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SOCIAL STRIKES: CONFRONTING ICE AND RESISTING AUTHORITARIANISM  
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Alexandria Shaner and Jeremy Brecher
January 16, 2026
ZNetwork
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_ An in-depth discussion with Jeremy Brecher on the strategy,
potential, and challenges of mass social strikes following the
Minnesota ICE murder _

Protest against ICE in Minneapolis, Minnesota, January 10, 2026 | ,
Image credit: Fibonacci Blue/Flickr, licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution License

 

As authoritarian politics harden in the United States, familiar
channels of resistance are proving dangerously inadequate. Elections
are constrained, courts are under siege, and dissent is increasingly
met with repression in the streets. In this moment, questions of power
— who has it, how it is exercised, and how it can be withdrawn —
are no longer abstract. They are immediate and practical. Labor
historian and longtime organizer Jeremy Brecher has spent decades
grappling with these questions, and in a recent series of reports,
culminating in “Social Strikes: Can General Strikes, Mass Strikes,
and People Power Uprisings Provide a Last Defense Against MAGA
Tyranny?
[[link removed]],”
he argues that large-scale noncooperation may be one of the few
strategies capable of halting an authoritarian slide.

From escalating resistance to ICE to a growing call for a Jan. 23
Minnesota shutdown
[[link removed]]
following the killing of Renée Nicole Good, forms of mass refusal —
to work, to comply, to carry on as usual — are moving from theory
into practice. Drawing on historical examples of people power
uprisings and on his recent work examining how general strikes and
broader “social strikes” are built, in this conversation Brecher
reflects on where the U.S. is now, what conditions make such actions
possible, and what strategic groundwork is required to turn diffuse
outrage into sustained, democratic power.

_This interview is co-published by __ZNetwork.org_
[[link removed]]_,
__Waging Nonviolence_
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and the __Labor Network for Sustainability_
[[link removed]]_._

COULD YOU GIVE A DEFINITION OF WHAT YOU MEAN BY SOCIAL STRIKES?

Social strike is a broad term that encompasses a wide range of
activities that use the withdrawal of cooperation and mass disruption
to affect governments and social structures. I use the term “social
strikes” to describe mass actions that exercise power by withdrawing
cooperation from and disrupting the operation of society. Social
strikes represent the withdrawal of cooperation and acquiescence by a
whole society, manifested for example in general strikes, political
strikes and mass popular “people power” uprisings. The goal of a
social strike is to affect not just the immediate employer, but a
political regime or social structure. In all their varied forms they
are based on Gandhi’s fundamental perception that “even the most
powerful cannot rule without the cooperation of the ruled.”

WHY IS THIS A WINNING STRATEGY, AND AS YOU PUT IT, A “DEFENSE
AGAINST MAGA TYRANNY”?

The power of the powerful ultimately depends on the acquiescence and
cooperation of those they rule. Social strikes have been one way that
people have exercised the power to withdraw that acquiescence and
cooperation.

Social strikes provide a possible alternative when institutional means
of action prove ineffective. In many countries, where democratic
institutions have been so weakened or obliterated that they are unable
to disempower tyranny, such methods have been used effectively. My
report on “Social Strikes” recounts examples that have brought
down tyrannical regimes in Poland, the Philippines, Brazil, Puerto
Rico, and most recently South Korea. These large-scale nonviolent
direct actions — often referred to as “people power” uprisings
— made society ungovernable and led to regime change. In all these
cases, popular mobilization and the threat of general social
disruption were so great that the autocrat’s supporters abandoned or
turned against him and forced him to resign.

Of course there are no guarantees that social strikes can win in the
U.S. today or in any other situation. But as MAGA tyranny drives more
and more individuals, constituencies and institutions into opposition,
its power is being progressively undermined. Historical experience
around the world has shown social strikes are a powerful means to
manifest that withdrawal of acquiescence and the refusal of the people
to cooperate. Indeed, widespread forms of mass resistance like the
Tesla and other boycotts, the No Kings Day-type national protests, and
the on-the-ground resistance to ICE are already hamstringing the Trump
administration’s freedom of action. Social strikes would represent a
significant intensification of what I have called “social
self-defense” against Trumpian tyranny. They have the potential both
to further impede MAGA depredations and to contest for support from
the majority of the population. 

