VOL. 7 # 7, May 5 to 19, 2016 DONATION REQUESTED Fight for Communism red flag Luchar por el Comunismo mobilize the masses for communism
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNIST WORKERS’ PARTY * WWW.ICWPREDFLAG.ORG
Seattle, USA May Day, page 4
El Salvador May Day, page 3
Los Angeles, USA, May Day south african Women los angeles Workers lead youth spread may day mobilization and defend for communism communist ideas PORT ELIZABETH, SOUTH AFRICA, May join our party ICWP. LOS ANGELES, USA, May 1--The contin - 1--“ICWP flows in my blood,” said a new com - The response was overwhelming. Several gent of the International Communist Workers’ rade who had spent tremendous efforts for dec - pledged to join and attend our communist school Party this May Day was made up of veterans, stu - cades in the African National Congress (ANC). to be trained as revolutionary members to mobi - dents and workers. We marched on the streets of He is not alone. Masses are joining the Interna - lize the masses for communism. We were the downtown. More than eighty marched carrying tional Communist Workers’ Party as they are fed only organization with the literature and almost red flags and two banners, one that read “For a up with various capitalist led political groups like everybody who attended the May Day event got Communist World: No Money, Racism, Borders, ANC, Democratic Alliance, South African Com - Red Flag . We distributed 1000 copies and an - or Bosses” and the other stating our guiding prin - munist Party (SACP) and various unions. This other 1500 a week earlier along with thousands ciple of “Mobilize the masses for communism.”. was a clear message of May Day 2016 in Port of leaflets and End Racism pamphlets. The young people and workers with much Elizabeth. The most important aspect of our activities is emotion, passion and class hatred chanted slo - The main May Day event organized here by the development of women comrades as leaders. gans like “Long live communism! Power, power the trade union federation COSATU, ANC and Over half of our contingent was women. Several to the workers!” We organized five groups of SACP was a disaster. But not for ICWP. We played leading roles in mobilizing. The comrade two. One person carried Red Flag and the other were offering communism as the only solution, who dedicated several long hours every day to or - our new pamphlet To End Racism, Mobilize the they were offering capitalism, more repression, ganizing in various townships exuded confi - Masses for Communism. These groups distrib - racism. dence. She said, “Next year we will fill up this uted about 900 Red Flags and more than 600 of Our contingent of ICWP members and friends hall and it will be our May Day event.” She the pamphlets. started arriving at the event at the scheduled added, “At this rate it won’t be long before we The following are comments from some of the opening time. There was hardly anybody there. have 2000 members.” young people who marched: Under severe threat of violence, when even hold - We need her energy, enthusiasm, passion and At the march a young lady asked me if I ing May Day was illegal under apartheid, ANC bold approach to reach the masses with commu - was for communism. used to attract tens of thousands here. nist ideas. This is in sharp contrast to various “Of course”’ I said. Then, she asked if I could Our contingent, undeterred by the low turnout capitalist-led organizations that are in disarray. explain what communism is. fanned out in the neighborhoods and distributed The deeply disappointed ANC, due to their fail - “A world without borders, money, racism, dis - Red Flag and our May Day leaflets. And as ure to attract the masses, has given up on them. crimination or bosses. There will be no hierarchy, workers started trickling in, we continued to dis - We are seizing this opportunity and recruiting the no rich and no one will be poor,” I said. tribute our literature. More importantly, we en - masses to the revolutionary communist alterna - She responded, “I didn’t know that, I thought gaged in serious conversation with the masses tive. communism was bad because in school they say about the communist alternative and the need to See SOUTH AFRICA MAY DAY, page 2 See LOS ANGELES MAY DAY, page 4
icWp & red india: Women may day in communism flag advance strikers mexico and Will end on four fight sexist spain sexism continents capitalism pages 3, 5 page 8 pages 2, 7 page 6 www.icwpredflag.org 2 Where do we come from? Where are we now? Where are we going? red flags of icWp fly in asia, africa, europe, the americas on may day From India: “Revolutionary greetings! We broke out, they called on the soldiers to turn the cations in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. have a world to win. We will make a world free guns on the government. The Czar accused them We are growing modestly in the Americas and of oppression, racism, sexism, where there will of being traitors. The workers stoned them in the Europe. be no borders. We need to get rid of the disease streets. Today the world’s workers are facing a global of nationalism and become true internationalist But the communists did not despair. They pa - capitalist crisis of overproduction. This is accel - revolutionaries. The world is ours. A revolution tiently organized until millions of soldiers and in - erating a build-up to a third World War. The con - is driven by feelings of love. A lot of love to all dustrial workers followed their leadership and flict between the US and Russia is sharpening the comrades of International Communist Work - took state power in the first-ever socialist revo - from Syria to the North Sea. The US, Russia, and ers’ Party (ICWP)!” lution. China have entered a new nuclear arms race to From South Africa : “Hello my fellow ICWP Nine comrades