Above photo: Community members (left) discourage fascists from disrupting meeting at historic Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, Sept. 18, 2025. WW Photo/Joe Piette.
Philadelphia – At a meeting Sept. 18 called by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to oppose the use of federal troops in Philadelphia or other cities, community members stood on an historic church’s steps and kept about five fascists from entering.
Krasner is running for a third term as District Attorney. Part of his re-election campaign is persistent criticism of President Donald Trump’s policies.
At the first of three meetings Krasner called earlier to oppose the use of federal troops in Philadelphia or other cities, a Trump supporter named Frank Scales alongside a few others disrupted Krasner’s remarks with racist, right-wing denunciations.
Coming off as a Charlie Kirk wannabe, Scales announced a protest against Krasner’s 3rd planned meeting, the one scheduled Sep. 18.
Krasner’s time in office has its own contradictions. He helped create a Conviction Integrity Unit that has exonerated 53 people. At the same time, he has refused to take any actions exonerating political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal.
Krasner represents the democratic bourgeois wing of the capitalist class while Trump represents the capitalist wing that believes fascism is required at this time to save their decaying system. Many workers and students support neither capitalist faction and believe a socialist system is the only answer to imperialist wars, genocide, ecocide and poverty.
The group of people defending the meeting on the church’s steps were there not only to oppose the fascist threat against Krasner but also to defend the historically Black Mother Bethel church.
The meeting itself was filled to capacity. Outside, community members made up of Nation of Islam and 15 other activists (including Workers World members) stood on the church’s steps (sometimes with arms linked) to keep the fascists from entering and disrupting the event.
A few cops tried to prevent a physical confrontation from breaking out. About 20 other cops stood further away. If a fight did break out, history shows us the cops would have protected the fascists. About 40 or 50 people watched from across the street.
Eventually, the fascists gave up and walked away.
Video of our refusal to let the fascists gain entry has been watched by tens of thousands of people on Instagram: shorturl.at/XzDq7.
U.S. imperialism under Trump not only stations troops in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Memphis, it also makes Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza possible, threatens war against China, Iran and Venezuela, sends ICE agents to kidnap migrant workers and tries to limit resistance to fascism by controlling the media. It’s critical that a united people’s movement fights back.
Workers World was there because we believe we need to confront fascists wherever they raise their ugly heads, whether their numbers are small or large. They should never be ignored, even when their target is a person we may not totally agree with. To not oppose them in person would be to allow them to organize their vile, racist, anti-worker, reactionary forces without resistance. Their rise would make it harder for progressives, socialists and communists to fight for a better world.