_Free Our Future. Families Belong Together. Abolish ICE March and Day
of Action, Minneapolis, Minnesota  | Image credit: Fibonacci
Blue/Flickr, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License_

WHERE WOULD YOU SITUATE US, IN OUR CURRENT MOMENT, IN TERMS OF THE
TRAJECTORY OF THE ESCALATING AUTHORITARIANISM THAT WE HAVE BEEN
EXPERIENCING? HOW DOES THIS COMPARE TO SOME OF THE HISTORICAL
SCENARIOS YOU ANALYZE IN THE REPORT AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR OUR
STRATEGIC ORGANIZING?

An authoritarian takeover is under way in the U.S., complete with the
arrest of opposition

political leaders like Rep. LaMonica McIver, unrestrained executive
usurpation, and lawless physical violence and kidnapping by masked,
unidentified, armed federal agents. The government is now protecting
and defending ICE agents who shoot down protesters in cold blood. The
president is now threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act, which
would allow him to use the military to suppress a “rebellion,”
i.e. action by any who oppose him. As his power is threatened, it is
entirely plausible that he will turn to a full-scale coup. When a
regime starts shooting down unarmed protesters in the street, that’s
a Rubicon.

While they have much in common, every tyrannical regime and every
opposition has its own dynamics. Growing popular discontent and
emerging elite opposition (think Jerome Powell and the Clintons) are
likely to lead to intensified repression (think Iran today).
Authoritarian regimes are likely to use every means available to them
to destroy opposition — something we are seeing every day with the
Trump administration and its allies. Such repression can be effective,
but it can also provoke still further opposition (think popular
response and on-the-ground resistance following the ICE killing of
Renee Nicole Good). We need to be prepared for intensified repression,
but also be mindful that the people potentially have the power to
defeat tyranny.

FOLLOWING THE MURDER OF RENÉE GOOD BY AN ICE AGENT IN MINNESOTA ON
JAN. 7, AND AN ONGOING ASSAULT ON THE STATE BY FEDERAL IMMIGRATION
FORCES, A LABOR-COMMUNITY COALITION IS CALLING FOR RESIDENTS TO REFUSE
TO WORK, SHOP OR GO TO SCHOOL ON JAN. 23
[[link removed]].
COULD YOU COMMENT ON THIS AND OTHER RECENT CALLS FOR SOCIAL STRIKES?

The Minnesota story is developing hour by hour. The escalation of
repression, including more and more shooting of unarmed civilians,
massive invasion by additional ICE agents, and Trump’s threat to
invoke the Insurrection Act, seem to have enraged large swaths of the
state’s population without intimidating them into acquiescence. Mass
action responses [[link removed]] have been
cascading. Rapid response networks and neighborhood ICE watch groups,
armed with cameras and whistles, are proliferating. A friend in St.
Paul wrote to me that there are 1,100 rapid response anti-ICE
volunteers in their neighborhood alone.

On Jan. 10, ten thousand joined an “ICE Out of Minnesota” rally
and march. On Jan. 14, thousands of St. Paul high school and middle
school students marched to the State Capitol Building; nine high
schools staged walkouts; a thousand students blocked St. Paul’s main
thoroughfare with a two-mile march. On, Jan. 18 union postal workers
will rally to demand “ICE Out Of Minnesota!,” followed by a march
to the site of Renee Nicole Good’s killing. 

The proposed day of refusal
[[link removed]]
to work, shop or go to school is a perfect example of a “social
strike,” including work stoppages by workers but also myriad other
forms of noncooperation by large and highly diverse sectors of
society. A wide swath of immigrant, religious, labor, community,
tenant and other groups are deeply involved. Unions already supporting
the day of action include the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005,
SEIU Local 26, UNITE HERE Local 17, CWA Local 7250, and St. Paul
Federation of Educators Local 28. 

The way Minnesotans are turning to this form of action is a result of
the specific situation they face, but also of the growing discussion
of and calls for general and social strikes. In that context, the
“day of refusal” could have repercussions far beyond Minnesota.
Teacher and union activist Dan Troccoli says, “in addition to
appreciation, we want emulation. We need that out there in the streets
in every city.”

_Large vigil for Renee Good in South Minneapolis. Good, who was
observing ICE actions, was killed by an ICE agent earlier in the
day.m| Image credit: __Chad Davis_
[[link removed]]_/Flickr,
licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License_

WHERE ARE WE NOW IN TERMS OF STRATEGY AND READINESS FOR IMPACTFUL AND
SUSTAINED MASS SOCIAL STRIKES? 