founded the Chinese Commu - produce “small” nuclear weapons they are comrades all around the world. I started with the nist Party. What could they do in a land of over preparing to use. African National Congress in the 1950s. I had 450 million? But our class responded to their Where we are going is to turn the bosses’ misconceptions about communism but now I am call. Eventually the Party and its Red Army of wars into a revolution for communism . Again very clear about communism, thanks to ICWP millions defeated the Japanese invaders and the we call on soldiers to turn the guns on the impe - and the very informative Red Flag . Forward with Chinese bosses and took power. rialists and fight alongside workers, this time for the struggle, forward!” Today we are a small party as Russian com - communism. From El Salvador: “With the power of the munists were in 1912 and Chinese communists We are going to build a mass party, especially factory workers of San Marcos, with the sweat of were in 1921. Size is important. We need mil - among industrial workers and soldiers. Factories, the farmworkers of Morazán, with the energy of lions to win communism and more to build it. barracks, neighborhoods and schools must be - the youth of the capital, we send a greeting with But we have two big advantages that they didn’t come centers of political struggle for commu - the left fist raising high the Red Flag . Long live have: First, ICWP was founded as an interna - nism. the working class! Long live ICWP!” tional party. And second, we have their experi - We are going to build more communist collec - * * * * * * ences to build on. tives to read, write for and distribute Red Flag . We come from the masses who lived for Today we know that only the masses mobi - To develop more communist leaders, women and some 70,000 years in pre-class communism, lized directly for communism can build the men. To confront racist terror by mobilizing for sharing everything without bosses or any kind of global society we need. We are confident that communism. To unite workers of different money. we will grow and win because we have learned “races” and encourage the super-exploited to be - We come from the oppressed classes – from the millions who fought before us and we come communist leaders of all workers. slaves, serfs, workers – who have defied adver - continue to learn from the masses. The collectives we build today will become the sity and still do today. When society divided into We have learned especially from those in basis of communist workers’ power in the future. classes they waged relentless and heroic struggles China who fought during the Great Proletarian Where we are going is to a classless society against the oppressors: the slave masters, the Cultural Revolution to transform socialism into where everyone is welcome everywhere. Where kings and nobles and the capitalists, our modern communism. Their struggle failed but it taught the masses will collectively find communist so - wage-slave masters. us to fight directly for communism and nothing lutions to all the problems capitalism has caused. We are inspired by our predecessors in 17th else. At its best it showed that we can produce Where all have shelter and food, comradeship century Brazil who were enslaved but rebelled, and share everything collectively without money, and meaningful work. escaped and set up a society where they shared privilege or any economic incentive. We are going to reclaim the best of pre-class everything. They collectively produced for need Today we have readers in 35 countries and communism and take it to a new level. The without money. But they tried in vain to bring counting and organizers in 11. More and more masses will use and develop our scientific under - back pre-class communism. Our future lies in workers and youth are disgusted with capitalism standing to consciously shape the world we long scientific communism. and inspired by the communism they read about for: a world where the lives of workers and our We have learned much from the scientific in Red Flag . In this issue you can read about our children will be valued and cherished above all communists of the 20th century. work in South Africa, where two new clubs–one else. In 1912, there were only a handful of Russian of students, one of workers–have formed, and Come with us! Join ICWP! communist organizers. When the First World War about the first ICWP May Day activities in xx lo - SOUTH AFRICA MAY DAY from him about our Communist School. He paused for a minute and then asked us if he could come with a friend. page 1 As the conversation went on, his interest in communism Our next event is organizing for the Communist got deeper. He asked for a stack of Red Flags. As we School. New and old comrades are extremely commit - had to leave, he said, “I will come with four friends to ted and enthusiastically building for it. With the masses the Communist School.” we will learn and discuss the philosophy and science of This example and many more similar experiences that dialectical materialism. We are already using this rev - the comrades are reporting illustrate that we have olutionary method to struggle with the masses, identify tremendous potential to recruit thousands of workers the obstacles and patiently overcome them. and youth to our party in the very near future and lead The mood of the masses here looking for an alterna - class struggle against capitalism. tive can be summed up in a small example. A young student took a copy of Red Flag and asked us what it was about. The comrade explained that we are organ - izing the workers around the world under our banners of fighting for communism. The student said that he was a member of DA (Democratic Alliance, a right wing po - litical party). But, he added, he liked our ideas. We told The