FROM BASH (in 2026):

This piece was originally published on our NoBlogs in October of 2024. At that time, it was a reprint of an unpublished writing from 2023 that our project took on. It was the first article, a test piece, to go up on the original BASH site. So it is the first piece to go up here. We’re still here.

FROM BASH (in 2024):

This piece was produced in August of 2023. It has been floating around in back channels for a year and presented as an interesting initial formatting test.

CONTRIBUTION:

NOTE: This writing is built upon the piece, We Go Where They Go: Resistance to Christian Nationalism in Boise, published on August 7th, 2023 by It’s Going Down. Readers may want to familiarize themselves with the details of that report back and the action that it is about, as it will be referred to at points throughout with the assumption that the reader has some understanding of the action.

The Anti-Racist Action Points of Unity are as follows:

1. We go where they go. Whenever fascists are organizing or active in public, we’re there. We don’t believe in ignoring them or staying away from them. Never let the Nazis have the street!
2. We don’t rely on the cops or courts to do our work for us. This doesn’t mean we never go to court, but the cops uphold white supremacy and the status quo. They attack us and everyone who resists oppression. We must rely on ourselves to protect ourselves and stop the fascists.
3. Non-sectarian defense of other anti-fascists. In ARA, we have a lot of different groups and individuals. We don’t agree about everything and we have a right to differ openly. But in this movement an attack on one is an attack on us all. We stand behind each other.
4. We support abortion rights and reproductive freedom. ARA intends to do the hard work necessary to build a broad, strong movement against racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, discrimination against the disabled, the oldest, the youngest, and the most oppressed people. We want a classless, free society. We intend to win!

We Go Where They Go

This action represents a direct confrontation, interruption, and refutation of the christian nationalist ‘Kingdom to the Capitol’ event and messaging in Boise. Counter demonstration organizers reserved the adjacent park space to the christian nationalist event at the Idaho State Capitol Building. This both limited the area that the nationalists had access to and provided space for counter demonstrators to gather and hold space. Additionally, a sound permit was obtained allowing counter-programming to be played into and over the christian nationalist event. This event was thoroughly disrupted to the point where Feucht’s message became entirely focused on his willful misrepresentation of the disruptors. Christian nationalism’s message didn’t advance freely into the future while engaged in distraction and confrontation in the present.

We Don’t Rely on the Cops or Courts to Do Our Work For Us

This was the biggest shortcoming of the action when viewed through an Anti-Racist Action lens. Many groups were represented and not all of them share ARA’s determined rejection of all who uphold white supremacy and, in this case, christian nationalism. Some of the same officers present were those who have wrongfully arrested activists at other events in the past. The logic of using one group of enemies against the other is understandably enticing, but it fundamentally misunderstands the nature of the Three-Way Fight, and worse, invites open threats to safety and sources of trauma into the defense space under the guise of accepting them as allies this time.

Non-Sectarian Defense of Other Anti-Fascists

We Support Abortion Rights and Reproductive Freedom

This confrontation of christian nationalism represents several fights that absolutely include bodily autonomy. This includes abortion rights and reproductive freedom so much so that one of the organizations in the coalition is one of the leading organizations in Idaho helping people access contraceptives, morning-after pills, and other services up to and including abortion. Christian nationalism represents a direct threat to that sort of bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom. This action was a confrontation and refutation of a worldview that is directly harming those freedoms. Further, the fourth point of unity includes the following: ARA intends to do the hard work necessary to build a broad, strong movement against racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, discrimination against the disabled, the oldest, the youngest, and the most oppressed people. Many groups that ARA sought to protect, by standing against those things, were present in this defense. They were fighting for themselves and each other. They were fighting for us. We were fighting for them.

What does it mean?

It is our assertion that this was an anti-fascist community action carried out by everyday individuals. Without intent, and mostly unrecognized by participants, it mostly followed the Anti-Racist Action Points of Unity. This is significant, to us, because it hearkens back to a time when mass mobilizations of a similar kind were commonplace. We think community defenses must become commonplace again. The missing piece is that, in our opinion, the defenses must defend themselves and not rely on the state to protect them. Even in Idaho, though, the spirit of community defense and fascism resistance is strong. Those who would target Boise must take pause and expect resistance from a broad coalition of community members from many backgrounds, presenting as a unified front, as it should be.

We have seen many communities gain a lot of experience defending Pride events, whether threats ultimately materialized or not. We suggest that crews, cliques, and community members continue to build on that energy with intentionality and suggest the Anti-Racist Action Points of Unity as a possible starting point or framework for building these defenses. We ask anti-fascists and anti-racists to get involved in their communities to help protect and grow the spirit of resistance wherever they are.

There are a lot of parts to play in these situations and almost everyone can contribute something. When we start communicating with each other and elevating our strengths while protecting each others’ weaknesses, we have everything we need to face these moments together. Just look back, Anti-Racist Action kept the streets clean before us. There’s much we can learn from and build upon in these times, as we call for folks to keep our streets clean once again.

Relevant Reading

Books:

We Go Where They Go
No Pasaran!