Warning for 'Remove the Regime' Protestors: ‘Refuse Fascism’ Is Not Your Ally

Refuse Fascism is a Front for the Revolutionary Communist Party—a Personality Cult that Co-opts and Sabotages Effective Movements

TL;DR: ‘Removal Coalition,’ who organized this protest, are the good guys. ‘Refuse Fascism’ (usually wearing/carrying orange) are an unrelated group who show up to co-opt others’ protests.

Veterans, activists, and content creators gathered in Washington right now for the Remove the Regime rally have every reason to be proud.

This is the kind of pro-democracy organizing we need more of—creative, strategic, and grounded in community. That’s why it’s critical we defend it from those who seek to coopt it and derail its momentum, like the front-group “Refuse Fascism.”

Refuse Fascism is already there. I’ve seen them collaborating on Instagram and other platforms with some of my closest friends—people I trust and admire. This is something that’s been happening since January with increasing frequency. Only recently did the chief investigator of Task Force Butler, who spent years as a researcher protecting abortion access organizations, bring to my attention Refuse Fascism’s history.

Read this open letter from a large coalition of grassroots pro-abortion organizers, which has all the receipts. Those who signed onto this open letter were issued threats of legal action, because exposure threatens Refuse Fascism’s business model.

Within the last 24 hours, I’ve seen more and more of my friends being used by this organization. That’s why I’m making this public now. It’s not because I want to sabotage momentum or stir internal conflict—it’s because I want to protect the integrity of our movements and ensure our energy isn’t exploited by bad actors.

Exploitative groups like Refuse Fascism will offer to “collaborate,” amplify you on their channels, maybe even hand you a megaphone or invite you to speak on one of their livestreams.

On the surface, it can look like support—like they’re giving you a platform. But what they want is your face, your voice, your name—so they can use it to legitimize their agenda. Do not take the bait.

This group has a long and well-documented history of hijacking righteous movements for their own gain. They are not what they appear to be. And their presence isn’t neutral—it’s corrosive.

Who They Are—And Who They’re With

Refuse Fascism is not an independent, grassroots anti-fascist group. It is a front for the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP), a cult-like organization centered on the ideology of Bob Avakian—a man whose name and image are treated with the reverence of a messiah figure by his followers.

This is not a conspiracy theory. It’s fact. Refuse Fascism’s leadership is composed entirely of RevCom operatives. Their sister groups—RiseUp4AbortionRights, Stop Patriarchy, and others—have been condemned by dozens of grassroots feminist and reproductive justice organizations for their authoritarian tactics, racist messaging, and exploitative behavior.

A coalition of frontline repro groups said it plainly in a public statement:

“RiseUp is a cult and pyramid scheme… an offshoot of the RevCom (Revolutionary Communist Party) group... Both essentially function as pyramid schemes that prey on social movements.”

These organizations don’t issue statements like this lightly. When communities on the front lines take the time to write open letters warning others, we owe it to them to listen.

Refuse Fascism, like its sibling front groups, exists to recruit for RevCom—not to defend democracy, not to protect abortion access, and certainly not to support the leadership of Black, Indigenous, POC, and Veteran organizers. Their goal is not liberation—it’s control.

A Pattern of Cooptation

The tactics haven’t changed in decades. Refuse Fascism and its predecessors show up to grassroots events organized by local communities—especially events gaining traction with the media or online—and insert themselves into the narrative. Their goal is visibility, not solidarity. They are drawn to movements that are gaining energy, because they see that momentum as something to be harvested.

In Ferguson, they tried to hijack Black-led protests for racial justice. (Talking Points Memo) In Texas, they wore chains and compared abortion bans to slavery—provoking widespread condemnation from local reproductive justice organizers. (Slate, The Cut, Bitch Media, Salon)

They are known for graphic, misleading imagery and messaging that stigmatizes abortion, traumatizes survivors, and feeds right-wing propaganda. These actions don’t support movements—they complicate them, distract from their goals, and provide easy ammunition to our enemies.