photo on this page is from the meeting organizing for May Day reported on in the article on page 8. www.icwpredflag.org — (310) 487-7674 facebook.com/red-flag- newspaper-of-icwp- 924195127665834/?fref=nf e-mail: [email protected] write to: p.m.b. 362 3006 s. Vermont aVe., los angeles, ca 90007, usa www.icwpredflag.org 3 El Salvador May Day We shall be all EL SALVADOR—“Communism is coming and veterans of the war united under the banners ing class is losing its patience and calm. Since the and no one can stop it!” The chant rang through of ICWP and marched for communism. fmln took government office, they have tried to the streets of San Salvador. The working class The task of distributing our literature was car - calm the masses. They try to avoid the masses came out into the streets to commemorate the ried out by youth and maquila workers. Demon - taking to the streets and expressing their discon - heroic deeds of the martyrs of Chicago. The In - strators took 1,100 Red Flags and 2,500 leaflets. tent against capitalism. But year after year they ternational Communist Workers’ Party and Red Youth, adults, and seniors surrounded those who lose control of the workers’ movement. Each time Flag were there once again together with the distributed our literature to ask for more Red more people decide for the radical struggle and working class, fighting for communism. Flags . “Give me more. I will take them to my declare themselves openly anti-capitalist. Starting very early, our comrades mobilized to students,” said a teacher. “For the same enemy, the same struggle,” was the capital from the east, center and south of the Bringing our communist ideas to the masses is the general slogan of the march. But this, like country to march as a bloc, united as ICWP. a fundamental task in building our party. The “Down with Capitalism!” is not enough. It is not Teachers, farmworkers, Internationalists, stu - party continues to win the confidence of the only to fight against capitalism. Communism is dents, men and women maquila workers, artists workers, students, and farmworkers. During the the only solution for all the evils generated by march, youth who marched Capitalism. Neither social democracy nor social - with the youth groups of the ism nor anarchism can end this evil. We need the old communist movement massive organization of a Communist party, the asked us to chant our slo - ICWP. gans and said they would May Day is not a celebration, it is not a party. support us. We made con - It is another day of struggle. We left motivated tact with them and plan fu - and more eager to do our work in every place ture meetings to discuss our where we are. Confidence in our line is essential political project. to bring communist ideas to the masses. Chanting “Down with We march for the South African miners, for the Capitalism!” the march ad - students in India, for the teachers in Mexico, for vanced. The hatred and the immigrants in Spain. We march for a future class struggle is each time without classes in which those who are nothing more apparent. The work - today shall be all. May Day from Mexico: a call for a communist revolution, not reform
Hundreds of thousands of people marched this ment give them their “rights,” demanding “jus - for more. As they walked or sat, they did not re - May Day in Mexico City. They were from unions tice.” But what justice can we expect from a gov - ject it. They asked, “What does the paper say?” and independent groups like the miners, workers ernment that only serves the capitalist bosses? “What is your goal?” “We need a newspaper like from educational centers, cleaning, metro, What justice can we expect from a government this.” They took it happily. CTE(Community and Technical Education work - that is a fundamental part of capitalism? Self-critically, 750 papers were insufficient for ers), telephone workers, farmworkers, environ - Our newspaper Red Flag was very clear about the hundreds of thousands of people and insuffi - mentalists, people fighting forced that. Exposing the government and the bosses, we cient for the people who helped distribute it, who disappearances, electrical workers, etc. There said loudly as we gave out the paper, “No to Re - this day responded to the call of our international were thousands of angry people marching form, Yes to Revolution.” “Let’s fight for a world working class. This call inspires us to continue through the streets, with signs and leaflets. Work - where each receives according to their needs and struggling along with our comrades in the rest of ers singing or chanting demanding the govern - each contributes according to their capacity and the world, from South Africa to India, in Latin commitment.” We also America, the Middle East, the US and whereever said, “Let’s not be our party with its clear political line is responding fooled by the capitalist to the needs of our working class to finally free bosses.” “Let’s unite in itself from the capitalist bosses. one single struggle, a This May Day we joined with the voices of the struggle for a commu - workers of the world and with the view of those nist world.” who one day are not going to ask permission, or The workers warmly who from now on do not ask permission. We say: received our newspa - Long live our international working class! Long per, read it and asked live Communism. LOS ANGELES, May Day--Young workers and students who have been Party members for several years gave crucial leadership to younger students. They contributed to the seriousness and discipline of the contingent. www.icwpredflag.org 4 putting communism front and center at seattle may day
