SAN ANGELO, Texas (KLST/NEXSTAR) – Critics of the Trump administration will be “raging against the regime” this weekend during protests in cities nationwide.
Saturday’s “Rage Against the Regime” protests, organized by volunteers of the 50501 movement, are being held in response to what 50501 describes as a number of “threats” to democracy and human rights.
Among these “threats,” organizers count the current administration’s “weaponization of ICE against our communities, construction of concentration camps, covering up of the Epstein Files, attacks on transgender rights, and its dismantling of Medicaid, SNAP, USAID, the Department of Education, NOAA, and the National Weather Service,” according to a 50501 press release.
Nearly 350 “Rage Against the Regime” protests are scheduled for Saturday, according to a website operated by 50501. More than 100 additional protests and demonstrations, not billed as “Rage Against the Regime,” were also scheduled to take place Saturday.
The day of the rallies (Aug. 2) also happens to fall on the birthday of Vice President JD Vance, though 50501 spokesperson Hunter Dunn, in a statement to USA Today, said the coinciding dates were merely that a coincidence.
The 50501 movement, which is an abbreviation of the phrase “50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement,” had previously partnered to organize the “Hands Off” and “No Kings” protests earlier this year. The group has also promoted several other rallies of “days of action” since Trump took office.
As they have during previous protests, 50501 urges non-violence during demonstrations and rallies. A guide provided to activists and organizers also calls for designated volunteers to help with conflict resolution and safety at the events.
In San Angelo, Texas, Saturday’s protests were given a different name out of a desire to emphasize its peaceful intent.
“This event is being called RISE Against the Regime rather than ‘Rage,’ … This is intentional due to our goal to have a peaceful display of opposition to what the current administration has been doing to our nation and our community,” a representative for West Texas Indivisible, the group organizing the protest, said.
“We hope to encourage others to connect with us in an effort to build a supportive community, promote civic engagement, and work together to make the change we want to see,” the representative said, adding that those wishing to bring signs should refrain from using explicit language or imagery.
The “Rage Against the Regime” moniker of Saturday’s protests, meanwhile, is a reference to the Los Angeles rock band Rage Against the Machine. (Dunn even quoted a Rage Against the Machine song in a press release ahead of Saturday’s events.)
A representative for 50501 was not immediately available to comment further on the movement’s plans to “Rage Against the Regime” on Saturday.
Trump, meanwhile, has brushed off questions about 50501’s efforts in the past, saying ahead of the “No Kings” demonstrations in June that he wouldn’t liken himself to a monarch.
“I don’t feel like a king; I have to go through hell to get stuff approved,” he told reporters.
