"Authoritarian Breakthrough" By Rev. Ann Harrington ARCWP, published in Daily Reflector

Rev. Katy Zatsick ARCWP in Detroit

No Kings Day, Oct. 18, 2025 was the largest march in US history.  There was much joy, humor and humanity.  Patriots of all stripes demanded a return to the rule of law.  We need to sustain this momentum by engaging in different forms of nonviolent resistance.  

I recently attended the webinar, Interfaith Nonviolent Civil Resistance Training 101.  

Scholars observe the rapidity in which authoritarianism is consolidating in the US.  One of those spoke at the webinar, Maria Stephan, author of “Why Civil Resistance Works”. What follows is some of what she shared.  She said democracies’ death is by a thousand cuts.  You see erosion, the norms keep changing. 

Authoritarianism is a system.  

The attacks on the rule of law, the aggrandizement of executive power have been happening all over the world for the last 20 years, democracies are backsliding, e.g Brazil in 2023.

We are in the midst of an authoritarian breakthrough and in the US, it’s happening quickly.

The autocrat playbook is the same for leftwing dictators or rightwing authoritarian regimes-fear based divide and rule.

They pit people against each other, stifle dissent, get people to bend the knee and remain silent so they can consolidate wealth and power.  

And they use the same tactics:

They direct investigations against critics be they individuals, law firms, universities, or media outlets. They weaponize government depts., they reward law breaking, they give clemency to white collar criminals, (George Santos, the most recent example) pardon insurrectionists, their regulatory agencies pull or threaten to pull licenses.   

They deploy the military domestically; there is federal law enforcement overreach and eventually the autocrat won’t leave.

I urge you to watch this webinar for yourself, 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io_ubwg-HpY   It will cost you but one hour of your life.  I pray you think our democracy is worth it.