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GI Resistance

Soldiers Must Disobey Unlawful Orders Under Trump

November 25, 2025 Marjorie Cohn, Truthout. , , ,
The courageous action of six Democratic members of Congress has thrust into the national discourse the duty of military and CIA personnel to disobey Donald Trump’s illegal orders. As the Trump administration continues to unlawfully murder people in small vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, deploy the National Guard to U.S. cities, and ignore court orders, the six lawmakers were moved to act. In a 90-second video organized by Sen. Elissa Slotkin (Michigan), two senators and four Congress members, all U.S. military or CIA veterans, take turns reading a statement to active servicemembers, urging them to refuse to follow illegal orders.

Just Follow Orders Or Obey The Law?

November 22, 2025 Charli Carpenter and Geraldine Santoso, Scheer Post. , , ,
As the Trump administration carries out what many observers say are illegal military strikes against vessels in the Caribbean allegedly smuggling drugs, six Democratic members of Congress issued a video on Nov. 18, 2025, telling the military “You can refuse illegal orders” and “You must refuse illegal orders.” The lawmakers have all served either in the military or the intelligence community. Their message sparked a furious response on social media from President Donald Trump, who called the legislators’ action “seditious behavior, punishable by death.”

How Mass Haredi Opposition Could Reshape Israel

November 1, 2025 Abed Abou Shhadeh, Middle East Eye. , , ,
The massive rally of the Haredi community in Israel on Thursday was not merely another episode in the long-running conflict between secular and religious Israelis.  It revealed something deeper: a tectonic shift driven by dramatic demographic change, internal fractures within the Haredi community, and the unravelling of a political bargain that for decades linked the state’s ruling coalitions to Haredi parties. For decades, the political architecture that sustained Haredi political power rested on a simple transactional logic: in return for predictable Knesset support, Haredi parties secured budgets, institutional autonomy, and protections for religious life.  Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long tenure, that arrangement - fed by growing state resources and generous allocations to Haredi education and social systems - became entrenched. 

National Guard Members: ‘I Won’t Turn Against My Neighbors’

October 29, 2025 Nicole Sganga, CBS News. , , ,
Chicago — Two Illinois National Guard members told CBS News they would refuse to obey federal orders to deploy in Chicago as part of President Trump's controversial immigration enforcement mission — a rare act of open defiance from within the military ranks. "It's disheartening to be forced to go against your community members and your neighbors," said Staff Sgt. Demi Palecek, a Latina guardswoman and state legislative candidate from Illinois's 13th District. "It feels illegal. This is not what we signed up to do." Both Palecek and Capt. Dylan Blaha, who is running for Congress in the same district, described growing unease among Guard members after the White House federalized 500 troops.

How Black Police And Soldiers Have Resisted Federal Takeovers

August 25, 2025 Roger House, LA Progressive. , , , ,
President Trump has deployed federal law enforcement officers and the National Guard in Los Angeles and Washington D.C. and threatened to take over predominantly Black Democratic cities by decree. The presidential orders are conducted on the pretext of fighting crime, but critics condemn them as nefarious acts of political provocation and racial intimidation. The deployments have spurred a debate over the legality of the administration’s use of federal police and the National Guard generally — and the role of Black cops and troops in carrying them out in particular. Should they follow orders of questionable legality, or instead disobey and protest through the appropriate channels?

A Message To Troops In DC From Other Service Members And Veterans

August 19, 2025 Empire Files. , , ,
War based on lies and false pretenses delivered us, our families, and civilians abroad 20 years of disaster. Now we face another war based on lies and false pretenses, but this time on American soil. The “war on crime” is a smokescreen. Crime in Washington D.C. has been at a 30-year low with a significant drop in violent crime. The motivation for the deployment of federal troops is purely based on the racist fantasies of those in power. Republicans have wanted to take over the District since 1973, when it created a Black-led political establishment. It also serves as a mechanism to test the limits of Trump’s authoritarian power. Constitutional lawyers have called this deployment “an unlawful prototype of a police state … a first step in Trump’s march to militarize America’s cities and subvert democracy.”

Military Veteran Speaks Out On Nuclear War And GI Resistance

August 12, 2025 Margaret Flowers, Clearing the FOG. , , , , , , ,
This past week marked the 80th anniversary of the US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Clearing the FOG speaks with Gerry Condon, a past president of Veterans for Peace and a lifelong GI resister, about the myths of the US atomic bombing of Japan and the costs of nuclear weapons, including the environmental contamination from the nuclear chain and testing. Condon warns that the risk of nuclear war is higher than ever. He also speaks about resistance to nuclear weapons and his current work on the anti-nuclear boat, The Golden Rule. And Condon discusses the surge in active duty members who are joining Veterans for Peace in opposition to the genocide in Palestine and the domestic deployment of the military to assist ICE in the detention of immigrants and US citizens.

‘Just Following Orders’ Is No Excuse!

