On April 5, 2025, thousands of protestors participated in the ‘Hands Off!’ rallies that took place across all 50 states. The peaceful protests were organized by over 150 labor unions, LGBTQ+ advocates, civil rights, and other progressive organizations, for the opposition to the policies and leadership of President Donald Trump, mobilizing thousands of civilians nationwide. These protests were not just about political disagreement, but about the perceived threats to the foundations of American democracy and its erosion under Trump’s presidential term.
In democratic theory, erosion of democracy occurs more subtly through the weakening of institutions and norms. Scholars have presented several explanations for why democracies erode such as crises that centralize power; collapse of traditional parties or loss of legitimacy; influence of authoritarian regimes; and popularity of would-be strongmen. However, the role of the opposition in theory is becoming more popular among discussion regarding fighting back against democratic erosion. Whether opposition groups resist in moderate or radical actions, they can nonetheless affect the country’s course.
The idea of hundreds of protests occurring across the country is not inherently alarming, yet the reasons for the protests occurring, point to the larger issue of democratic backsliding. Organizers of the rallies expressed concerns ranging from threats to social security benefits, attacks on marginalized communities, mass deportation, and the growing use of state power to punish political dissent, all of which have violated some democratic norms that have been set and placed within government institutions, aiming to prevent this sort of chaos. These protests fall under the realm of radical resistance on behalf of the organizations and political figures that were involved in the rallies. As Laura Gamboa explains it in “Opposition at the Margins: Strategies against the Erosion of Democracy in Colombia and Venezuela,” while moderate resistance focuses on policy changes; institutional reforms; and mobilizing within the political review, the radical approach involves: pushing for the removal of the incumbent through non-electoral actions, election boycotts, mass mobilization, and demanding the removal of elites.
The ‘Hands Off!’ movement was a stark representation of organizations beginning to engage in public protest rather than pursue legal routes or legislative reforms because the institutional resistance is no longer seen as sufficient enough for change to happen. This connects to the bigger picture of democratic erosion as it signals the declining faith in democratic approaches to resolve political conflict.
A key player in this dynamic is the current political state of polarization in the United States. As Jennifer McCoy and Murat Somer argue in “Toward a Theory of Pernicious Polarization and How It Harms Democracies: Comparative Evidence and Possible Remedies,” polarization can mobilize political participation, particularly among marginalized groups who feel threatened by the political leaders, can also clarify political choices, and strengthen political parties (Somer and McCoy 2). However, polarization starts to become alarming when it’s nurtured by deep social divides. Currently the U.S. is experiencing ideological sorting whereby conservatives identify as Republicans, and liberals as Democrats. This sorting is made easier due to social divisions including race, religion, and geography. As a result, Americans are less likely to encounter opposing views and more likely to perceive political opponents as extreme or even illegitimate. It is even argued that Donald Trump’s candidacy has “reinforced some of the deepest social and cultural divisions within the American electorate–those based on race and religion” (Somer and McCoy 7).
In this context, protestors who participated in the rallies were trying to spread the message of eliminating these polarization tactics as one demonstrator said “Regardless of your party, regardless of who you voted for, what’s going on today, what’s happening today is abhorrent. It’s disgusting, and as broken as our current system might, the way that the current administration is going about trying to fix things — it is not the way to do it. They’re not listening to the people.” The April 5th protests reflect both a symptom and a response to democratic erosion as they were nurtured from a political environment where institutions and government tactics and values are under attack. Protesters are no longer only fighting for their moral beliefs but also to preserve the foundational norms of the democratic system itself. Another protester voiced frustration and concern over the lack of response to the current reforms and policies: “Everything my father fought for and everything we hold dear as a country is being dismantled. I am beyond incredulous at how quickly our country’s institutions have been dismantled with no pushback from the Republicans who are currently in charge.”
The ‘Hands off!’ rallies represent how the security and preservation of American democracy is truly valued amongst its civilians to the extent that if need be, active defense will occur. This mass mobilization of the people across the United States has also highlighted how civilians are willing to publicly resist authoritarian tendencies and how a democracy that is slowly eroding, nurtures a lack of institutional trust to the extent that mass protests seem like the only efficient remaining option.
Hi! I really enjoyed reading this post. I also did my blog post on protests but I did not write about them in this context so seeing a different perspective is very interesting. I agree that it is incredibly alarming to see so many protests going on because people no longer believe that the legal route enacts enough change. The polarization aspect and divisiveness is also concerning and I really like that you added that protestors are trying to get rid of the polarization tactics and have a more unified approach. Having the narrative shift from us vs. them to everyone against injustice is important.