I Resisted Putin in Russia. Here’s the Right Way to Protest.

Events taking shape in California can be an example for the nation, or they can be the harbinger of a long, hot summer.

What’s happening now on the streets of California is going to set America’s political trajectory through the 2026 midterms and beyond. I was a pro-democracy activist in Putin’s Russia. So I have some strong feelings about what to do and what not to do at protests. I break that down in my column below. I also examined it in conversation with Renew Democracy Initiative CEO Uriel Epshtein and all of you—our loyal readers!—on our Substack Live video. You can watch a recording here.

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In recent days, thousands of people in Los Angeles have peacefully protested against the incipient authoritarianism of Donald Trump and the invasive behavior of an increasingly rogue Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. In the face of obvious federal government overreach—including dispatching a full battalion of Marines and what is almost certainly an illegal deployment of the National Guard—those protesters must be dismayed to see that the defining image out of LA is one of rioters torching cars and lobbing bricks and fireworks at police.

There’s an old joke that—despite being a bit crude—offers some useful insight here:

A visitor at a pub finds the establishment’s owner frustrated about his reputation. “Do you see the fences around town? I built those fences. Do they call me John the fence-maker? No. Do you like this bar? I’ve served thousands of pints here. Do they call me John the barman? No…”

He pauses and takes a deep breath.

“But you fuck one goat…”

When it comes to political protest, that same logic applies: You can have a thousand nonviolent protesters, but if one car is set on fire, it’s not a protest, it’s a riot. And, if we are being honest, the number of cars burned in California is a little more than one at this point. With each car that goes up in flames, MAGA gets another free midterm campaign ad.

Call it unfair. It’s the cold, hard political reality.

I know this because I spent years leading protests against the most bad faith actor of them all: Vladimir Putin. The KGB veteran dictator would leap at any opportunity to frame our movement for free and fair elections as a terrorist threat. As a matter of principle and practicality, my fellow activists and I never resorted to violence. In the face of egregious regime abuses, we had to remain extremely disciplined. We knew that the Russian police were not there to maintain public order, but to incite disorder. We knew that Putin’s kangaroo courts would never give us a fair hearing. We knew that a pliant media ecosystem would not offer us a platform to share our grievances with the public.

Alternatives to Violence

Trump and his cronies are working hard to erode this country’s institutions. However, those institutions are not dead yet. As long as the free press, judiciary, and local governments are operating, then Americans have alternatives to reckless vandalism.

As protests grow, Trump’s rivals can strategically leverage the media—an avenue that was closed to me and my allies in Russia. The news will follow political stars. Rather than hide behind bland statements, top Democrats can lead by example and join nonviolent demonstrators in California to show the nation what a real protest looks like. City and state elected officials along with some more junior Democrats are valiantly doing their part. Governor Gavin Newsom has called for rioters to be held accountable and pointed out that “violence only gives Donald Trump the reaction he’s looking for.”

Yet a national crisis demands national leadership. The opposition’s top brass in DC need to stick their necks out in order to effectively regain control of the narrative. Imagine the headlines if Hakeem Jeffries, the highest ranking Democratic congressman, were on the ground in Los Angeles instead of at his desk in Washington retweeting press releases. Against a backdrop of thousands of people exercising their First Amendment rights, Jeffries could model peaceful dissent in his actions and in a clear and specific condemnation of self-destructive rioting. Then, he would be well-positioned to articulate a plan to take on Trump.

What might such a plan look like?

Top Democrats should announce that they will take to Capitol Hill with Hillary Clinton email scandal-style hearings and investigations on instances of abuse by federal forces—including attacks on journalists. They should commit to supporting lawsuits against the offending agents.

Rather than leave events up to chance and radicals, the national Democratic Party should work to coordinate future protests across the country. It’s a risk—any misstep going forward can now be formally pinned on the Democrats (though, for what it’s worth, Trump and his allies would do this anyway). Yet it can provide much-needed central direction and gives Democrats a chance to declare that violent provocateurs are not welcome at their events.

Meanwhile, protesters condemning the Trump administration will find that their amoral intended audience is immune to shame. Instead, they should direct their appeals to their friends and communities as well as any politicians remaining on the sidelines: it’s time to join us in this fight.

There’s Still Time to Turn Things Around

The images coming out of the West Coast right now are bad. Republican campaigns no longer need generative AI to mobilize public hysteria when there are real photos of men brandishing Mexican flags in front of flaming car wrecks.

I understand that this is not representative of the entire opposition, although millions of well-intentioned people will be led to believe otherwise. When my own country abandoned me, America offered me a new home. I share the passion felt by those taking to the streets to protect the republic’s future. I know the fear evoked when federal agents abduct students over constitutionally-protected speech and hold them for weeks. I know that boiling rage when you see the insincerity of Trump border czar Tom Homan condemning attacks on police after Homan’s boss sprang 1,500 rioters from jail—among them a number of attempted cop-killers.

Democrats can point out that rank dishonesty. They can point out the fact that illegal immigration is a nationwide phenomenon, that Trump could have intervened in any number of Republican states, but that deep blue California is being targeted to prove a calculated political point about Democratic governance ahead of the midterms (reiterating a compelling, lawful, and humane answer on immigration would strengthen this argument).

Nevertheless, your opponents’ bottom feeder behavior only reinforces the need for a strict code of conduct on the frontlines of the protests. This administration will exploit any opening. Successive policy failures from tariffs to Ukraine sank Trump’s approval ratings. Now, he desperately needs any favorable spin he can get. The president, not typically known for his restraint, will be especially unmoored with his political survival on the line. Committing to peaceful action and clearly rebuking violent behavior is not “when they go low, we go high.” It’s a strategic choice designed to protect protesters and give them the highest chance of success.

There is still time to turn things around. As Trump escalates his abuses, demonstrations will inevitably spread from LA and San Francisco to other major cities across the US. Events taking shape in the Golden State can be an example for the nation to follow, or they can be the harbinger of a long, hot summer.

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