Editors’ Note: Sources mentioned in this article have been left anonymous or referred to by a preferred title for safety and privacy reasons. Some images have been digitally altered for the same reason. City on a Hill Press is committed to protecting the identities of these sources. 

This piece also contains mentions of historical violence and other sensitive topics. 

Over 300 demonstrators gathered outside of the Science and Engineering Library this past Tuesday at 2 p.m. to rally against the rise of fascism and imperialism in America. 

“This kind of action is a really important way to politicize the students, to show them that there are people here fighting, to give them optimism that’s already within them but is stifled and is constrained by fear,” an organizer for the Revolutionary Student Organization (RSO) said. 

The crowd of attendees outside the Science and Engineering Library extends beyond the pathway and into the surrounding brush.

RSO is a coalition of student activists who strive toward defending vulnerable communities and speaking out on current injustices seen in the U.S. The rally, called “The Future is Bright if We Take up the Fight: Down with U.S. Imperialism,” was organized by RSO to condemn the recent actions of the Trump administration. 

Speakers addressed various topics during the rally, including systemic racism against the Black community, the U.S.’ attack on Venezuela, ICE kidnappings, Trump’s threats to Greenland, sexism and misogyny in professional and domestic settings as well as the worsening climate crisis. A march to McHenry Library followed the initial gathering. 

“Especially as [the demonstration] relates to the recent attacks against migrant communities and protesters who are standing up in defense of migrants, we thought it was important to really focus our demands, focus our call here on the system itself,” the RSO organizer said. 

A participant in the crowd adjusts their keffiyeh during the demonstration outside of the Science and Engineering Library. Most protestors brought or wore masks provided by the RSO organizers.

Organizers distributed waterbottles, snacks and masks, which the majority of the crowd wore to conceal their identities. Lila, a student and attendee, expressed her thoughts on those who needed to wear masks in order to protest safely. 

“In our Constitution it says that we have free speech and that we should be able to have the right to protest,” Lila said. “But the administration has made people afraid, made people afraid of doing something that is inherently allowed.”

Before the march to McHenry Library, organizers roamed the crowd carrying chant sheets for others to take photos of.

Finn, another student and attendee, shared the same sentiment. 

“I think it’s bullshit,” he stated. “I think it’s sad. It’s true that there is a possibility that people could be hurt or targeted for presenting their beliefs. It’s necessary in some cases, but it’s sad that it is necessary.”

Finn also voiced that for him, the current political climate feels like a dictatorship.

“It’s surreal. For so long, I grew up with all my teachers and everyone saying this is the land of the free,” he continued. “Now we’re watching the same thing that happened not even 100 years ago unfold almost beat-for-beat, with so much accuracy to a previous dictatorship, and that ended in the Holocaust.”

[1 – 3] The demonstrators march down Steinhart Way, following chants led by organizers carrying a microphone and speaker. [4] Passing students stop to watch the march as parts of the crowd beckon them to join. The blond student on the right encourages the other two to join, before running down to join the demonstration.

Around 3 p.m., the rally transitioned into a march. The crowd marched behind the science buildings, down Steinhart Way to the front entrance of McHenry Library. As they marched, members held up signs and chanted, “Fuck ICE, fuck KKK, fuck fascist USA!” and “¡Se ve, se siente, el pueblo está presente!”

By the time the march ended, the crowd size had grown to about 400 people. As one organizer gave a speech, others set up a piñata of Donald Trump in a nearby tree as a cathartic display of civil resistance.

After reaching McHenry Library, the marchers carrying banners climbed onto the stone walls around the McHenry sign, as organizers and the rest of the crowd gathered in the front entrance to deliver speeches and chant.

“Let me see what you all are ready to do,” an organizer said addressing the crowd through a microphone, before demonstrators broke the piñata. “Right there is a piñata of an evil man.”

[1 – 2] Participants prepare the piñata by stuffing it with fruit snacks and throwing a rope over a nearby tree. [3 – 5] Demonstrators beat the piñata with sticks, fists, and a skateboard as the surrounding crowd cheers. [6 – 7] The remains of the piñata and fruit snacks lay scattered on the ground.

Before RSO members dismissed the crowd, they handed out flyers urging students to attend an educational discussion the following week. Sky, an RSO organizer, spoke about the organization’s future. 

“[A next step is having] RSO become such a staple in this area that people know where to go when they need a space to organize, a space to connect with people and a place to start making revolution happen,” Sky said. “Just getting into the minds of as many students as we can, just so they know they’re not alone in this struggle, and that we’re a lot stronger when we’re all struggling together.”

Attendees write messages in chalk on the pavement in front of McHenry Library.

The organizers distributed chalk so attendees could leave their mark on the pavement. Some of the messages written included “End the empire,” “Unite now,” “Free Palestine” and “Who watches the watchmen?”

Among dozens of messages on the floor, two phrases were the most common:

“Fuck Trump” and “Fuck ICE.”