogma that treats public needs as secondary to private profit. The lesson of 'No Kings' is that people power is the only antidote to elite domination. When ordinary people refuse to be passive, when they take to the streets in their thousands, they can shift the political terrain in ways that parliaments and think tanks never will.
New Zealanders should not view the 'No Kings' protests as a distant spectacle. They are a mirror, reflecting back to us the urgency of building our own movements capable of confronting entrenched power. Just as Americans are rejecting the idea of a president who rules like a king, we must reject the idea that our economic life should be ruled by the invisible hand of the market. The same grassroots energy that filled the streets of New York and Los Angeles can be harnessed here to demand public ownership, climate justice, and genuine democracy. The protests remind us that history is not made by leaders in parliament but by masses in motion. Perhaps we will see a glimpse of that on Thursday, when over 100,000 workers will go on strike in protest at government policies.
There is also a warning embedded in these events. The United States is a society where inequality has reached grotesque levels, where billionaires thrive while millions struggle. That inequality has created fertile ground for authoritarianism, as Trump exploits fear and resentment to consolidate power. New Zealand is arriving at that point, and the trajectory of housing unaffordability, wage stagnation, and privatisation points in the same direction. If we fail to act, we too could find ourselves facing a homegrown authoritarian who promises order while dismantling democracy. The 'No Kings' protests are both an inspiration and a cautionary tale: they show what resistance looks like, but they also show what happens when inequality festers unchecked.
Ultimately, the 'No Kings' movement is a reminder that democracy is not a gift bestowed from above, but the result of struggle waged from below. Rosa Luxemburg’s vision of the mass strike lives on in these protests, where ordinary people discover their collective power and glimpse the possibility of a different world. Whether in Washington or Wellington, the lesson is the same: no kings, no oligarchs, no masters. The future belongs to those who refuse to bow.
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