Only Destruction of Capitalism Can End Racism here ♦ Never Give Up here ♦ Tunisian Women Against State Fascism here ♦ Questions about Racism here ♦ Demonstration in Israel Against Fascism here ♦
Only the Destruction of Capitalism Can End Racism and Discrimination Against Dalits
SAN JOSE (US), March 6— “When I was five years old, my mother used to clean toilets in the streets,” said a Dalit resident of Seattle who came in support of a Seattle City Council resolution to ban caste discrimination. “If by accident, I touched an upper-caste Hindu lady, she would curse and take a shower. We were considered ‘untouchables.’ It was a very humiliating experience.” The City Council passed this resolution on February 21.
This Seattle resident was among many Dalits and their supporters who feel that a law against caste discrimination will help them, as discrimination still exists in the United States.
The humiliating experience that the five-year-old faced continues today in South Asia. In many cases, it is much worse. Rapes and lynchings of Dalits are common in India. When a resident of Hathras was gang-raped, police tried to cover up evidence when her dead body was burnt in the middle of the night. All four accused were freed by the trial court. They were garlanded by supporters of the ruling party BJP.
A leftist journalist came to Hathras to investigate police collusion. He was quickly arrested by the draconian Unlawful Activity Prevention Act (UAPA). The fascist Modi government modified UAPA so it can declare any person a terrorist. Since the journalist was Muslim, the fascist regime automatically considered him a terrorist and he languished in jail for years.
Racism and Casteism: More Alike Than Different
Many of our friends and supporters are asking how to create a society without discrimination against Dalits. “Workers united will never be defeated,” a boisterous group chanted in Seattle. They were pointing to the fact that racism still exists in the US alongside casteism.
Homelessness in Seattle grew by 14% in 2022. In King County (which includes Seattle) 25% of people experiencing homelessness identify as Black, while only 7% of the population does. Similarly, 9% of people experiencing homelessness identify as American Indian, Alaskan Native, or Indigenous, but that group makes up only 1% of the county’s population. A record number of unhoused people of all ethnicities died in King County that same year.
Nobody trusts “f—ing police,” “they are trigger happy” is the sentiment shared by Black and non-Black residents. Recently, the police nearly killed an unarmed man who was having a mental crisis. The man was about to be shot dead by police when about twenty residents risked their lives and surrounded the victim.
In the US we have seen many Black and Latinx residents killed by police. Many who grew up in poverty end up either in jail or in the army. Ironically, Black people whose ancestors were enslaved are now put in the army to fight for some rich corporations like Exxon. When they return, too many end up homeless with drug addictions.
It is illegal to discriminate against a racial group in the US. The same is true in India. In India, the 1948 constitutional assembly explicitly proclaimed the citizens to be free from ‘caste and religious discrimination.’ These two of the largest so-called democracies in the world have laws against discrimination but, in reality, it persists. Can Dalits feel more protected in a city that continues racist discrimination just because a resolution is passed?
Some of us in San Jose, including the author of this article, came to the US as professionals in IT (information technology) but we grew up facing obstacles in our lives as Dalits. The Seattle resolution has opened our eyes to the wider picture. As we have been reading Red Flag for years, we feel that the root of the problem is capitalism and only its destruction can end material inequality in our society.
While there are differences between Dalits and what we call ‘race,’ the similarities are primary. We all face our capitalist enemy; they aim to divide us. If we are united for communism, we can build a new society. We take this message to many of our friends. Our professional field in IT gives us many opportunities to spread the ideas of ICWP in different ways to fight for communism.
“Never Give Up!” Defeat Fascism by Mobilizing for Communism
Last night, the Ambedkar King Study Circle (AKSC) in San Jose (USA) screened the BBC documentary critical of the Modi government in India. A group of ICWP members participated. AKSC meetings are normally attended by about 30 people, but last night there were over 200. The documentary shows systematic anti-Muslim pogroms and at the same time, tremendous fightback all over India led by students.
