Protesters in Chicago March on ICE Calling for 'End to Fascism'

Demonstrators took to Federal Plaza in Chicago for a second day on Wednesday, September 16, calling for what they described as an “end to fascism” and to remember those killed during anti-racism protests across the country.

Protesters showed photos of the “victims of the Trump/Pence regime,” said Refuse Fascism Chicago. The organization said the rally was to “indict the Trump/Pence regime for defending and protecting fascists.” Organizers also marched to the ICE Field Office.

Demonstrators had also gathered in Chicago on Tuesday afternoon for “The People’s Academy Rally and Teach In” event, calling for the removal of ICE’s “Citizens Academy.”

The initiative, modeled after similar law-enforcement training programs, was scheduled to begin September 15 but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic earlier in the month, according to reports.

Antonio Gutierrez, an activist with the Organized Communities Against Deportation group, said Citizens Academy would “promote vigilante initiatives and serve as another example of white supremacy”, reported the Columbia Chronicle. Credit: Refuse Fascism Chicago via Storyful