Demonstrations Show Need for More Communists
SEATTLE, USA —Comrades went to four marches and a high school walkout the week of Trump’s inauguration. These protests involved somewhere between 110,000 to 185,000. With crowds like these, each new comrade can have a huge effect. They can advance the party’s ability to offer communism to larger and larger numbers.
Every action took aim at some aspect of fascism. Tens of thousands understood that intensified racism, sexism, xenophobia were part and parcel of developing fascism. Many blame capitalism.
What was surprising (it shouldn’t have been) to members and friends was how many “perked up” (as one Red Flag distributor put it) when offered communist solutions. There was plenty of anti-capitalist rhetoric and talk of militant resistance to fascism. The International Communist Workers’ Party (ICWP) was the only organization that offered communism: the only way to end capitalism and its fascism once and for all.
“Read a communist paper?” were often the first words out of the mouths of Red Flag distributors. Sometimes these words were followed by something about fighting fascism by mobilizing for communism around the world. …or fighting for a world without money.
Some marchers would politely decline, then marchers behind them would reach over and say something like, “Yes! Give it to me. That’s what I want to read about!”
Then four or five would grab the paper. More than four or five if one person took a bunch to distribute to their group or random people around them. Sometimes these spontaneous distributors would shove a five-dollar bill in our hands.
Red Flag’s front page featured articles about the communist fight against fascist developments from around the world. It had headlines from Mexico, India, France, and South Africa as well the U.S. Other articles from El Salvador and a history article from Italy could be found within.
Each paper was stuffed with a leaflet that spoke especially to the material basis of sexism and also with the party’s anti-racism pamphlet. It too had examples from around the world.
The international character of our fight for communism did not go unnoticed. Seattle is a port city with residents who were born nearly everywhere around the world. Many were keenly aware of the danger of fascism in other countries. Along with their friends who were born in the U.S., they thanked us profusely for putting the communist answer out there.
Only one anti-communist came to our table trying to whip up the crowd against us. She screamed out the headline of our leaflet: “Only Communism Will End Sexism.”
“Are you joking?” she shouted. “Russia and China are communist. They don’t even have elections.” A stranger in the crowd shouted back, “Those countries aren’t communist!” The anti-communist left.
Communism will organize production collectively for our collective needs. The very nature of work will change including raising children and “domestic” work. Relationships between men and women will not be undermined by the threat of economic destitution or laws.
In the end, we distributed 1,000 Red Flags, 1,500 communist anti-sexism leaflets, and a thousand pamphlets entitled “To End Racism, Mobilize the Masses for Communism.” New young friends asked to be contacted as well as older folks we hadn’t seen in decades.
The demonstrations are continuing. As we go to press, mass demonstrations have blocked the airport and shut down downtown Seattle. Neighborhood groups have sprung up. We are participating, as well as intensifying our base-building at work.
Our job now is to focus on developing potential communist leaders. Big demonstrations demand stronger personal ties with our friends, and new potential communist leadership. Each new comrade is priceless, now more than ever.
