This May Day, comrades from the International Communist Workers' Party came to spread communist ideas in the main streets of Mexico City, where thousands of workers, students and teachers marched to commemorate International Workers' Day. From very early in the day, before the march started, each comrade began to distribute and sell Red Flag.

This year we emphasized that each comrade should discuss communist ideas with the workers to whom we gave Red Flag.

One comrade brought together a group of over 30 workers from different organizations and, after giving them Red Flag, she offered them inspirational communist speeches.

Another comrade talked with a large group of workers, who at first were suspicious when offered Red Flag. But then she explained to them that ICWP fights to destroy the capitalist system and to build communism, as a social system without money, without social classes (exploiter and exploited), in which each will work according to their capacities for the benefit of humanity and receive according to their needs. 

The leader of the group told the comrade, "Give me all the newspapers that you have for my co-workers. We are also fighters." The comrade gave him her last ten Red Flags and he shouted, "Friends, take the communist newspaper!"

A comrade spoke extensively with men and women workers. An older worker commented that there currently exists an inter-imperialist rivalry: on the one hand the US imperialist empire is in decline and on the other hand the Chinese imperialists' empire is growing. History shows, he said, citing the Roman, Egyptian, and English empires, that this bosses' rivalry will inevitably lead to World War III, in which many workers' children will die.

The worker said that the bosses need more money for war and that's why in Mexico they have carried out reforms of energy, finance, labor and education. The worker agreed with the comrade that the only solution for the working class is to organize to fight to destroy the capitalist system and build a new communist system.

In an exchange of ideas, two women workers said they disagree with the capitalist system because it doesn't work for the working class, and is based on exploitation. But one of them, skeptical, said, "Communism has not been a solution either," pointing to the old communist movement of Russia and China.

The comrade clarified that the Russian and Chinese revolutions were an advance for the international communist movement but they adopted socialism, instead of fighting directly for communism, which is why capitalism returned. The other worker said that socialism is just a version of capitalism. The comrade explained that socialism is state capitalism, because money does not disappear as the material basis that creates class differences. In socialism, the state controls the means of production and the exploitation of the working class, and that is why ICWP, through Red Flag, is fighting for the destruction of capitalism and to directly install communism.

In this brief discussion, the workers said that they understood that to abolish class differences, money must disappear and they agreed that we must fight directly for communism. Finally, they asked for more copies of Red Flag for their friends.

Another comrade reported hearing expressions of discouragement from some workers. The comrade told these workers that the hope for a different world lies in the same working class, and that is why ICWP is fighting so that, as on this occasion, many people organize and go into the streets, not to fight for reformism, but instead to fight to destroy capitalism and build a system without borders, money or exploitation:  this is communism.

This activity was a great experience for all the ICWP comrades, and each one reaffirmed their revolutionary practice. We realized that, unlike other years, all the comrades showed greater confidence and experience during the distribution of Red Flag. In the collective we reflected that this is due to the experience that we have gotten from frequent sales of Red Flag and the weekly study groups that give us leadership.

Teacher Reads and Shares Red Flag in Mexico

Due to the situation that Mexican teachers have lived through, especially in the state of Oaxaca, I thought that everyone believed in some electoral political party, because in the teachers' demonstrations, you can always see an inclination toward a certain electoral political current. This has made me stop believing in unionism, as well as in the political parties, that only pursue their personal interests.

During the teachers' mobilizations in Mexico City, I realized that there are still people whose ideology has not been destroyed by capitalism, people who even recognize that they belong to the working class, who understand the abuses that the working class has suffered and show hope in a different future, communism.

Some months ago I met some members of ICWP. The first time that I received the newspaper Red Flag, I gave it little importance.

However when I had the opportunity to be invited to talk with some members of ICWP, my idea changed. I realized that there are people who analyze reality from another point of view, who call for a totally different change than the deceptive ideas of the electoral political parties.

It was important to participate in their meeting because I heard ideas that I had never heard from other people. They explained the reality of capitalism to me, like the bosses who exploit us and how the international society is suffering in this system. Therefore they invited me to read and distribute Red Flag.

From these conversations with the members of ICWP, I became interested in reading the newspaper and commenting on it with some co-workers. Currently I have been receiving some editions of Red Flag that I have read and shared with a friend. She has also shared the newspaper with some of her relatives, who have analyzed the communist ideas.

The second time that I gave Red Flag to my friend, I thought that she would not be interested in reading it again. However, when she received it, she said, "This weekend I will take Red Flag to my uncles, who like to read it. My sisters will also read it."

Some days later, she told me that her sisters had read the paper, analyzed it and thought that  Red Flag must be shared with the youth, since it is they who will have to change their ideology, eliminating from their minds the idea of "getting ahead" for economic survival. It is the youth who will fight to make these communist ideas a reality.

—Mexican Teacher

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