Communism Relies on Mobilized Masses for Security, Not Fascist FBI
SEATTLE, USA, May 18—”The problem is not who leads the FBI,” a Boeing comrade said to co-workers on the job. “The problem is the FBI!”
The FBI is the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. Trump had just fired FBI chief James Comey, who was investigating links between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. The capitalist media had been running “exposés” non-stop. They still are.
Our member started talking about the racist, anti-working class, anti-communist history of the FBI. A friend interrupted with a list of his own. From the anti-communist beginnings, to sabotage of progressive movements and the assassination of their leaders, he knew it all. (Information available on www.ICWPRedFlag.org)
We agreed the FBI is our enemy. But is some state police force like it a necessary evil?
The main section of the US imperialist class thinks it’s necessary. These neoliberals just want it firmly under their control. So do capitalists and imperialists everywhere.
Mainstream media constantly refer to the 1973 Watergate scandal when talking about Comey and the Russian connection. During Watergate, “old money” imperialists brought down then-President Nixon with a carefully orchestrated campaign centered around exposures in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Gerald Ford replaced him, with Nelson Rockefeller as vice-president.
Today the neoliberal imperialists are running to catch up with millions in the streets. They are trying to corral the mass explosion against sexism, Islamophobia and racism (anti-black, anti-Latino and anti-immigrant) into government committees and the courts.
They would love to recreate the Watergate magic: assert firm control over the organs of government, discipline those (like Trump) who spill the beans on their fascist plans, while dissipating the justifiable anger of the masses into relying on democratic institutions. But the continuing global crisis of capitalism has made this hard to do.
This crisis has also sharpened conflicts among imperialists to the point where important elements among the US rulers are thinking seriously about war with Russia. Trump is compromising their ability to do so. This too is part of the Comey fight.
Like our friend at Boeing, many workers know they have no stake in this fight. But we do have a fight: the fight for communism. How will we guarantee the security—and ultimate success— of the new communist society?
Communist Security Relies on the Party Mobilizing Masses
In communism, the International Communist Workers’ Party (ICWP) will mobilize masses to guarantee security. That will be our guiding principle. We won’t rely on a state police force.
Starting with the party, we will build strong collectives. This collective outlook will extend not only to production, but to the rest of society. With mobilized masses making sure everyone gets what they need, we will get to know a lot more about each other.
“Mind your own business” is not a communist principle. Communist society will make it much harder for counterrevolutionary forces to operate. That includes racist xenophobes, white supremacists like the murderer in Portland, Oregon (see box) and terrorists like the Manchester bombers.
Nonetheless, history has taught us that the bosses and their agents will stop at nothing to organize counterrevolutionary forces (as long as capitalism exists anywhere). Spontaneous action by the masses in defense of communism is no match for organized counterrevolution. We will face real and dangerous threats.
To mobilize masses to meet these threats will require some sort of organized and trained security forces. These would be armed when necessary and capable of acting quickly in emergencies. But that won’t be their main or full-time work. Like the whole party, they will have to mobilize the masses themselves to deal with any situation.
For example, suppose some counterrevolutionaries took hostages and holed up in a building, shooting at passersby. (In Through the Russian Revolution, Albert Williams describes a similar event, in Vladivostok.) Security forces would cordon off the area and, working with other party-led collectives, organize armed workers to lay siege to the building. Then they might try negotiations, or launch an assault.
Many ICWP members have taken part in or led mass physical attacks on racists, neo-Nazis and organized xenophobes. Almost always, the cops arrested the anti-racist fighters and protected the fascist scum! Naturally, we can’t stop these vermin from re-emerging under capitalism, but it is good practice for the masses and party members alike, for the time when we can eradicate them once and for all. We will take advantage of opportunities to do so.
Ultimately, the security we seek is not to live peacefully within our own lives, separate from the lives of the worlds’ workers. Nor is our goal to protect the nation. We seek to spread communism worldwide and end nations and borders. Until then we will fight to lead masses to guarantee security by expanding communism beyond our “liberated zones.”
Political leadership is not separate from security leadership. Some people will have more experience than others in security matters, but developing more communists will always be primary.
The Party will organize mass meetings to deal with security threats, be they persons or movements. We will not hide behind secret investigations and laws, or leave it up to some state police force.
These organized battles will teach masses how a communist society functions, even under the harshest threats. More will join the party and the masses will become even more committed to fight for a communist world.
As our Boeing friend said, “This is the way to go.”
Defeating Fascism Takes Courage…. And Communist Organization
A fascist murdered Ricky Best and Taliesin Namkai-Meche on a Portland, Oregon (USA) commuter train on April 27th. These two white men stood up to the fascist’s racist and xenophobic rants directed at a black teenager and a Muslim teenager. A third was sent to the emergency room, but survived with the help of a fourth person. Their courage and their commitment to anti-racism should inspire us with confidence in the masses.
The fascist was known to the cops. Last month, he came to a right-wing rally, wrapped in a US flag shouting, “F**k all you n****rs.” The night before the murders he had gone on another racist rant on a train. Of course, the cops did nothing. They serve racist capitalism.
In communism, it would never had gotten this far. Party-led collectives would have made sure this fascist was dealt with much earlier.
How? We don’t have all the answers yet. We know we can’t rely entirely on spontaneous actions of the masses, like those on the Portland train who are now called heroes. Whatever the Party urges the masses to do should result both in removing the threat and involving masses in a way that helps win them to communism. We won’t rely on cops, laws or jails.
We need to expand this discussion among crucial soldiers and industrial workers (like the seven Boeing workers who read drafts of these articles) and among the broader masses who will make communist revolution and guarantee that communism succeeds. We welcome letters and comments.
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