Voices of Violence and Destruction

Citizens across the country are discussing the rise of socialist candidates and their impact on elections in November. Take a look at what socialist activists said at a recent three-day conference in Chicago.

One might expect that the Socialism 2026 gathering, coinciding with America’s 250th anniversary, would celebrate the freedoms of speech and assembly that enable the event to take place in the first place. After all, it is here in the USA—not in communist or socialist regimes—where people are free to meet, organize, engage in dissent, question, debate, and write. Yet on the event’s website there are no American flags, no recognition of America’s Founders, no red-white-and-blue symbolism, and no programs honoring the civic ideals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence or the ongoing legacy of this great experiment in ordered liberty.

One could also imagine a celebration of organized labor at Socialism 2026—something like a tribute to the electricians, teamsters, bridge builders, oil drillers, home builders, heavy equipment operators, and others who constructed our national infrastructure. There is much to honor in the men and women who built the backbone of America. But these groups and their contributions were conspicuously absent from the festivities.

Instead, Socialism 2026 brought together some of the most radical organizations in the United States. It revealed that socialism was—and is—an ongoing platform to share strategy, to rewrite American history, to challenge our institutions, to organize a fundamental restructuring of society—and, notably, to attack Israel.

Look for the following slogans, or threats, to be fleshed out with concrete action plans by communist-glorifiers such as Hasan Piker and revolutionary groups such as the Black Rose Anarchist Federation, Seattle Revolutionary Socialists, various chapters of the DSA, and numerous anti-Israel groups.

“Any means necessary.”

“From the river to the sea.”

“Abolish … [borders, U.S. Senate, Electoral College, ICE, etc.]”

It won’t be long before the November mid-term election. In the midst of this, we should ask pointed questions of every candidate, platform, or political movement.

Does this movement uphold or denigrate the value of individual liberty? Do its supporters believe that all people—regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity—are endowed with inalienable rights by our Creator, as our founders asserted? Any group that calls for the political extinction or demise of another—such as the owners of private property, Jews, or the State of Israel—is fundamentally anti-human and anti-American. Such “action plans” should have no place in our civic life. 

Does the movement seek healthy reform through our established democratic processes, or does it call for revolutionary upheaval and the destruction of our constitutional order? America’s institutions are strong because they allow for critique and renewal, but movements that seek to tear them down entirely pose a real danger to our democracy and civil society. Note that the formal platform of the Democratic Socialists of America pledges to rewrite our Constitution and labels public officials and other “bosses” as enemies of the people.

Does a candidate, party, or movement justify or advocate for political violence? Political violence targeting civil society and public leaders is always wrong. It is terrorism, plain and simple, and it has no place in American public life. This is how one call tell the difference between what happened in 1775-1776 and criminal violence: The American colonists were attacked at Lexington and Concord in April 1775, so they publicly organized in self-defense. They pleaded with the king in letters in July 1775 to stop waging a “civil war” against his own citizens. They did not countenance terrorism or assassination.

Disturbingly, recent surveys show that approximately one-sixth of Americans, especially on the hard left but also some on the right, now think that political violence is justified. We have seen assassination attempts on public officials and the glorification of violence against private citizens such as Charlie Kirk and corporate leaders such as Brian Thompson. Violence meant to settle political scores, change policy, or intimidate is terrorism—it is immoral and anti-American.

Americans should closely scrutinize the messages and tactics on display at events like Socialism 2026. Calls for a revolutionary take-over of our institutions, or for violence as we witnessed during the horrific summer of 2020 in places such as Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, are wrong and dangerous.

America has much to celebrate this year and beyond—from the Mayflower Compact to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the ongoing march toward greater freedom and opportunity for all. Our pioneers, builders, and visionaries stand in direct contrast to the politics of envy and destruction associated with communism in all its forms.

This op-ed by VOC President and CEO Dr. Eric Patterson was originally published in WORLD.