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♦ “Communist Revolution Now” Resounds in Delhi Streets ♦ Safer With the Masses ♦
“Communist Revolution Now” Resounds in Delhi Streets
DELHI, INDIA—The fascist Indian government is totally unprepared to deal with the spread of coronavirus. Prime Minister Modi went on national TV spewing his fascism and organizing the masses to xenophobia. He asked people to observe a 14 hour ‘people’s curfew’ to stave off the virus. He then asked people to clap and bang their empty pots and pans at 5 pm on Sunday.
Members of International Communist Workers’ Party have been in various locations. We try to explain to our friends, neighbors, students and even some soldiers that this capitalist system of profit is at the root of coronavirus and many other diseases that can be easily prevented in communism. There is a widespread anger and confusion that we are struggling to transform into a revolutionary force where our readers of Red Flag feel compelled to join our party.
At 5 pm, the time given by Modi to support his fascist policy by clapping and banging the pots, many of us wanted to take this opportunity to attack capitalism and fascism. In many Muslim- and Dalit-dominated areas where we have members, we asked people to bang the empty pots to demand food and medical care.
Students from Jawaharal Nehru University, Delhi University and Jamia Millia University have been fighting against xenophobic citizenship laws. Many started slogans saying ‘long live communism’, ‘women of Jamia have shown the way to fight fascist police’. We did not start this, but we got involved and many streets made deafening sounds of ‘communist revolution now’! This was in a stark contrast to Modi’s RSS and BJP supporters who were dancing and supporting the government.
This outrage of the masses continued. We realized that we had to act fast. We are circulating our literature in many different ways, but we want the masses to join ICWP.
We met as collective many times. In India, almost 80% of the workers are wage slaves on an informal, day labor basis. In India there are about 300 reported cases of coronavirus. But the complete shutdown of the cities has left literally hundreds of millions without any means to survive. Before people die from the coronavirus related illnesses, the masses are left to starve to death.
Some comrades remember the 1968 food crisis in India, when the Vietnam War was at its peak and US imperialism was in retreat. We see the current situation as a beginning of mass upheaval, food rebellions.
Only communism can bring azadi (freedom) to the workers and poor masses in India.
—Youth Collective in India
India: Women of Shaheen Bagh take precautions while protesting Modi’s fascist citizenship laws.
Safer With the Masses: Mobilizing for Communism Under an Order to Shelter at Home
LOS ANGELES, USA, March 20—Yesterday the County Board of Supervisors issued a “Safer at Home” order. And comrades produced a leaflet entitled “Coronavirus Pandemic: We Need to End Capitalism Sooner Rather than Later — The Time to Mobilize Masses for Communism Is Now.”
A group of party members decided to go to a local grocery store the next morning and distribute literature to the workers stocking up on food and other necessities.
An older comrade printed off the leaflet, and three younger comrades and a long-time friend of the Party (ranging from 30 to 50 years old) met up in the parking lot. Our plan was to place the leaflets on car windshields, to keep as much as possible a six-foot distance from people.
Most people were receptive. We distributed over a hundred leaflets and about 60 RF in an hour and a half. We had some long conversations, including one with a coworker and neighbor of one of the comrades.
Rather than panicking and allowing ourselves to be suppressed, we are organizing for the world we envision. Comrades made a plan. Those who were at lower risk went out and distributed our literature to the masses. Those who couldn’t helped in other ways.
“It was medicinal,” said our friend. “People were very welcoming for such a tense time. I hadn’t done outreach like this in about 10 years, so I really enjoyed engaging the community from a safe space like we did today.”
The comrades who participated in this action are unanimous that we should continue doing this as long as possible.
“The need exists to create rapid response groups of 3 to 4 so as to mobilize actions as needed. We all should think about this and start building these groups,” said a comrade afterwards.
“We have to keep these things going so long as we are able to leave our homes,” commented another comrade.
“When we are not able to leave our homes,” responded the third comrade, “we have to make a plan to reach workers clandestinely. Social media is nice, but nothing compares to eye to eye contact.”
Other comrades expressed doubts about the advisability of this action. One comrade pointed out that it’s an illusion to think that only old people are in danger from this virus. 40% of people hospitalized in the US are between the ages of 20 and 55. They urged us to self-isolate so as not to spread the virus.
We took this criticism seriously, and are still weighing it carefully.
But we also thought about our friends, family members and comrades who don’t have the option to self-isolate. Grocery store clerks and warehouse workers, hospital workers, mail carriers, bus drivers and mechanics.
We thought about Indian garment workers, prisoners, migrants in detention and refugee camps and workers at Boeing. We thought about the 47% of the world’s population without access to clean water. And we decided to take precautions, but to continue doing this and to involve others.
Leaflets and Red Flag are our weapons in the war against capitalism. In times like this we need not be immobilized but rather mobilized. The masses worldwide are responding to the call of communism. And we must do all we can to make sure to sound the call, loud and clear.
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