SouthernWorldwide.com – As President Donald Trump prepares to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with a UFC event at the White House, a national network of activists has organized its own counter-event.
This rival spectacle features a celebrity concert headlined by Jane Fonda, hundreds of “watch parties,” and local organizing events. One notable protest is titled “RAGE AGAINST THE CAGE!” and is part of a coordinated effort to fight Trump’s influence through the midterm elections and beyond.
At 4 p.m., the pro-communism group “Refuse Fascism” plans to hold its “RAGE AGAINST THE CAGE!” protest at McPherson Square, near the White House. UFC fighter Sean Strickland announced on social media that he purchased a ticket to protest the White House event.
Strickland stated his intention to protest due to being allegedly removed from a main event for criticizing Israel and the war in Iran. He added that he would bring a bullhorn to the demonstration.
Meanwhile, the Women’s March, a large nonprofit organization, has rented portable toilets. These are being set up at Farragut Square, a few blocks from the White House, for a protest event dubbed “Dump on Trump.”
A detailed “No Kings Event Host Toolkit” outlines June 14 as an opportunity to transform mass demonstrations into local political infrastructure. Organizers present this event as a direct counterpoint to Trump’s hosting of the UFC event at the White House.
They emphasize that they will be “doing the real work of democracy.” The toolkit describes watch parties as “strategic community gatherings” designed to build local connections and establish grassroots infrastructure for defending rights through the midterm elections and future political contests.
Indivisible, a Democratic nonprofit funded by George Soros, has assigned the headline role to Jane Fonda’s “Committee for the First Amendment.” This committee is hosting the day’s main counter-event in New York City.
The event, titled “Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment,” is a 90-minute concert starting at 7:30 pm. It is scheduled to take place at “The Town Hall” theater on 43rd Street. Tickets for the orchestra section were reportedly selling for $330.15 over the weekend.
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The “Committee for the First Amendment” describes itself as a broad coalition of artists, storytellers, and cultural leaders. It was launched in October 2025 and includes approximately 500 prominent figures from the entertainment industry.
Their name is an homage to a group established in 1947 by Hollywood celebrities. This original group, which included Lauren Bacall, Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, and Groucho Marx, challenged Senator Joe McCarthy’s investigations into communism in the U.S. and Hollywood.
However, some members of the original “Committee for the First Amendment” were later identified as communists. Original group members also wrote that they were misled into joining the effort.
Ronald Reagan, then an actor, reportedly referred to committee members as “suckers.” Actor Humphrey Bogart even published a candid column titled, “I’m No Communist.”
In his column, Bogart urged fellow celebrities not to be “used as dupes by Commie organizations.”
Fast forward to the present, and the anti-Trump concert features left-wing activists, including Fonda. Her controversial 1972 trip to North Vietnam earned her the nickname “Hanoi Jane.”
This trip sparked backlash from critics who accused her of siding with the North Vietnamese communist regime during the Vietnam War. In New York City, she is scheduled to be joined by Patti Smith, the “godmother of punk” from the 1970s, as well as actress Bette Midler, singer Rufus Wainwright, singer Sasha Allen, former MSNBC host Joy Reid, and actor Wilson Cruz.
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Organizers describe the event as “an uplifting evening of song, solidarity, and action.” It aims to celebrate freedoms of speech, religion, press, assembly, and protest.
The day’s messaging guidance frames the June 14 event as an alternative political narrative focused on “people power.” The guidance states that the lead-up to America’s 250th is a test of national character.
“President Trump is choosing self-promotion. We’re choosing community, participation and people power,” the guidance reads.
Organizers consistently portray their effort as direct counterprogramming to Trump’s event. One suggested message for supporters states: “On June 14, President Trump hosts a UFC cage fight at the White House. The main event will be in our living rooms.”
The “No Kings” coalition’s internal materials detail an extensive organizing structure. Host toolkits instruct local organizers on recruiting co-hosts, appointing “greeters” and safety leads, collecting attendee contact information, identifying future organizers, and scheduling follow-up organizing meetings after the concert.
One host guide advises organizers that their objective is to “bring people in and move them to ongoing participation.” Another instructs hosts to determine “who might help you with organizing moving forward.” Before attendees depart, organizers are directed to create “a clearly defined plan” and schedule another organizing meeting within two weeks.
Collectively, these documents reveal an effort focused not just on a single day of protest but on building lasting activist networks beyond June 14. The coalition’s messaging guidance explicitly states this objective.
One recommended talking point asserts: “He wants attention. We’re building a movement.”
Simultaneously, organizers emphasize legal compliance and message discipline. The protests include a “reimbursement” program administered through Indivisible Civics, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
In a departure from the overtly partisan nature of “No Kings” protests, which often portray Trump as a “king,” the guidance for the day states that events “cannot include lobbying or partisan political activity.” The reimbursement material reveals for the first time that participating groups may receive up to $500 in reimbursements for watch parties connected to the event.
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The guidance further specifies that events cannot be “co-hosted with any political party or partisan organization” or “feature candidates running for elected office.” The document also clarifies that the program “cannot reimburse expenses from political rallies or protests (e.g. ‘No Kings’) or events hosted to prep for those activities.”
The political undertones have been thinly veiled. At the last “No Kings” protest in St. Paul, Minnesota, as with earlier rallies, organizers, including Fonda, openly supported Democratic politicians like Representative Ilhan Omar, with no Republican lawmakers present.
Organizers stressed a strict commitment to a “NONVIOLENCE CLAUSE.” One host guide warns: “DO NOT DELETE THE NONVIOLENCE CLAUSE. Your event will not be approved without this language.”
Beyond the celebrity headliners, the campaign’s leadership network overlaps with activists and organizations that have faced congressional inquiries for their alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
