By Ms. Shirin, Purogami Mahila Sangathan
American workers have come out on streets to reject the current system in which a few capitalist corporations are deciding the fate of billions of people. Big capitalists are drowning the world in endless violence by waging wars to enrich themselves while working people are suffering and paying the price. Weapons industry in the US is controlled by some of the biggest capitalists who benefit by selling weapons to both the sides in many wars. Indian capitalists entering arms production are not likely to behave any differently. Privatisation of defence production in India is not in the interest of the working class and must be stopped before it is too late.
Protestors gathers at Colorado Capitol on 18th October, 2025 to participate in the “No Kings” protest. (Photo courtesy: by Kevin Mohatt of Colorado Newsline)
On March 29, an estimated 90 lakh people participated in more than 3,500 demonstrations across all fifty states of the United States, marking the third major mobilisation under the banner of the No Kings movement.
Rather than targeting a specific individual or isolated incident, the No Kings protests served as a broader challenge to the nature of U.S. power that its government is exercising at the expense of the working people globally. By shouting “No Kings” they reject the current system in which a few corporations globally have the right to decide the fate of billions of people. They reject the imperialist aims of the big capitalists that want to fulfil their agenda at any and every expense of people.
This latest wave of protests reflects a significant and steady growth in participation, following earlier rallies on June 14, 2025, which drew approximately 50 lakh people, and October 18, 2025, which saw between 60 to 70 lakh participants. The increasing turnout underscores a deepening rage and concerns that the working people and citizens in the US are feeling.
Demonstrations were held in all major urban cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Nashville, Dallas, Miami, Denver, Portland, Minneapolis, and St. Paul, alongside numerous smaller cities and towns nationwide. International solidarity actions were also reported in cities such as Paris and London.
The protesters were seen holding placards with slogans that covered a wide range of national and international issues. The protest was driven by a combination of factors, including ICE raids, the genocide of Palestinians, the conflict in Iran, and the illegal U.S. military actions in Iraq and Syria, alongside the devastating impact of wars on the populations of Afghanistan and Libya. Demonstrators also carried symbols and messages highlighting long pending demands of workers in different sectors of the US economy. The protest and the demands raised showed that all the problems of the people at large are interconnected. These concerns were not limited to specific events or policies but extended to a historical demand of implementation of policies that are pro-people.
The protesters were demanding more than just ending the current war efforts, they were challenging the underlying rationale used to justify war itself. They were demanding justification for thousands of lives that were lost, not only of Americans but of all the people globally as a result of the current and all past wars waged by the US. They are questioning the false narratives that are fed to people under the name of security and national interest. They are also questioning the role of media and institutions in perpetuating these lies and narratives over decades now. They want an answer as to why tax-payers money is utilised for wars and not to meet the demands of the workers in the US.
The US military industry complex is controlled by some of the biggest capitalists in the US. Waging wars and selling weapons to both the sides of the conflict is of benefit to these capitalists. What matters to them the most is maximising their profits, without caring for the thousands or even lakhs of innocent lives that are lost globally in such wars.
In India today, we see an increasing trend of privatisation in every sector, including defence. What do we expect from capitalists when they take over a sector as important as defence under their control? Will they run the defence sector from the perspective of national security or try to maximise their profits from the “business” of defence? The current geopolitical situation in the world highlights the imperialist aims of such capitalists that run the military industry complex for the sole purpose of earning profits. The Indian defence sector will not be any different in nature than what we see in the US today, if it is privatised.
Our defence sector workers have been waging struggles against its privatisation in India. We have to come together and support their demand to stop privatisation in defence and every sector. We have to demand a change in the orientation of the economy to fulfil the needs of the people, and not of a few big capitalists.
Working people of America expressed that the problems faced by different sections of the working class have to be seen and understood in the context of geopolitics. In an interview a young woman said, “War hurts working people, poor people, women, and children.” Another worker from railways said, “While authoritarian rulers and the billionaires that finance endless violence conspire together to enrich themselves and grab at ever more power by waging wars, it is the regular working people who pay the price.”
In a statement, the Services International Union (SEIU), a trade union said: “On March 28th, we showed up – peacefully and lawfully – to defend our democracy.” At the Washington, D.C. rally, President of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), addressed participants and said, “Right now, we are in the storm of our lives. Billionaires are calling the shots, and we’re paying the price. But we’ve seen this before. These same bullies have the same old play book. Let me tell you, we’ve fought the good fight, and we have won before – for civil rights, for social justice, for workers’ rights. When we the people stand together and fight together, we win.”
The National Nurses United (NNU) union in an interview at one of the demonstration sites said: “The Trump administration is rapidly making sweeping changes that affect nurses and our patients in and out of the hospital. Millions of our patients who rely upon Medicaid for their health and other care the low-income, pregnant patients, seniors in nursing homes, the disabled, and children – are in major jeopardy. The current administration is attacking Medicaid, aiming to slash $715 billion from Medicaid to fund continued tax cuts for billionaires and corporations. National Nurses United is fighting against the unjust firings of members of the federal workforce, including VA workers who are essential in the provision of high-quality therapeutic care to veterans.”
We salute the working people and citizens of various countries globally who are coming out on streets to fearlessly assert their rights as workers and people of the world.
“No Kings” protest along Fifth Avenue in New York City on June 14, 2025. (Photo courtesy: InTheseTimes)
Protester during “No Kings” protest on 29th March, 2026 at Chicago. (Photo courtesy: Kamil Krzaczyński/AFP/Getty Images )