A crucial development of the past years has been the emergence of what
I call the “movement-based opposition.” With the Democratic Party
largely failing to effectively play the role of an opposition party,
an alliance of social movements has begun playing the role of a
“non-electoral opposition” that can mobilize those harmed by MAGA,
identify common interests, unify their programs and actions, and
articulate alternatives. The movement-based opposition is exemplified
by the participation of millions in protest days of action like Hands
Off!, MayDayStrong, and No Kings, and the mass civil resistance to ICE
raids around the country. 

Next steps are already under way. Indivisible’s One Million Rising,
which it describes as “a national effort to train one million people
in the strategic logic and practice of non-cooperation,” could be a
step in preparing those already participating in mass protests for
social strikes. Future actions can progressively incorporate elements
of noncooperation and disruption that evolve toward social strikes and
serve as living representations of their potential power. They can
combine strikes with non-workplace actions like boycotts, commercial
shutdowns, mass picketing, blockades, occupations and civil
disobedience. Such actions will need to constantly seek the “sweet
spot” between effective disruption of MAGA oppression and alienation
of forces that might otherwise be won over.

COULD YOU OUTLINE A MEDIUM TO LONG-TERM ORGANIZING VISION AND
PRIORITIES FOR WHERE WE SHOULD AIM TO GO FROM HERE?

I have dubbed the overall struggle against MAGA tyranny “social
self-defense” — the defense of society by society against the
forces aiming to destroy it.

Social self-defense against a creeping or galloping MAGA coup is most
likely to succeed through a combination of electoral and social strike
methods. The overcoming of authoritarian regimes in the Philippines,
Serbia and elsewhere, while accomplished under circumstances far
different from those in the U.S. today, provide examples of how they
can be combined.

The detailed timelines of social strikes cannot be known in advance.
They are likely to grow out of a gradual, and not always visible,
buildup of harm — and resentment at harm. This is already occurring
in Trump’s America. It could lead to a series of escalating
struggles, possibly punctuated by defeats or by concessions generating
temporary quiescence. Popular opposition could also diminish as a
result of repression, MAGA counter-maneuvers, a sense of futility, or
other “unknown unknowns.” A period of apparent quiescence with a
rising sense of grievance might eventuate in a sudden explosion of
popular rage and a mass uprising. 

Whether gradually or rapidly, social strikes will need to develop the
power necessary to reduce MAGA power enough to bring an end to its
rule — through elections, collapse of political support, or social
disruption.

Resisting the rise of tyranny will no doubt require sacrifice. But
that sacrifice will not be primarily on behalf of one political party
vs. another, of Democrats vs. Republicans. It will be a defense of
democracy — defense of government of the people, by the people, and
for the people. Beyond that, it is the protection of that which makes
our life together on Earth possible. It is defense of the human rights
of all people; of the conditions of our Earth and its climate that
make our life possible; of the constitutional principle that
government must be accountable to law; of global cooperation to
provide a secure future for our people and planet; and of our ability
to live together in our communities, our country, and our world. A
MAGA tyranny is a threat to all of us as members of society.
Overcoming MAGA usurpation of power is social self-defense.

We can hope that social strikes will not be necessary to limit and
ultimately end MAGA tyranny. Accomplishing that goal by less drastic
forms of social self-defense inside and outside the electoral system
would likely require less risk and less pain. But if other means are
unavailing, experience around the world indicates that social strikes
may provide a way for people facing authoritarian takeover to
establish or reestablish democracy.

Join in solidarity: [link removed]

_This interview is co-published by __ZNetwork.org_
[[link removed]]_,
__Waging Nonviolence_
[[link removed]]_,
and the __Labor Network for Sustainability_
[[link removed]]_._

_Jeremy Brecher_ [[link removed]]_ is a co-founder
and senior strategic advisor for the Labor Network for Sustainability.
He is the author of more than fifteen books on labor and social
movements, including Strike! Common Preservation in a Time of Mutual
Destruction, and The Green New Deal from Below._

_Alexandria Shaner_ [[link removed]]_ is a
sailor, writer, and organizer. She is a staff member of
__ZNetwork.org_ [[link removed]]_ and active with Extinction
Rebellion, Caracol DSA, and Food Not Bombs._

 

 

* Social Movements
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* Immigration and Customs Enforcement
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* Jeremy Brecher
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* Authoritarianism
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