Image: Remix of photo by Pablo Valerio on Pixabay
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun
Get ready for a glimpse of nonviolence in action around the world! This week’s Nonviolence News shows that humanity is not giving in to authoritarians, corruption, racism, war, and planetary destruction. It’s a powerful glimpse of our times – and heartening. By remembering that we are neither alone nor unique, we catch courage and learn a lot from the struggles … their setbacks and their successes.
In France, a coalition of 600 groups mobilized hundreds of thousands of people in 200 locations to take a stand against racism, fascism, Islamophobia, and the far right. In the Netherlands, 15,000 people marched for similar reasons. Over 1,100 people were arrested in Turkey during protests against the arrest of the main rival of President Erdogan on corruption charges that many feel are baseless. Pakistan cracked down on the Baloch activists who are campaigning to end forced disappearances, killing 3 and arresting over a dozen more. Serbia unleashed a sonic weapon (LRAD, which has been used in the US) on the mass protests against government corruption.
Tens of thousands of Colombians marched for national reforms on healthcare and labor. Chilean artisanal fishermen faced police repression as they demonstrated against a bill that favors industrial fishing companies. Mexico City’s trolly workers successfully won green infrastructure investments that saved their industry; now they’re striking again for the uniforms, safety equipment and tools they were promised. Several thousand demonstrators in Hungary stood up for LGBTQ+ rights once again. Nigerians are organizing at parties to make HIV testing both normal and fashionable. After 3 years of nonstop direct action and some stunning wins, Just Stop Oil is shifting gears into new directions. In Pakistan, people are opposing a canal system that would deprive local communities of much-needed water resources. In Canada, land defenders are trying to save a sacred forest and First Nation burial site from being turned into a housing development site. Kyrgyzstan is creating artificial glaciers to provide dry season water storage. Scientists around the world took action to stop a river-polluting copper mine in Peru.
In the United States, federal worker and other labor unions have made a bold entrance into the fight to stop firings, budget cuts, and unjust policies. Thousands of US postal workers rallied against cuts to the post office. Canada’s travel boycott has reduced flights to the US by over 70%. Tesla stock has lost half its value as protests at showrooms swell and build toward a global day of action today (March 29). Canada also kicked Tesla off its electric vehicle rebate program over some dodgy claims (and the Musk-Trump administration’s attacks on Canadian sovereignty probably didn’t help). Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are turning out their largest crowds ever (34,000 people in Colorado) on their Fighting Oligarchy Tour, proving that people in the US are fed up with the billionaires in power.
Protesters got creative, too. Constituents put cowardly politicians in a bind by demanding they appear at local town hall meetings to face the outrage of the standing-room-only crowd … or the voters would put an empty chair on the stage and talk about why it is time to replace their absentee legislator. With the Department of Education being threatened by the Trump administration, Sunrise Movement held a study-in protest in the lobby. Over at the Senate Building, a sit-in and banner drop was held to protect Medicaid and Medicare. New Yorkers ended a large march and rally with a breathtaking die-in protest warning of the life-threatening consequences of the administration’s slashing of public services. In Tennessee, citizens stalled a discriminatory bill against undocumented children by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance; unfortunately, lawmakers took the proceedings behind closed doors. In Idaho, 3,000 people joined sidewalk chalk actions to uplift values of inclusion and welcoming in support of the schoolteacher who refused to take down a banner that says Everyone Is Welcome Here. Groups of 40 volunteers per shift have showed up to help a local print shop meet the unexpected demand for 20,000 tee-shirts with the banner on it. And the group behind Billionaires For Bush have caught up with the inflation of concentrated wealth and authoritarian power grabs, launching Trillionaires For Trump to use mock-tivism to address the serious issues of oligarchy.
Israel is experiencing the largest protests against the Netanyahu government it has seen since before the ‘war’ (which is now a genocide) in Gaza began. In Gaza, a series of protests against the war and Hamas has brought out hundreds of Palestinians. Over 1,000 people protested in New York City after ICE abducted Tufts University PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk off the street; some fear her visa revocation is a targeted retaliation for her pro-Palestinian activities. In India, large nationwide demonstrations took place against Israel’s violations of the ceasefire. Thousands of people also protested in emergency rallies held in Australia.
In the Nonviolence News Research Archive’s Knowledge Section this week, you’ll find some insightful podcast episodes and articles you’ll want to save. Consider making daily playlist and reading list and sitting down for a few minutes with content like Nonviolence Radio’s interview with John Paul Lederach on how to prevent toxic polarization from leading to civil war, Nonviolence Now Podcast’s episode on countering the authoritarian wave, and articles on intergenerational organizing, creating community care when the systems don’t serve you, what the world can learn from queer radical collectives, and a close look at what solidarity is and isn’t. If you haven’t visited the Nonviolence News Research Archive, it’s just a click away and you’ll find 91 fascinating stories to explore from this week … and nearly 1,000 more we’ve collected since the start of 2025.
Check out the great stories in the Nonviolence News Research Archive>>
One thing to notice in all these stories are the threads of common cause. People around the world are not giving up on the vision of a peaceful, just, democratic and inclusive society on a living planet. They’re standing up in large numbers and in courageous ways. There is power in recognizing our solidarity with one another. The world we want is a world that respects and cares for people and planet. It’s worth the struggle to achieve it.
In solidarity,
Rivera Sun
We have new donors who are giving $10 and $2 each month. This moves me deeply. Even readers who don’t have a lot to spare recognize that Nonviolence News is a vital source of information and inspiration. Poetry is an important as bread, they say, and maybe these kind of stories of nonviolence in action around the world are, too. Become a monthly donor here>>
How are global youth organizing for climate justice?
Find out in this episode of Nonviolence Now Podcast>>