Resolving Contradictions here ♦ Communist Solidarity here ♦ In Loving Memory here ♦
Resolving Contradictions in our Political Work
El Salvador, August 3— “I think I need to be self-critical and admit that I should address the issue of inter-imperialist war more—and how we must fight ideologically—in order to build the Party,” stated a comrade leader of ICWP.
“The situation in Gaza, the Russia–Ukraine (NATO) war, and other wars affect the working class—hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of people isolated in occupied Palestine, girls and boys alongside their parents, murdered by imperialism,” she continued.
With this self-criticism, an expanded meeting began in the mountains, attended by eighteen people, including maquila workers, comrades from the countryside, and members of the city collective. We discussed the contradictions, how to advance the communist political struggle, and how this internal struggle can serve to recruit more workers to the ICWP. This contradiction and reformism have been discussed within the collectives present at this expanded meeting.
“I used to think the war was very far away, and I believed it didn’t affect us. Now that I’m in the ICWP, I realize that we workers are the ones being hit the hardest,” said N, a woman worker.
“We are not an island; when there is a major war, it’s like throwing a stone into a pond—the ripples spread all the way to the shore. Nor is it just a news story—it is the death of thousands of our class brothers and sisters,” said a woman comrade.
All these global events present a great opportunity—and a necessity—to mobilize the masses for communism. Millions of workers around the world are mobilizing against the genocide in Gaza.
We want to build a world without borders or nations, without racism. And it’s not enough to simply understand this. We must fight it in practice.
The recent meeting allowed us to assess our contradictions and begin a process of change, ensuring we do not hinder the Party’s growth.
“What is fascism? I keep hearing that word, and I’d like to know so I can share it with the women workers where I work,” asked a worker from a maquila in the western part of El Salvador.
Comrades from the countryside replied: “We suffered massacres—nearly a thousand peasants, girls, boys, the elderly, and pregnant women—who were murdered by this country’s national army in two days.
“This raised our level of political consciousness. We joined the armed struggle and have remained in the Party because we see that the bosses continue this practice worldwide. We must continue the struggle for our class,” he concluded.
Linking inter-imperialist wars to the situation of the working class involves analyzing how they impact our class. It is one of the main contradictions. We must address it with the responsibility it demands and share this responsibility collectively.
Furthermore, we are a single class, and we need to build a mass ICWP. Wherever there is an attack by the bosses, we must show solidarity—not only in theory but in revolutionary practice.
We must fight within the working class and organize for the working-class system of the International Communist Workers’ Party in every part of the world. We must be willing to fight for the working-class system through our Red Army.
Reading Red Flag helps us understand how war funnels money to a select few and pressures workers worldwide to maximize profits—and to kill and die for those profits. We will continue the struggle to encourage workers to organize within the bosses’ army.
The expanded meeting concluded with jokes and pork rinds, curd (a kind of cheese), and red bean soup, which were shared among all the comrades of the ICWP.
Communist Solidarity and the Struggle against Reformism
EL SALVADOR, July 30— A said: “I’m not leaving the Party. Learning about the communist line has helped me and changed the way I view the life of the working class, but I can no longer do the same work.” This valuable worker has continued to participate in some expanded meetings, conferences, and May Day marches, along with her family, but without taking on specific Party tasks. We must continue trying to bring her back.
Comrade A played a key role in ICWP’s growth in the factories. Her absences began due to pressure from her family. They believed that she was devoting too much time to Party activities and that her young daughter needed more attention.
We sought ways to minimize her trips to pick up her young daughter in another city. ICWP comrades would stop by her place and take her so she could arrive on time for meetings. For a while, this helped a great deal.
She later changed jobs. Full of enthusiasm to organize there, she ran into some fellow workers she knew at her new workplace. She invited them to an expanded meeting, but her absences had already become more prolonged.
M and D were absent for several months. During that time they no longer participated as they had before. These worker comrades faced pressure from supervisors in the form of increased quotas and longer working hours. While the unions were fighting on their behalf, they stopped attending the meetings. “We’re between a rock and a hard place,” said M.
The situation for workers in the factories is complex. There, the unions work alongside management and put a lot of pressure on the workers to participate with them as a guarantee of keeping their jobs.
Comrade P states: “During this time, I tried to stay close to them at all times. Even though these are moments of great ideological tension, I persisted. Sometimes we had lunch together, trying to raise awareness that reformism leads us to a dead end.”
Over the past year, inside and outside the factories, we have been fighting day by day alongside our working-class comrades to win the ideological battle of the communist revolution against opportunist reformism.
This is a process of strengthening communist ties and ensuring that people understand that reformism leads us down a path with no end. Only communism, through the International Communist Workers’ Party, will free us from wage slavery. We need solidarity facing family problems, always staying close, never abandoning the comrades, until we have them fighting for our class.
Letter: In Loving Memory of Anita Manzano
There are no words that can do justice to the loss of a mother. We extend our condolences and solidarity to the daughters and grandchildren of Anita Manzano, comrades of the International Communist Workers’ Party, on her sad passing. She leaves behind an indelible legacy and an example of her work, dedication, and undying love.
Anita Manzano, at 92 years old, was a strong, determined woman. It showed in everything she did. She welcomed us joyfully when we gathered at her home. She was deeply respectful of communist ideals. And she even joined us for the May Day march.
Last year, she visited her grandson E. in Spain and was pleased to see him participating in the ICWP.
She warmly welcomed comrades from Mexico into her home when they visited us for the international conference held here. She forged bonds with the comrades and with everyone who came to her home, with the kindness that characterized her. She had promised to visit them soon to continue fostering communist social ties.
She is a mother who leaves behind a great legacy of communist daughters and grandchildren to continue the struggle for a better world. We honor and celebrate her life.
—A comrade in El Salvador