History often  has a cruel sense of humour, but  not always. Sometimes the joke, or as  Deutscher  called  it, the irony of history, is a happy surprise. Certainly if the attempt by the anti-Trump activist group Indivisible ( the energetic gang that already brought us three impressive No Kings rallies) succeeds in reviving the tactic of the general strike in their May Day Strong organizing  and helps bring down the worst president in US history and his wannabe stormtroopers, it would be welcome surprise. The call from Indivisible has been widely endorsed by unions, civil liberties groups, anti war organizations and other elements of civil society.  Right wing commentators are alarmed and fall back on red baiting and conspiracy theories. (If you would like to time travel to the era of Joe McCarthy and anti-red witch hunts, just tune in to commentary yesterday and today on FoxNews!) It has also been criticized by some observers on the left as an attempt to co-opt and tame the rising tide of opposition.

On May Day 2026, workers and their allies responded to the call from Indivisible by organizing over 3,000 events across America. From Alaska and Hawaii to Maine and Florida, the streets were full of demonstrators. (Crowd size estimates for May 1 remain contested and under-reported as this column is written, but previous No Kings rallies saw millions of Americans march.)

“Since Inauguration Day, corporate billionaires and the Project 2025 agenda have driven attacks on our rights and freedoms, including by targeting workers based on how we look, the language we speak, or the work we do, and undermining our First Amendment rights and our freedom of association,” New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO President Brendan Griffith said in a statement to Al Jazeera.

In Philadelphia, Sen. Bernie Sanders joined the “Workers over Billionaires”........

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