LOS ANGELES (USA), August 23— “The genocide in Gaza and the ICE reign of terror have a lot in common,” said Guamá. “Both are the results of invasion. The National Guard in Washington, DC, mass incarceration and constrained movement, here and in Palestine, ICE bounty hunters and the slave catchers of the 1850s, family separation—it’s more the same than different.”
At a carne asada potluck, teachers, students, comrades, and friends talked about genocide, fascism, and the role of the schools. Much of the discussion centered on the daily kidnapping of workers and youth by immigration police (ICE).
We recalled past struggles against racist deportations—in Los Angeles in the 1970s, the 1990s, the early 2000s, and in Arizona in the 2010s. “I didn’t know about the raids in the 1970s,” said Veronica. “This helps me see how deep the problem is.”
Fascism is immediate. A Black teacher shared his experience of a racist police stop the night before, which could easily have turned deadly. ICE terror and racist policing endanger us and the people we love. Most of us have been in protests, large and small, since the ICE reign of terror began in June.
Fighting the Genocide in Gaza is Harder
Armando read “If I Must Die,” by Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer, murdered by Israeli forces in December 2023. It’s harder to talk about the genocide in Gaza. Alice said that she can’t stand to watch any more horribly explicit videos from Gaza. “I don’t know who to shout at about Gaza.”
“It’s the international capitalist system,” said Armando. “The imperialists—Russia and Iran on one side, the US and the Zionists on the other, are mobilizing to kill our class siblings in Gaza. Our job is not just to shout, but to mobilize the masses to overthrow capitalism.”
“We can’t be immobilized by despair,” said Lucy. “Our comrade Hamza in Gaza is still alive. He’s injured, but still organizing his friends for communism and distributing Red Flag.”
“So are our comrades in Tel Aviv,” said Armando.
“Capitalism began with genocides of Indigenous people of the Americas and with the transatlantic slave trade,” said Lucy. “Its history is exploitation and suffering of the working-class masses. The genocide in Gaza exposes its true nature. As people revolt against that genocide, it can become a revolutionary movement that ends capitalism itself.”
“I hope so,” said Alice.
“It was inspiring to be part of a conversation between you and some Zionist youth in Santa Monica,” said Lily. “You kept your cool and explained your points so effectively.”
“We’re teachers,” said Henry. “We do this every day.”
We turned to what we could do. One thing is to fight against nationalism everywhere. Armando spoke about unity of Jews and Arabs in Tel Aviv, fighting the genocide, distributing Red Flag, organizing for revolution. Guamá talked about people of all colors uniting to confront ICE in northeast Los Angeles, running them out of the neighborhood.
The best thing we can do in solidarity with our class siblings in Gaza and everywhere is to talk to everyone we can about communism and organize them into the ICWP.
“We have more in common as workers than differences,” said Henry. “In my classroom, I push these ideas forward. With the party, I know I’m on the right path.”
“The work that you do inspires me,” said Guamá. “Older teachers recruited their students who are now communist teachers in the classroom, carrying the fight forward. That’s the example I want to follow.” He took several copies of Red Flag to share with friends.
So did Alice. “I can talk to the people in my daily life about communism,” she said
“We’ve been on the defensive during these attacks,” concluded Tony. “But the rulers are breaking every law—here in LA and in Palestine. It’s time to take the offensive. We must organize and recruit workers, students, and soldiers. The bosses’ laws won’t protect us. We have to build our own Red army. We need communist revolution.”