SEATTLE, US, May 1--Our communist con - We spent many weeks building for May Day. people who are members. For example, they dis - tingent made a big impression on at least one We held a dinner whose highlight was a speech tribute Red Flag and other ICWP literature. They marcher. She came up to our table to tell us that, by a person new to us about the importance of talk to other workers about communism and to her amazement, she ran into someone “who May Day. We made a list of people who would bring them to ICWP events. They proudly hold a believes in capitalism”! or might come and kept in touch with them by banner calling for communism. No wonder she was amazed. The vast majority phone, email, texts, and of course good old fash - The one thing members do that our great of people who gathered for the Seattle May Day ioned physical face-to-face visits in their homes friends don’t do (or at least, not as much) is reg - march were obviously against capitalism. The and at work. We made a big banner with the ularly meet to make decisions on how to carry out chants, signs and leaflets made it clear they were ICWP logo and with MOBILIZE THE MASSES the work. This mirrors a devastating characteris - fed up with racism, deportations, low wages, un - FOR COMMUNISM in bold yellow type on a tic of capitalism: those who do the work don’t employment, killer cops, homelessness, and all red background. (See page 1) make the decisions. the other capitalist horrors big and small. When the day came we set up an ICWP table Our plan must be to break with our capitalist We in the ICWP were there with an alternative at the march starting point. The table had Red training. Those that do the work can make the – communism. A society based on mutual aid, Flag , of course, the new End Racism pamphlet, best decisions. This is a key aspect of communist rather than competition. A society where every - the global May Day leaflet, the global refugees culture. These new friends have the ability by one works and the product of this work is distrib - leaflet, a leaflet on Bernie Sanders and socialism, virtue of their practice, not only to join the party, uted according to need. A society without money and our Mobilize the Masses for Communism . but to lead. And those who have been in the party or wages, where everyone gets food, shelter, ed - On the march itself we distributed 550 copies of for a time must listen carefully to the contribu - ucation and healthcare. Red Flag with our communist anti-racism pam - tions of our new comrades. Only the ICWP offered this alternative. Some phlet as an insert. Many new comrades have joined the party all supposedly Marxist groups timidly offered so - As usual a number of people encountered un - around the world. For example, after our confer - cialism. But socialism is just capitalism: it main - expected obstacles and couldn’t make it. But ence in South Africa new recruits began almost tains wages and the market economy. Therefore, enough showed up that our contingent was able immediately to explain to other workers, family as an alternative to capitalism, it is a non-starter. to make an impression. The decisive factor was and friends what it means to join the ICWP. An - There were also groups promoting identity pol - not the size of our contingent but the fact that we other part of our plan is to show how these (and itics and singl- issue causes like a $15 minimum were offering something – namely communism other) new recruits contribute to mobilizing the wage. At best these movements make small, tem - – that nobody else dared (or even thought to) masses for communism. porary changes then collapse. Typically, they col - mention. Everyone in our contingent was happy with lapse without having any effect. We don’t ignore Joining the ICWP: Those Who Do the Work how it turned out and the first-timers were im - these movements; we reach out to people who are Make the Best Decisions pressed. Our next job is to recruit them (and those involved. But we want to get activists off the re - In evaluating our experience one thing struck who couldn’t make it) to the ICWP. Together we formist treadmill and into the ICWP, to make a us. This is the situation (which we’ve seen be - can end capitalism and all the evils that the May revolution that will permanently end capitalism’s fore) where people who do not consider them - Day marchers denounced. horrors. selves ICWP members work just as hard as LOS ANGELES MAY DAY from page 1 it’s bad.” I said to her that we are taught a capitalist education and they don’t want you to know how com - munism really works. They want to keep us blind and distracted from what’s really going on. An older lady said, “You’ve been brain-washed.”.\ I responded to her, “I under - stand communism and I’m against any capitalist government and everything they stand for. If you’re accepting the fact that you need a president or a government to tell you what, how and when to do it or how and when you’re going to work or even how much you’re going to make, then that just shows that you’re not open-minded to new ideas and it seems that you need someone to tell you what to do. What’s better is that we should be helping out each other and stand together as one.” All of us were there, fighting for what is people.” As a communist I believe that to truly played a very important role. They took the lead right. We proudly stood our ground waving achieve a communist world we must exile all cap - in many aspects of the march, both planning the red flag. I enjoyed very much being part of italist ideas. and implementation. The other demonstrators this event. I will keep participating in the years There were many different people march - in the march were amazed in a very positive to come. ing for many reasons; for immigration re - way. Often they approached the contingent and My comrade and I went with Red form, to stop deportations and to raise the took many pictures and asked who are you? Flag and the End Racism pamphlet talking and minimum