Masses Demand: “No Ban! No Wall!”
Jan. 30—“No Ban, No Wall! Yes to a Communist World without Borders!” declared ICWP signs at a mass demonstration at the Los Angeles airport.
In an outpouring of anti-racist anger and multi-racial solidarity, hundreds of thousands demonstrated on short notice at airports in some thirty US cities against Trump’s racist ban against refugees and Muslims from seven countries. People from all over the world denounced racism and fascism.
In Seattle, comrades attended an immigration march which shut down downtown. One comrade ran into a neighbor whom she’d met at a local Neighborhood Action Council a few hours before. They had a long discussion about how communism would erase borders by eliminating nations. There will be no “immigrants,” just one global working class. Everyone will do useful work. They plan to get together again soon.
In LA, thousands marched through the airport. Many took pictures of our communist signs. We distributed 300 Red Flags, all we had. There were discussions about communism as a world without borders, nations, racism or wage slavery. No one will be forced to emigrate to flee hunger or war. Everyone will be welcome everywhere. We will freely travel to different parts of the world to learn from each other.
We talked about the need for revolution. Making or enforcing “better” immigration laws, like allowing green-card holders to re-enter the US, are limited and temporary stop-gaps.
The bosses use their borders to lower wages, terrorize workers and build nationalism-patriotism for war. The only way to end racism against immigrants and black, latin, and indigenous workers is to abolish capitalism. When communist revolution liberates any area of the world, communist workers, students and soldiers will continue to mobilize to spread it worldwide. Immigrant workers will play a leading role in this fight.
Racism against Muslims
Just hours after the ban was imposed, a mosque was burned to the ground in Victoria, Texas. Nearly 19,000 people have contributed $900,000 to rebuild it, repudiating this racist attack.
Two days later, a racist terrorist killed six worshippers at a mosque in Quebec, Canada and wounded eight others. Trump’s racist ranting is directly responsible. So is the anti-Muslim racism pushed by the bosses in Canada, India, France and elsewhere.
Trump’s ban on refugees and Muslim immigrants, and his plans to build a wall to stop immigrants from Mexico and all Latin America, are attacks on all workers. They are meant to divide the working class and build patriotic nationalism to defend the US in coming wars.
Millions are disgusted with this racism and xenophobia. They are being courted by liberal politicians who want to build a “diverse” multi-racial US patriotism to defend racist US capitalism-imperialism and to divert us from communism as the only solution.
The only way the masses can achieve their aspirations to end racism is with communist revolution.
Splits among US Rulers
On Jan 30th, Sally Yates, acting deputy Attorney General, refused to defend Trump’s executive order. Trump fired her and appointed someone who would.
Sen. Charles Schumer and many other Democratic and Republican politicians are denouncing Trump’s ban on Muslims. Their reasons and interests are not the same as those of the angry masses.
These politicians oppose Trump’s ban because it angers and alienates millions in the US. The US rulers need their loyalty to fight in and produce for their coming wars. The ban further isolates the US rulers internationally and helps their rivals. It limits their influence, especially in majority-Muslim countries.
Madeleine Albright worries that it hurts the “national security interests” of the US by fueling terrorist propaganda and attacks. This same Albright said, as Secretary of State, that Clinton’s sanctions against Iraq which killed 500,000 Iraqi children were “worth the price.”
Republican hawk Senator John McCain calls the ban a “self inflicted wound,” incompetent and short-sighted. It is so broad that it includes interpreters and others who aided the US occupation of Iraq and face the masses’ anger there. US imperialist strategy relies on stooges in countries they invade to help them, promising US citizenship in return.
Rely on the working class, not capitalist politicians
Millions support workers’ solidarity, anti-racism and internationalism. These are communist ethics. We are one working class, brothers and sisters, world wide. We have the same interest and need: to destroy racist capitalism and build a communist world where everyone’s contribution will be encouraged and welcomed to meet the needs of all. Join us!