August 12, 2025 Leonard Eiger, Substack. , , , ,
On April 21, 2025 I wrote my first post about a campaign in which I was collaborating with another activist to make military personnel aware that they may be told to carry out orders that go against the Constitution and the laws of the United States. Our principle concern was that Donald Trump would order US military personnel to be deployed within our borders to round up U.S. citizens or immigrant families for detention or deportation — whether or not they have committed a crime. The campaign, directed at military personnel, is called “JUST FOLLOW ORDERS?” YOUR DECISION. It invites and challenges members of the military to consider the consequences of their actions, informs them of their options, and provides resources for support. Not too many people took it seriously at the time.

Israeli Youth Burn Their IDF Draft Orders To Protest Gaza War

July 20, 2025 Al Bawaba. , , , ,
An Israeli human rights activist called Itamar Greenberg recently captured a protest in Tel Aviv showcasing Israeli youth burning their IDF draft orders in protest of the ongoing aggression on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. The video circulating on X (formerly known as Twitter) garnered hundreds of thousands of views on the social media platform, with many fellow activists praising the protestors for their courage and bravery. Burning the IDF draft orders showcases the activists' refusal to take part in Israel's ongoing aggression on Gaza.

Soldiers Are Taking A Stand Against Trump’s Abuses

July 6, 2025 Liza Featherstone, Portside. , , , , ,
Kim, an aircraft mechanic, joined the military in 2019, at age 18. She and her mother had struggled to survive, even living in their car at times. She didn’t think she could afford college, so she didn’t apply. Like so many young Americans in that situation, she enlisted “to get a stable paycheck, a roof over my head, food in my stomach at the end of the day.” Deployed only once, Kim spent most of her time on base, but she enjoyed the routine: waking up early for 15-hour workdays, staying up late to earn an associate’s degree, making lifelong friends and “amazing mentors.” But in 2024, she began to worry about what a new administration might ask the military to do.

Calls To GI Hotlines Rise As Service Members Consider Defying Orders

July 5, 2025 Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg, Truthout. , , ,
As the country tumbles towards fascism, some members of the U.S. military have struggled with a choice: defy illegal orders, or participate in the dismantling of American democracy. In June, over the objections of local leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, President Donald Trump called up the National Guard and the U.S. Marines to quell protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids. That month, calls to the GI Rights Hotline spiked. The hotline provides information on military discharges and related issues; all calls are confidential. The hotline, which is jointly administered by a large consortium of nonprofit organizations, connects callers with both paid resource counselors and experienced volunteers.

Greg Stoker On How The US Military Breaks Young Men

June 28, 2025 Lowkey, MintPress News. , , ,
On this episode of “The Watchdog,” Lowkey is joined in-studio by special guest Greg Stoker to discuss all things military from an anti-war perspective. He shares his personal experiences in U.S. military intelligence, what being in the Army is really like, and how the U.S. is aiding Israel in its destruction of Gaza. Greg Stoker is a former Army Ranger with a background in special operations and military intelligence. He completed four combat deployments to Afghanistan during the Global War on Terror. After becoming disillusioned with the military and with the U.S. empire, he became an anti-war activist and is one of America’s most vocal critics of the military-industrial complex.

Meet The American Military Veterans Fasting For Gaza

June 17, 2025 Azad Essa, Middle East Eye. , , , , ,
Joy Metzler was a second lieutenant in the US Air Force when Aaron Bushnell self-immolated in protest against the US's role in Israel's war on Gaza. The 23-year-old Metzler was so moved by Bushnell's sacrifice in February 2024 that she began researching Palestine. Horrified by Israel's occupation and US backing for what international human rights groups, experts and several countries now qualify as an act of genocide in Gaza, she became a conscientious objector to the war, choosing to leave the air force in August 2024. Her application to be excused from the air force was approved in April 2025.

US Military Members Have The Right To Refuse Illegal Orders

June 16, 2025 Margaret Flowers, Clearing the FOG. , , , , , ,
On June 7, 2025, the Trump administration overstepped the state government and federalized the national guard in California. They were deployed to Los Angeles to suppress protests against the rampant raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In an unprecedented move, the administration also ordered marines to Los Angeles to join the guard. Clearing the FOG speaks with attorney James Branum of the Military Law Task Force, a branch of the National Lawyers Guild, about the history and legality of domestic troop deployments, the dangers of escalation and violations of civil rights, and what rights members of the military have to refuse to participate. Branum outlines the resources available to military members who want more information or need legal support.

The Use Of National Guard And Active Duty Troops To Control Opposition

June 10, 2025 James M. Branum, Military Law Task Force. , , , , ,
The Military Law Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild is opposed to the use of military forces to “put down” or “control” the heartfelt reactions by community members to workplace immigration raids in Los Angeles and other cities. The Trump administration claims the use of the troops is necessary because local police are incapable of protecting the masked, non-uniformed, but heavily armed, federal forces from ICE, DHS, ATF and the FBI. Nothing could be further from the truth. In California, for example, Governor Gavin Newsom has denounced the use of military troops as a dangerous escalation of the confrontations.
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