wage. There were children holding We are the International Communist Work - answering questions about communism. A young signs, banners, and posters that read “Don’t de - ers’ Party. Our summer project will have a com - man said to us that our party was anti-union. He port my parents.” But we were the only ones munist school, write and distribute Red Flag , showed us a copy of our newspaper to prove it to there marching to mobilize the masses for com - visit factories, schools, transit and military us. He insisted that we were wrong. munism. Only with communism we will create a bases. In this way, these young people will de - “Yes, we are against unions because they ne - world where no one will be an immigrant, there velop politically and practically even more. gotiate workers’ wages, we want to eliminate will be no deportations because we will live with - The Party is in good hands! wages all together.” Then I added, “Unions work out borders. with the government. They don’t stand with the These young comrades and many others www.icwpredflag.org 5 communist collectivity Will break bosses’ racist theories SEATTLE, WA, USA—Eyelids were drooping transportation we need. No at our early morning crew meeting. The topic was more transit cops or cashiers Boeing’s “new safety culture.” Most had heard to collect fares. After we this kind of pitch before. That is, until the bosses eliminate those jobs, these started to justify the company’s blame-the-work - folks can actually help peo - ers approach by invoking the discredited broken- ple get where they need to windows theory. Then all hell broke loose. go! Broken-windows is one of the most racist Bus drivers can concen - blame-the-victim theories that capitalist acade - trate on getting their passen - mia has invented. It asserts that if one house on gers safely to their the block has a broken window, the whole neigh - destinations, freed of the ob - borhood will deteriorate. It advocates for crack - noxious job of demanding ing down on petty crime as a supposed way to money. improve workers’ lives. While we’re at it, we’ll re - Of course, no evidence was ever presented to design housing. Broken win - Boeing workers at prove this. But who needs evidence when you dows will no longer be the Seattle May Day can blame workers—particularly black and Latin responsibility of an individ - workers. ual home owner. We’ll design, build and repair No longer will we suffer a culture and laws The New York City police department first put housing collectively. that blame other workers. All too often this blame this theory into practice. It rapidly escalated into “Hell, in 2008 the banks foreclosed on at least falls on black or Latin, Muslim or immigrant the notorious stop-and-frisk program. Black and 3 million homes,” commented one irate worker. workers. Latin workers were routinely harassed for no rea - “Who’s responsible for all the broken windows Hence, threats and punishment form the back - son other than the (racist) whim of a local cop. in those abandoned buildings? And the banks got bone of capitalist social relations. This is the op - (The justification: you won’t want the whole billions for really destroying neighborhoods!” posite of communist social practice. neighborhood going to ruin because some mis - Workers are the solution, not the problem Comradely struggle for communist principles creant might misbehave on the street.) Too often When the bosses talk about a “safety culture,” will mark our practice. Millions will become racist murder by the cops was the end result. they point the finger at us. Individual workers, skilled at deciding things collectively. The power The crew boss parroted what he had heard at a they say, are responsible for taking unsafe short - and potential of the masses will not be a thing to larger managers’ meeting: “What if there’s a gang cuts and ignoring safety violations. The bosses’ be feared as do the bosses and their academic jumping the subway turnstiles? Then everybody need to amass more profits doesn’t even enter the mouthpieces. It will be our great source of will start jumping the turnstiles and people will picture. strength. no longer pay the fare.” He later admitted he According to the anti-worker bias of capital - Masses mobilized with communist collectivity wasn’t thinking of a gang of white kids. And be - ism, one bad apple will spoil the bushel. Com - will guarantee our safety. The confidence we sides, why should there be fares at all? munists have much more confidence in the build in each other during this process will bury In communism we’ll collectively provide the working class. racist theories like “broken windows.” comrades in spain spread communist ideas on may day “This is what we need,” said a retired cause we workers are the ones who produce worker when we gave him a copy of Red everything. We fight so that this production Flag . must be used to meet our own needs. “Keep it up! You are the future,” said an - We fight because we know that in the other worker who was part of the same group. whole world we workers live enslaved and We left them several copies of Red Flag and that the opportunities the bosses offer are ab - invited them to join ICWP. We hope that they surd. We fight to have dignified work without get in contact with us soon. them telling us in a hospital that if we don’t This May Day the working class again have money they can’t cure us. went out into the streets to demand more ed - The building of a new system, of a Com - ucation, better wages, fewer layoffs, etc. We munist System, begins with taking the politi - in ICWP brought 500 copies of Red Flag and cal line as the vanguard to all the workers in more than six thousand leaflets calling on the world. From that we must develop polit - workers to mobilize for a Communist May ical cadres