No Kings, No Lies: How To Protest Safely In A State At War With Its People

Protesting in Texas this weekend? Read this first.

They’re coming armed. Again.

Not just the usual militia cosplayers in tactical vests and Punisher patches. This time, the state is backing them. Governor Greg Abbott has deployed over 5,000 National Guard troops across Texas ahead of this weekend’s No Kings protests. Add in another 2,000 state police, and you’ve got a militarized response to what is, by every measure, a peaceful, constitutional demonstration.

It’s about control. It’s about intimidation, escalation, and suppression. It’s about showing you who holds the guns and who writes the press releases afterward to make it all sound justified.

And while Abbott sends soldiers, the same extremist groups who brutalized protesters in 2020 are announcing their return. This post is real. It was shared this week by “This Is Texas Freedom Force,” the same armed militia that attacked San Antonio demonstrators during the BLM uprising, with zero consequences because the cops were on their side.

They say they’ll be “in full battle rattle.” At the Alamo. Ready to “defend against anti-deportation rioters.”

But you know what they mean.

They mean immigrants. They mean people of color. They mean anyone holding a sign that says “No King.” And if you think the state will protect you from them, look again.

This is coordinated. This is deliberate. This is the quiet part, out loud.

And it’s already happening.

They’re lying. Again.

About the protests. About who’s violent. About who counts as American. Fox News is running loops of trash-can fires like it’s 2020 all over again, selling fear to an audience already primed to see brown people with signs as a national threat.

But protests are good (and enshrined in our Constitution).

Chris Hayes said that out loud this week, on national television. And he’s right. Protests against cruelty, against state violence, against a man trying to crown himself king on his birthday, are not just good. They’re necessary. They’re American.

But the right-wing media machine wants you scared. They want you to believe that peaceful protest is a threat. That dancing, chanting, and praying in the streets is somehow more dangerous than a sitting president pardoning cop-beating insurrectionists on day one.

It’s all part of the script. We saw this in 2020. When millions took to the streets demanding justice, the right-wing media didn’t cover the marches. They covered the fire. They called Black protesters violent. They called white allies communists. They called the entire movement a Soros psyop.

And it was all a lie.

A comprehensive study found that 96% of Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 were peaceful. You know who started most of the violence? Law enforcement. Amnesty International documented it in detail. From Portland to Philadelphia, cops used tear gas, rubber bullets, batons, and SUVs against unarmed civilians.

That’s the pattern.

The protesters get labeled dangerous. The cops get riot gear. The militias get applause.

And the rest of the country gets spoon-fed a lie so loud they stop asking questions.

We’ve been here before. The only difference now?

They’re better at it.

It’s the same playbook.

Military crackdowns. Disinformation. That’s the strategy. Fascism in action. And they’re not hiding it anymore.

I said it earlier this week, Donald Trump is pressuring Greg Abbott to redraw the congressional maps mid-decade. To rig all 38 seats red before the 2026 midterms. Before voters can hold them accountable. And Abbott? He’s on board. He’s already sent the National Guard to the streets to protect power.

At the exact same time that Trump is deploying Marines in Los Angeles.

At the exact same time, right-wing media are smearing peaceful demonstrators as terrorists.

At the exact same time that militias like This Is Texas Freedom Force are calling on followers to show up armed, in “full battle rattle,” to confront protesters.

It’s coordinated. It’s deliberate. And it’s familiar.

Fascism is colonialism turned inward. That’s what Aimé Césaire warned us. And here it is, boots on the pavement in Austin, rifles slung in San Antonio, propaganda flooding your TV while the state plans to redraw you out of existence.

They’re using every tool in the empire’s kit, like surveillance, militarization, misinformation, disenfranchisement, and turning it against their own people. Against immigrants. Against Black and brown communities. Against queer youth. Against anyone who dares speak out.

And while they call it “law and order,” what they’re really building is rule by force.

They want domination.

How to stay safe when you stand up.

Because yes, you should show up.

Now is the time to stand. Peacefully. Proudly. Together.

Not with rage, but with resolve. Not with violence, but with the full weight of our constitutional rights behind us. The First Amendment wasn’t written for polite moments. It was written for this. For tyrants, for crackdowns, for presidents who think they’re kings.

But we need to be smart. Prepared. Unshakable.

Because while we’re showing up with signs and solidarity, they’re showing up with guns and gas masks. And the state? The state will be on their side.

So here’s how you protect yourself and each other.

Safety first.

From the Human Rights Campaign, Peaceful Protest Safety Guide.

• Go with people you trust. No solo protesting.

• Share your location with someone who isn’t there.

• Avoid counterprotesters. Do not engage militia members. Do not argue. Walk away.

• Wear a mask, goggles, and neutral clothing. Leave anything identifiable at home. No school logos, no flashy jewelry, no trackers.

• Bring water, snacks, and a backup charger. Write a legal aid number on your arm. Have a plan if you get separated.

Know your rights.

From the ACLU, Protesters’ Rights Guide.

• You have the right to protest peacefully in public spaces, sidewalks, parks, and streets.

• You do not have to show ID unless you are being legally detained.

• You have the right to film the police. Use it.

• You can say, “I do not consent to a search.” Say it out loud. Record it.

• If you’re arrested, ask for a lawyer. Do not explain. Do not confess. Ask for a lawyer.

Know who’s around you.

This one’s blunt, but necessary.

In small towns, especially, the cops will not protect you.

The same law enforcement that arrests migrant moms for “trespassing” will look the other way while armed militias like TITFF show up in tactical gear, shoulder to shoulder with officers. Assume every cop with a badge knows exactly who those militia members are, and won’t stop them.

If you feel unsafe, trust your gut. Leave. Regroup. You’re not weak for surviving. You’re not a coward for stepping back and keeping others safe.

The goal here isn’t martyrdom. It’s momentum.

We’re not here to win a street fight. We’re here to win a future.

Peaceful protest is a right.

One they’re afraid of, which is precisely why they’re trying to crush it.

So show up. Together. Prepared. Unafraid.

History is watching.

And it doesn’t belong to the ones with the rifles.

They want you afraid.

They want you isolated.

They want you silent.

That’s the whole game.

Because fear keeps you home, isolation keeps you quiet. And silence? That’s how they win.

So this weekend, don’t give them what they want.

Be loud.

Be brave.

Be together.

Know your rights. Hold your ground. Protect each other.

Let them see what real patriotism looks like, because it sure as hell doesn’t look like pardoning insurrectionists or sending Marines to stomp on protest signs. It looks like you, standing in a Texas street, linking arms with neighbors, refusing to bow.

We don’t need kings in this country.

We need courage.

And we’ve got it. In Houston. In Austin. In El Paso, Denton, McAllen, Dallas, San Antonio, Amarillo, and 40+ other towns, people are rising with purpose. With music, with banners, with backbone.

This is what democracy looks like when it refuses to lie down.

Find your protest here: https://www.nokings.org/

Bring your people. Bring your power. Bring your love for this country and a vision of what it could still be.

This is your moment.

Let them hear you.

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