What They Want From You

RevCom and its fronts are obsessed with visibility. They rely on recognizable, trustworthy figures—especially veterans, creators, and organizers of color—to give them a borrowed legitimacy they cannot earn on their own. If you let them tag you in a photo, repost your TikTok, or share the mic with you at a protest, they will exploit that moment endlessly. It will become their content. Their recruitment tool. Their bait. Your credibility becomes their asset.

They seek the appearance of broad-based support. They want to point to you and say, “Look who stands with us.” (They’re especially focused on targeting veterans and figures like Michael Fanone for this reason right now). They want your audience, your following, your hard-earned trust. They don’t care about your mission. They care about their visibility.

I’m not telling you to gatekeep the movement. I’m asking you to protect it. And to protect yourself.

RevCom doesn’t believe in democracy. They believe in a revolution led by one man—Bob Avakian.

They’re not shy about this. Their websites and flyers spell it out clearly. They are not aligned with your values just because they say they oppose fascism. Opposition to fascism, on its own, is not a political compass. What matters is what they want in its place.

Fascism and cult authoritarianism are two sides of the same coin. Don’t trade one for the other.

Why This Matters Right Now

The Remove the Regime rally in Washington, D.C. is one of the most promising new formations to emerge in the pro-democracy space. It centers people who have served this country—who have risked their lives for it. It’s multiracial, multigenerational, and mission-focused. It recognizes that we’re fighting on multiple fronts: against authoritarianism, against disinformation, and against the creeping normalization of fascist politics in America.

It is exactly the kind of movement that groups like Refuse Fascism target for infiltration.

RevCom’s operatives are trained to mirror your language, your calls to action, even your aesthetic. But beneath that surface is a rigid, top-down structure designed to channel momentum back to one purpose: the elevation of Bob Avakian and his cult.

Ask yourself: why have so many local organizers, including seasoned reproductive justice leaders, gone out of their way to publicly denounce RiseUp4AbortionRights and its leadership? Why did Texas feminists issue open letters and petitions begging national movements not to platform Sunsara Taylor or her groups?

Because when you align with them—or even appear to—you burn bridges with the very communities we need to lead this fight. You create friction where we need unity. You risk alienating the people doing the work every day, in every zip code, without the spotlight.

Where’s the Money Going?

It’s notable that although Refuse Fascism uses CauseVox—a fundraising platform that markets itself to small-to-medium nonprofits—nowhere on their website do they actually state that they are a registered nonprofit. That’s not a small detail. (Please note that I’m not taking the step of making a donation to see if on the receipt it says that it’s a tax-deductible donation—I’m just sharing the information I have available otherwise). If they’re not a nonprofit, they’re not required to disclose how they’re using their funds. There’s no transparency, no public accounting, and no board oversight. That means donors have no way of knowing where their money goes, how decisions are made, or who’s benefitting. It’s a red flag for anyone who cares about ethical, accountable movement work.

What to Watch For

Here are some warning signs that you’re dealing with Refuse Fascism or one of its front groups:

• They encourage people least experienced with street protests to engage in high-risk behavior that can sabotage events and leave individual protestors facing long-term consequences—from arrest, injury, or political targeting

• They demand unity behind a single figure or ideology, dismissing nuance or internal debate as weakness or betrayal

• They insist on high-drama tactics, but won’t support local organizers doing long-term work

• They film everything, post constantly, and are vague about where their donations go or how decisions are made

If someone shows up offering solidarity but refuses to name their affiliations or dodges questions about RevCom—you’re not being invited to collaborate. You’re being groomed to recruit others.

Stay on Mission

To the veterans, creators, and community organizers putting in real work this week: I see you. I support you. And I want your work protected from those who seek to hijack it.

There is room for principled disagreement in this movement. But there is no room for cults. There is no room for pyramid schemes. There is no room for one man’s personal revolution to swallow the work of communities who have been fighting fascism for generations.

We need antifascist organizing grounded in humility, integrity, and accountability. We need leaders who build trust from the bottom up, not from behind a podium. The Removal Coalition has built something critically important—we cannot allow it to be coopted.

If someone offers you a bigger platform, ask who built it. If someone says they want to help, ask whose direction they take. If someone tries to center themselves in your movement, walk away.

You don’t need them. They need you.

Let’s stay focused. Let’s stay strategic. Let’s go on offense.

- Kris