and communist leaders who can Day. We know that the essence of our work lead the masses forward to communism. LOS ANGELES, Saturday, April 30th—About 700 consists of spreading communist ideas mas - We workers can build everything we put Bernie Sanders supporters held a May Day march in sively. The working class must realize that our minds to always and only when we are downtown Los Angeles. Most were young and, it seems, every year the unions and the political parties united and we work for everyone collectively, they had a struggle about whether to march or to work of the fake left only use them to continue in not individually, like what is done in the cap - with phone banks. power. Every year these sell-outs try to fool italist system. We the workers can be certain ICWP brought Red Flag , the new End Racism pam - the working class, telling them that we must that if we build a communist world, our chil - phlet, and a leaflet titled “Communism, Not Socialism, go out and fight for the miserable reforms that dren can live in peace with good health, better Will Liberate the Working Class.” We distributed about the bosses design. education, and collective communist rela - 300 of each. Many of the marchers were open and very We with Red Flag expose every movement tions. Let’s build communism! Join the Inter - interested in talking about the difference between so - that these unions make. ICWP calls on the national Communist Workers’ Party and we cialism and communism, and what communism will be working class to fight to build Communism. will have a better society! like. We talked about armed revolution for communism The political line that we advocate is not in LONG LIVE COMMUNISM! LONG vs. capitalist elections. Several thanked us profoundly order to collect wages, nor much less to climb LIVE ICWP! LONG LIVE MAY DAY! for our literature and ideas. “Bernie Sanders hijacked up in power in an organization. We fight be - May Day,”one said. SUBSCRIBE TO RED FLAG - $20/YEAR
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Send to P.M.B 362, 3006 S. Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007 www.icwpredflag.org 6 india: the strikes of Women tea pickers and garment Workers point beyond reformism “We pick the tea leaves, we heave the sacks of take our turn doing tedious, boring, and disagree - women garment workers in Bengaluru (Banga - the tea leaves, you heave the sacks of money able work that can’t be mechanized – while lore) in April blocked roads, shut down the city leaves, there has to be an end to this.” working in other fields like medicine, science, and forced the Modi government to cancel a big These were the words on a protest sign at a re - etc. cut in their benefits. Unions also played no role cent strike by 6000 women tea workers in Eliminating wage slavery will strike a crucial in that strike. Temporary “victories” like these, Munnar, Kerala State in India. The nine-day blow against racism and sexism – deadly capital - whether or not led by unions, tend to blind work - strike won a higher bonus for tea workers. It in - ist ideologies used to super-exploit some sectors ers to the need to destroy capitalism, reinforcing spired other strikes at nearby plantations. of our class, while preventing us from uniting to deadly reformist ideology that capitalism can be Communist society will eliminate the sacks of destroy capitalism with a communist revolution. made to serve our needs. money leaves altogether. Tea is largely an export In a communist world there won’t be a “Third Both strikes, however, showed the anger and crop. Tea leaf picking here is a “women only” World” where the capitalists use racism to super the power of the masses of garment and tea work - job. These women – like all wage slaves - work exploit our class brothers and sisters. In a com - ers. The tea workers’ sign, “There has to be an to make a profit for the plantation owners and the munist society there won’t be “women only” or end to this,” shows that the Indian masses, like banks that finance them. We’ll eliminate money, “men only” work, including house work. This the masses worldwide, are fed up with capitalism. banks, and profits, and we’ll decide together what will be done collectively with many families – They are looking for radical alternatives. They we need to grow and where to grow it. This will men, women, and children – participating. are open to communism. We must win them to be decided by ICWP’s worldwide collectives be - Reformism Won’t Take Us Where We see that “the heaving of the sacks of money” cause communist production will be solely to sat - Need To Go stolen from our labor and the horrors capitalism isfy the needs of workers worldwide. Thus, the The strikers in Munnar rejected the unions, imposes on us to get it can only end by mobiliz - masses worldwide need to participate in making both those affiliated with the Congress Party and ing the masses for communism. Our task is to those decisions. those with the Communist Party, because they win these militant women workers to join ICWP Communist production will also decide and collaborate with management. This is a good and organize political strikes to mobilize for com - change not only what we produce and where, but start. These workers, however ,need to reject munism. It takes commitment and determined also who produces it and how. The vast majority unions – no matter how militant and honest their class struggle to end it. It can’t come too soon. of production processes can be mechanized to leaders are--because of their reformist eliminate the tedious, boring, back breaking ideology. Trade unions don’t want to hours of labor that the capitalists’ profit-driven destroy capitalism, but to reform it, wage slavery imposes on us. Nobody will be leaving its wage slavery, racism, sex - picking tea