LOS ANGELES (USA), June 23— “We’ve been organizing against ICE for more than a year,” said a thoughtful young activist. “I’ve been surprised to see how many people don’t know our rights. Even police and federal agents don’t know we all have rights. But then,” she added, “the government doesn’t respect our rights. There’s that, too.”
This reflects an important contradiction in mass mobilizations against fascist immigration cops across the USA. Many workers, youths, and others are horrified by the racist kidnappings of their neighbors. They have mobilized for the first time. Most have believed in American democracy and the US Constitution for their whole lives. But now they see the fist emerging from that velvet glove.
In Minnesota on June 16, Federal officials in Minnesota announced that a grand jury had ridiculously indicted 15 Minnesotans “for conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers.” And for efforts to allegedly “violently oppose immigration law enforcement.” Officials refused to provide details. But the indictments cite Signal posts, a blog post, and plans for a speaking tour.
This attempt to intimidate protesters is not working. “It’s scary to know that the federal government is turning on its own people,” said a Minneapolis minister. “But it’s not a reason to not show up.”
In Texas on June 23, nine protesters were convicted of “terrorism.” This stemmed from a Fourth of July protest at an immigrant concentration camp in Alvarado, Texas where an officer received a gunshot shoulder wound.
The defendants received sentences of fifty or more years in prison! Many of them did not know each other or were loosely affiliated. But prosecutors lied that the attack on the officer was premeditated and part of a conspiracy.
This is an example of the Trump administration’s plan to criminalize “antifa”, which is not even an organization. “Antifa” refers to anti-fascists. So much for “freedom of speech and assembly.”
Instead of “educating people about our rights,” we need to be explaining that the US Constitution exists to defend capitalist property rights. Instead of insisting on being “legal observers,” we should be preparing politically and then practically for communist revolution.
Communism will replace hollow words about people’s “rights” with practical work to meet people’s needs. It will encourage the masses to express themselves and engage politically because their full participation is needed to build a society that serves us all.
We need, right now, to shed all illusions that capitalist democracy will ever protect or serve us.
Read Fight for the Day When No Worker Will Be Called Foreigner here