Washington, D.C.– Shortly after Donald Trump was elected president sworn in Johng Delacruz, a 31-year-old local Filipino-American nurse, traveled from the other corner of Meridian Hill off 16th Street northwest of the capital to join the commotion on the other side of the U.S. Capitol of drumbeats, slogans, slogans and conversations. There was little ambiguity about the ideological leanings of the gathering.

One man held up a pre-made sign: “Socialism Defeats Fascism!” Below the message was the name of the organization that paid for the sign: Democratic Socialists of America.

Awakened troops retreat amid Washington protests, turn to Gaza to ‘fight back’

A pre-made neon green placard read: “Workers rights and people’s needs. Not war and genocide,” with “People’s Power Congress” emblazoned across it.

Another slogan read, “Fight Trump’s Agenda,” in small font, from the Freedom Trail socialist group.

Filipino-American nurse John de la Cruz expresses support for socialism (Asra Nomani, Project Pearl)

A group of demonstrators carried a pre-printed banner that read: “Workers should have power, not billionaires!” Under it, the Party of Socialism and Liberation took the credit.

“I’m proud to be a socialist who supports the socialist movement,” de la Cruz told me without hesitation. “I believe this is the future of humanity and the right side of history. Well, the ‘left’ if you will,” he added with a laugh.

But you wouldn’t know it from the Guardian’s media coverage of Trump’s alleged professional “boycott” Report It’s just that “anti-Trump protests sweep the world on Inauguration Day.” Voice of America only describe Calling demonstrators “anti-Trump protesters,” NBC News writes “Progressive Group” Marches were held across the country but not a word was said about the socialist dream that many groups professed.

Nearby, three activists in winter coats held blue and red banners of the Puerto Rican flag, also flying overhead. Its name is the Diaspora Pa’lante Collective, which advocates for Puerto Rico’s independence and a socialist government to lead it.

A man and a woman wearing black masks dramatically push aside a fake guillotine emblazoned with the ominous message: “Come and get the sum.”

Lacey McCauley calls himself an anarchist and says he supports socialism (Asra Nomani, Project Pearl)

These are not fringe gatherings of amateurs. Among them was Code Pink’s wealthy co-founder Medea Benjamin, who marched holding a cardboard heart-shaped sign painted pink.

“The media will not give full and honest coverage of a movement like this,” de la Cruz told me. “Its purpose is to preserve the status quo, if you will, of the capitalist system. If we think of socialism as the antithesis of capitalism, then of course, it’s not going to cover that. I think at best it’s going to say anti–from various grassroots Movement of Trump protesters, but I highly doubt they will accept our specific calls and demands.”

Understanding these needs is critical. The groups here aren’t just protesting Trump — they’re advancing socialism, Marxism and communism. Many of these organizations also hold a pro-Russian stance that is rooted in a propaganda tradition pioneered by the Soviet Union: demagoguery. Agitprop, short for agitation and propaganda, combines political messages with provocative actions to influence and mobilize. I call such protests “actions of incitement.”

Journalists I spoke to at the rally admitted they were rarely sure of the organization behind the protests. “The audience doesn’t really understand socialism,” one reporter told me. “When they hear the word, they stop paying attention.” It’s easier to reduce activists to concepts that readers can grasp.

On the eve of the protests, I stayed up until 3 a.m. researching the ideologies of the 205 groups nationwide involved in the January 20 protests as part of reporting for The Pearl Project, a nonprofit investigative reporting project I co-founded. mine analyze: 27 are Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, or Islamist; 63 identify as socialists; and 115 fall into what I call the “adjacent” category.

The protest industry is a complex and often opaque network of organizations, funding flows and ideological agendas that work together to orchestrate demonstrations, shape public narratives and influence political outcomes, as does effective “incitement” action. Understanding this ecosystem is critical because it reveals the motivations, alliances, and strategies behind seemingly spontaneous grassroots activism.

A walk through Meridian Mountain Park provides a clearer picture of these agendas. The slogans of these groups promote socialism and anti-imperialism in countries such as the Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, and the United States

The protests were far from isolated incidents; often coordinate efforts Involving global players, local chapters and significant financial support. Through Project Pearl, my goal is to investigate and expose the mechanics of this industry—to identify the players, track their funding, and analyze their impact. By revealing how the protests were organized and sustained, and positioning them as “resistance” to the Trump administration, I hope to provide transparency and give the public a deeper understanding of the forces shaping political discourse and activism.

A walk through Meridian Mountain Park provides a clearer picture of these agendas. The slogans of these groups advocate socialism and anti-imperialism in countries such as the Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba, and in the United States, their supporters do not hide their intentions.

Click here for more Fox News views

The organization’s 205 “supporters” nationwide do not hide their agenda. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, “Mormons want a better world” It says it is “committed to anti-racism, trans feminism, trans and queer liberation, disability justice, individual bodily autonomy, reproductive justice, socialism, anti-imperialism and decolonization”. leader Qiao collectiveOne outlet said they seek to “serve as a bridge between the American left and China’s rich body of Marxist, anti-imperialist political work and thought.” this “Revolutionary Marxist International Project” Its agenda is in its name.

As the parade turned from Northwest 16th Street onto Northwest Massachusetts Avenue, 46-year-old Lacy MacAuley became the focus of the cameras. She wore a disco outfit and a mask over her sunglasses at a nearby “protest” that read: “Trump is not the vibe at all.”

Click here to get the Fox News app

“I’m an anarchist,” she said, smiling. “I self-identify as a kind of person. That means I question and oppose hierarchy and the domination of one over another.” While Macaulay criticized socialism for often becoming “too centralized,” she added, “Its thinking The direction is right.”

By the end of the day, the Dupont Circle protests were winding down. As the demonstrators dispersed, the smell of marijuana hung in the air. One marcher tossed his sign into a trash can, where the message was revealed: “We fight back against the Internet.”

Click here to learn more about ASRA NOMANI