leaves or chained to a sewing ma - ism, and all its horrors intact. chine 8 hours or more a day for life. Communist Some strikers were members of a production and social relations based on cooper - group called Sembilan Urumqi ation and collectivity will develop the communist (Women’s Unity) and some reports education and practice to guarantee this. . have claimed the bonus they got is a Communist education will be tied to our com - victory for feminism, since men played munist production. Not only will we train the in - no role in the strike. Feminism blames ventors, builders, mechanics and operators of the all men instead of class society for sex - machinery necessary to make our work more en - ism. It is another divisive capitalist ide - joyable, but we will guarantee the same person ology that must be rejected, which combines these skills. Communist education will communism will bury with all capitalist bind theory and practice – everyone will be a ideology. Mass strikes of garment workers in Bangalore doer and a thinker. We will all, including leaders, An even larger wildcat strike led by shut down a major highway LETTERS LETTERS LETTERS CRITICISM AND SUGGESTIONS
ICWP End Racism Pamphlet Should Have Educated about US Racism When I first read To End Racism: Mobilize my initial reaction. However, I do have some Has Never Been Told (although he writes the Masses for Communism, I was very suggestions. about passive resistance to capitalism, survi - upset. I thought it was useless because it has It explains how ancient and feudal slavery val, not its elimination). nothing for African American and other readers was different from capitalist slavery and docu - I think that an article on the racist history of in the US. There are articles about racism in ment how racism is a capitalist invention, not the US—slave-holding founding fathers, con - Latin America, India, and South Africa, nothing something ancient and universal. However, cessions to slave-holding in the Constitution, on the sordid, long history of racism in the US. some clarification is needed. The 3rd para - racist terror and Reconstruction, Jim Crow, ra - While the intent may have been to reflect the graph on page 1 says, “Starving European la - cist Supreme Court decisions, etc. would in - international aspect of racism, African Ameri - borers of Jamestown, Virginia saw Native form African-Americans and others in the US cans and others in the US are also part of the American societies…” This needs a date and as well as people internationally. I grew up in international working class. I have since read explanation that Jamestown was a British co - the South and experienced Jim Crow, US and studied the document and reconsidered lony in what eventually became the US. apartheid: racially separate schools, even on In the 4th and 5th para - the college/university level, not being able to graphs, it talks about the eat at lunch counters when shopping, segrega - creation of a multi-ethnic ted seating on buses, railroad cars, wards in maritime proletariat and hospitals, etc. There was also apartheid in the servant and slave codes US military until 1948. in British colonies. Which These most gross aspects of U.S. apartheid British colonies should be are gone because of multiracial class struggle stated, particularly in in the Civil Rights Movement. However, racism what is now the US. still exists in mass incarceration of African Paragraphs 1-3 on American males, racially segregated housing, page 8 should be expan - police murders, and, particularly, racist ideo - ded into an article on the logy perpetuated in capitalist media, politics, value of slaves in the US and education. The more things have chan - and their labor in produ - ged, the more they have remained the same. cing the cotton that provi - Red Flag must continue to educate on the ded the capital for capitalist origin of racism, why reforms will industrialization and inter - never destroy racism, and why only commu - national banking. This nism will eliminate racism. could include the informa - --Bay Area, California, US Comrade tion in Baptist’s The Half www.icwpredflag.org 7 India: comrades organize icWp in a police state This is a brief report from our collective of rounded by pro-capitalist revisionist parties like fighting, we feel overwhelmed. However, com - ICWP members and readers living in a large in - the Communist Party of India and the Communist munism and revolution are built on scientific dustrial city in India. We are happy to report that Party Marxist. And another ideological struggle laws. We can’t go back in history. Socialism we were able to read, discuss and distribute some is with various Maoist groups that are involved can’t be reformed. Fascists can’t be voted out. literature of ICWP ( Red Flag, Mobilize the in class struggle. They are fighting the repressive Revisionists can’t be wished away. We have to Masses for Communism, Education pamphlet, state power. Their heroic fight against the state smash capitalism with communism. Intense ide - End Racism and Nationalism ) among our col - has given them some respect and mass base. ological discussion that is going around the ideas leagues and coworkers before, during and after However, they have an incorrect line of fighting of ICWP is helping us understand and advance messages May Day. We were unsure how to do this work for socialism. As ICWP has explained, socialism our line of fighting for communism. We are very because we are living in a police state. with its market system and wage slavery is state encouraged by the international line of the party. The government and its Hindu fascist groups capitalism. Also the work of the comrades in South Africa is are terrorizing the masses. We are also sur - Amidst all these trends, all of which we are very inspiring.
