Freedom Road Socialist Organization

While the organization encouraged voters in swing districts to support Democratic Party candidates in the 2022 midterm elections, the organization generally rejects using the ballot box as a means of political change. Instead, the organization calls for direct action and a struggle in the streets as a means of acquiring power. ¹

In the spring of 2022, the organization passed a resolution opposing U.S. intervention in the Russo-Ukrainian War. The organization asserted that the United States and NATO had provoked the war in Ukraine. In addition, it accused the U.S. and NATO of sponsoring aggression against Russia and interfering in Ukraine. Finally, it called for the defeat of NATO and its “de facto leader” the U.S. in Ukraine, as the group believes that the U.S.’s “meddling” in the affairs of Ukraine was the cause of the conflict. ²

Background

Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) is a self-described socialist and communist organization with a nationwide membership and chapters. The organization has no national headquarters. The organization’s goal is to build a new communist party that is based on Marxism-Leninism. ³

The organization was founded in 1985 by the merger of the Proletarian Unity League and the Revolutionary Workers Headquarters. Both organizations had been created by the collapse of the New Communist Movement. In 1986, the Organization for Revolutionary Unity merged with the FRSO. In 1989, the Amilcar Cabral/Paul Robeson Collective, a group of Black Marxist-Leninists, joined the FRSO. In 1995, the Socialist Organizing Network joined FRSO. ⁴

In the 1980s, the organization supported Jesse Jackson and his National Rainbow Coalition. The organization fought for a radical agenda independent of the Democratic Party. ⁵

In 1999, the organization split. One faction of the party, the Left Refoundationists, wanted to abandon the building of a Marxist-Leninist party and become a left-wing of the more mainstream left. That faction eventually left the party and kept using the Freedom Road Socialist Organization name until 2019 when it became Liberation Road. The FRSO would remain a traditional Marxist-Leninist party. ⁶

Structure

The organization claims to operate through the Leninist idea of “democratic centralism” and makes many of its decisions in party congresses. The most recent congress was held in 2022. ⁷

The party is administered by a central committee. In 2022, Mick Kelly was elected the party’s political secretary. ⁷

The organization also publishes a newspaper, Fight Back! News. ⁸ Back when it and another splinter organization both used the Freedom Road Socialist Organization name, some commentators differentiated between the organizations by using FRSO/Fightback! to describe the organization. ⁹

Activities

The organization participated in the demonstrations that occurred after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. It applauded the destruction of police property and the confrontation of the police. ¹⁰

In spring 2022, the organization passed a resolution opposing U.S. and NATO involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian War. It laid the blame for the war entirely at the hands of U.S. and NATO. Furthermore, it called for the defeat of the U.S. and NATO in Ukraine. It also accused the U.S. and NATO of meddling in Ukraine’s internal affairs and encouraging Ukraine to confront Russia. ¹¹

In spring 2022, the organization passed a resolution supporting the Palestinian cause against Israel. In addition, it called for the destruction of Israel by the “liberation of every inch” of Palestine and “right of return” for all Palestinians. ¹²

In June 2022, it called for mass action in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and in support of abortion. ¹³

On January 10, 2026, a coalition of nonprofits and advocacy groups organized a protest in Washington D.C to demonstrate against the U.S Military Operation that occurred on January 3 which led to the capture and detention of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. According to flyers distributed for the event, demands made by the coalition included freeing “President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores,” “Pass the War Powers Act,” “Impeach Trump For War Crimes,” “No War For Oil,” and “End All Sanctions Against Venezuela.” ^{14 15} Members of the coalition which organized the demonstration included the Metro DC DSA, the Party for Socialism & Liberation (PSL), the FRSO, Diaspora Pa’Lante Collective, Cutlass DMV, Code Pink, and Anakbayan. ¹⁴

In January 2026, Freedom Road Socialist Organization activist Mira Altobell-Resendez, a University of Minnesota staff member, drew public attention following remarks made during organizing activities in Minneapolis. Altobell-Resendez characterized local protest activity as part of a broader struggle over policing and immigration enforcement, calling for community control of police and criticizing the use of masked law-enforcement agents. She compared the political climate to the 2020 George Floyd protests and asserted that federal immigration enforcement disproportionately targets people of color. During her remarks, Altobell-Resendez identified Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as political adversaries of local activist movements, criticizing statements regarding the possible deployment of the National Guard to respond to unrest. She also described the existence of a large, decentralized rapid-response organizing network consisting of hundreds of group communication channels. Ahead of a January 17 rally opposing the presence of right-wing activist Jake Lang in Minneapolis, Altobell-Resendez stated that protesters would mobilize to oppose the event and reiterated demands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to leave the city. The rally later drew media attention following reports of violence involving a participant. ¹⁶

In January 2026, an “ICE Out of MN: Day of Truth and Freedom” event was planned for January 23 to push for “no work, no school, no shopping” in Minneapolis, Minnesota to protest against the activities of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the city. Groups involved with promoting or organizing the event included the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), the People’s Forum, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Revolutionary Communists of America, and the Communist Party USA Twin Cities branch, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). A Local chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) was listed among the host groups on a Facebook page advertising the strike, while the national United Auto Workers (UAW) released a post online endorsing the strike. ¹⁷

Political Activism

In September 2022, the organization gave a limited endorsement of Democrats in swing districts. It declared that its major goal in the 2022 midterms was the defeat of Republicans, especially Republicans who were supporters of former President Donald Trump. ¹

In addition to urging the defeat of Republicans, it urged the defeat of centrist Democrats at the hands of further-left candidates. ¹⁸

It also stated that neither Democrats nor Republicans represented the interests of working-class people and that liberation would not come from the ballot box. Instead, it would be won with direct action in the streets. ¹