Marching Toward Power: Why Hands Off Must Become More Than Protest

Weekend protests alone won't stop authoritarianism, but they can help build the movement that will.

The Hands Off protests that have sprung up across the country in recent weeks are a stirring reminder that the spirit of resistance is still alive in America. Citizens step into the streets, carrying signs, chanting together, standing shoulder to shoulder against the creeping authoritarianism overtaking our institutions. Their courage deserves recognition. Their willingness to stand up, even when the odds feel overwhelming, is an act of moral clarity in a time when cynicism often feels like the easier path.

But it is time to say something hard, something that history demands we confront. If our goal is merely to feel righteous, weekend protests are enough. If our goal is to win, they are not.

The bitter truth is that non-strategic protests, no matter how large, rarely move the machinery of power. We have lived this lesson before. In February 2003, millions of people around the world, from London to New York to Sydney, poured into the streets to oppose the impending invasion of Iraq. It was the largest single day of protest in human history. It was awe-inspiring, a testament to the global yearning for peace. And yet it failed.