Seattle (USA) Convention Center, March 12— “The times have changed,” said a demonstrator, scanning the 500 people rallying against Boeing’s Defense Supplier Summit. He and his friends have been protesting war production since the Vietnam era and were impressed by the size and seriousness of the crowd, especially in the middle of the workday.
Boeing, worried about bad press, canceled its in-person summit, substituting a zoom program. But the rally continued.
Speakers condemned the genocide in Gaza and addressed broader international concerns. Philippine-American activists denounced the Boeing weapons that Marcos Jr. uses to attack any resistance to his capitalist regime. Another demonstrator, recently returned from India, criticized Indian unions, which refuse to organize against the bombardment of Gaza. She and her friends were glad to hear about the ICWP organizing among Chennai auto workers.
The march towards imperialist world war was a key issue for the crowd. The ICWP’s campaign to recruit industrial workers at Boeing and other war manufacturers became a hot topic. In these changing times, is it possible to mobilize industrial workers to turn the weapons they produce against the capitalists and for communist revolution?
The Potential Grave Diggers of Capitalism/Imperialism
Over 125 participants gladly took Red Flag. Several carefully read the articles about revolutionary work among industrial workers and soldiers, taking time to discuss the strategy with other demonstrators. Protesters who had friends working at Boeing were particularly interested.
A retired Boeing worker talked with at least 100 demonstrators. Some were with organizations; others were with groups of friends.
They discussed two historical rebellions of Boeing workers. One became known as Rolling Thunder, where thousands marched through the plants in preparation for the 1995 strike. In the other, workers stopped production to hotly debate the separation of families at the US-Mexican border.
The Boeing retiree ended most discussions by inviting protestors to help build more Boeing rebellions. “What will these rebellions look like?” he asked. “Would they aim to end capitalism or settle for reformist concessions?”
In the past, demonstrators often just said thank you when they took Red Flag. This time many wanted to talk about organizing industrial workers and their key role in communist revolution. It was the first time several viewed workers not as mere victims of imperialism, but as the shapers of history.
Rank-and-file demonstrators saw the ICWP campaign as a concrete way to rejuvenate industrial political work to end imperialist genocide. That’s when the discussion turned to the Putilov workers, who used the weapons they made to advance the Soviet revolution.
Following the example of the Putilov workers, the weapons built by comrades in the factories must be used to defend the revolution. Nothing short of communist revolution will, once and forever, end imperialist genocide.
Persistence Pays Off
A friend we have had a political and social relationship with for about a year drove up from Portland. “People thought I had gone back to school, but I haven’t. This is my school,” he said, pointing to Red Flag and the demonstration around him. He wants to be sure to attend our next collective meeting in Oregon.
G, a friend, agreed with our struggle to win workers to turn the weapons they made against the capitalist-imperialists.
“I love the title of this article,” G said. “The media spreads racist propaganda about ending violence in the Black community by outlawing guns. They ignore poverty and racism. The title opens the door to revolution.”
G wants to help younger workers learn about real labor history. He wants a comrade to help explain why the basic question is revolution versus reform.
Another friend asked Party members to bring more Boeing workers to the struggle. Now he is considering finding an industrial job to build revolutionary relationships among these workers.
Biden is pouring billions into expanding the industrial workforce to prepare for war. Communist collectives among this workforce can turn these workers into the grave diggers of capitalism.
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