The documentary is banned by the fascist regime in India. We watched the shortened version. After the screening, the moderator introduced the groups who had sponsored the event. They all were moved by the atrocities of the rulers and resilience of the masses. They unanimously said that we all have similar problems everywhere from Palestine to Kashmir to vast super-oppressed areas of the US.
The event organizer said we must fight capitalism. This is a valuable reminder because the BBC has always portrayed favorable views of British imperialism. The documentary starts with the 2002 pogroms against Muslims. Around that time, BBC was justifying killing and suffering of millions of Iraqis in the US invasion.
We circulated Red Flag to some friends and others in attendance.
The highlight of the evening was the participation of two Muslim men who had seen ten of their family members killed. Their story was captured in the BBC documentary. They are from the UK. Their live account of the 2002 massacre was riveting and full of hope that if we put our right foot forward, things will change. They were yearning for a communist future. One recited a powerful poem, “The Bulldozer.” The bulldozer has become a symbol of hatred in India and Palestine as the fascist governments use them to destroy workers’ homes.
These wonderful men from the UK greeted us warmly when we gave them Red Flag and repeatedly said we must carry on our fight. The long conversation continued after the event ended. We talked about cricket and class struggle. We promised to keep in touch and, as they said, “never give up.” We will take their fighting spirit to mobilize more to build communist relationships everywhere.
—Comrades in California (USA)
“Tunisian Women Against State Fascism”
TUNISIA, February 25—Hundreds took to the street to protest President Saied’s racist and xenophobic attacks on migrants from Sub Saharan Africa and fascist attacks on political opposition.
Then on March 4 masses of workers protested rising inflation, shortages of key goods and planned cuts to subsidies on basics. They called for Saied’s resignation.
The capitalist crisis in Tunisia is intensified by the effects of the war in Ukraine. Saied blames migrants. But many see through this racist attempt to divide the working class. They must build on this anti-racist unity to mobilize to overthrow capitalism and its borders and racist divisions. Not just in Tunisia, but throughout Africa and the whole world.
Questions About Racism
At a recent Seattle collective meeting, I raised questions about ICWP’s line on racism. The collective thought these questions could be discussed with friends, co-workers and comrades in many areas of the work. I hope these discussions will be written up and sent to Red Flag so we all can benefit from them.
What exactly is racism and what does it mean to end racism? How does racism differ from other forms of tribal resentment? Is it accurate to say that people were already doing racism—perhaps in other forms—long before they invented capital?
What is the plan to get from here to 0% racism? What would you do to end racism? I understand through conversation with Red Flag journalists that communist revolution cannot end racism. Rather, the revolution would lift the final impediment. In other words, we will never see 0% racism until after communist revolution.
If this is true, then a few questions follow. How close can we get to 0% racism right now, before communist revolution? What concrete steps would you take to eliminate racism, both the pre-revolutionary X% and the remainder?
What could interfere with this plan? The process to end racism is obviously going to be difficult. What are the most credible risks to achieving 0% racism, both before and after communist revolution? How would you deal with these risks?
—Reader in Seattle (USA)
Read the ICWP Pamphlet:
“To End Racism, Mobilize the Masses for Communism!”
Demonstration in Israel Against Fascism
March 3—Protesters confront Israeli troops firing stun grenades and tear gas. Left-wing Israelis and Palestinians were attempting to hold a solidarity rally in Hawara. Fascist Israeli settlers had rampaged through this West Bank Palestinian town for hours on February 26. They set fires and beat residents in a pogrom that some compared to the Nazi Kristallnacht.
This was too much even for the US rulers. They have poured over $100 billion into arming Israel while hesitating to criticize its increasingly fascist leadership. Arch-rival China is now Israel’s third largest trading partner. Israel and Russia coordinate on security matters related to Syria. Once a dependable US ally, Israel’s capitalist rulers recently refused its request to send US-made Cold War-era Hawk missiles to Ukraine.