LETTERS LETTERS LETTERS CRITICISM AND SUGGESTIONS May Day Greetings Circle the Globe Messages of greetings were received from We also received May Day greetings from change. He also said that a worker was run 11 industrial cities across South Asia. Most im - Turkey, Croatia, Lebanon, Nigeria and Brazil. over and killed by the police at a May Day de - portantly many comrades discussed and distri - A comrade in Turkey said he distributed the monstration. buted Red Flag at various May Day events. global leaflet on the refugees under fascist Our party is growing internationally and the The highlight was the industrial city of Benga - conditions prevailing in Turkey. He also repor - masses are looking at the only alternative that luru (Bangalore) where our literature reached ted that there is virtually a civil war in Turkey will end wage slavery once and for all. ICWP the garment workers. We are making similar and the masses are looking for an alternative is determined to mobilize the masses for com - efforts to reach tea workers in Kerala, India to the fight among the bosses. The workers munism. Join us now. where we have some readers of Red Flag . and students are ready for revolutionary
Fight Sexism to Win Communism the article itself talks about the important roles was in store for them. Pain, suffering, abuse A great strength of the El Salvador May Day of women comrades in ICWP. and starvation. The ruling African National Con - article was that it reflected the material con - A better sentence might have read: “In gress (ANC) took everything for themselves cerns of women workers. But it was a mistake ICWP we are conscious of the need to fight and their capitalist backers and left the vast to write that “in ICWP we are conscious of the against all forms of sexist attacks on women in working class that brought them to power to need to restore the dignity of women as a form order to build the unity we need to win and fend for ourselves. of reparations” for past sexism. build communism.” Every time we go to mobilize the masses for First, dignity is a sense of self-worth and self- And that’s what we must do! communism all the comrades that we meet respect. Nobody can give it or take it away from —Comrade in Los Angeles, USA have a lot to complain about. you. “The ANC has brought us nothing but pain True, capitalism constantly tells the masses, Revolutionary Greetings from and more suffering,” said a comrade from Des - especially women, that we are worth little or no - Afghanistan pach near industrial town Uitenage. I am really thing. Communism arms us with the under- May Day greetings from Afghanistan comra - happy about the work we are doing when I standing that we are the creators of value and des and thanks for keeping in constant commu - heard an elderly comrade say, “Thank you the makers of history. But many, many women nication with me here. I want to assure you ICWP for coming here. Now we have hope for have maintained dignity – and courage and that I am trying to form units of comrades who the future.” fighting spirit! – in spite of all the sexist attacks. will form part of our movement and I am doing Even a student from a local college got very Second, some demand “reparations” from all I can afford to translate the literature in Dari, interested in the communist ideas and the fu - those who have exploited, robbed and profited the language commonly spoken in Afghanistan. ture without the bosses, borders and money. hugely from our labor. For example, some in I will write articles about the situation here. I He asked for more Red Flags to give to his the US demand “reparations” for slavery. This really appreciate your struggle for the interna - friends and family. is not a communist outlook. We do not make tional working class and will remain in contact In conclusion, this so-called Freedom Day demands on the capitalist ruling class. We with you. should be seen as the day when white on black fight to overthrow it. --Comrade in Afghanistan racism of open apartheid ended only to start When the article says that “we” will make “a black on black racism. The end of apartheid form of reparations” for what “they” (women) The End of Apartheid Only Changed has put a small number of blacks in positions of have suffered, the “we” sounds like “we men.” the Skin Color of the power and some have become millionaires. It implies that male workers (not capitalism) are Capitalist Oppressor Only communism will end this racism. The mainly responsible for the humiliation, violence On this day (27th April, 1984) all South Afri - masses are with us everywhere we go. They and disrespect inflicted on female workers. It cans came out in numbers to vote for a free want to hear about the communist future. also implies that “we” in ICWP are men when and fair South Africa. Little did they know what --Comrades in South Africa
May Day, Los Angeles, USA www.icwpredflag.org 8 South African Masses Respond to Communism icWp takes big steps forWard SOUTH AFRICA, April 27—Communist member but got disillusioned with their reformist sponse we are getting from the masses have cre - ideas of ICWP are spreading like wildfire here. line. He was so encouraged by our party and ated good problems. In one week we have dis - Masses are joining our party. This report de - comrades that he wants to invite all his neighbors tributed over 2000 leaflets for May Day, and scribes one of the many meetings we organized to join ICWP. 1500 Red Flags and End Racism pamphlets. this week. Our meeting was serious. Comrades expressed This is more than we expected. We will need An enthusiastic family of Red Flag readers in - in very eloquent Xhosa language their class more money to advance and spread our political vited us to their house for a meeting. They in - anger, hatred of the bosses, total disgust for the work among the masses. We will have to print vited their friends to talk about communism. In reformist policies of all the political parties, their more Red Flags and transport many more work - this township in the last year angry masses have corruption and false promises. ers to May Day and the Communist School after confronted cops and government officials with The focus of the meeting was how commu - that. We urge party members, friends and sup - violence and mass protest against horrific living nism will work. Communism is a society that will porters all around the world to contribute finan - conditions. fulfill the needs of the working class. However, cially to our party so we can build our future We arrived early to a huge room, with three as we fight the bosses, and the bosses fight without the bosses, or their parasitic system of large sofas and a stack of plastic chairs. As the among each other, it will create tremendous de - wage slavery based on racism, sexism and nation - meeting time approached, the sofas were filling struction. ICWP will organize the masses to take alism. with comrades. Then more workers took every power. We will face enormous shortages of chair from the stack. Newcomers started squeez - everything from food to housing and healthcare. Communist Fund Raising ing in. We had to use empty pails of paint as During this revolutionary transition to commu - How do we raise money to fund our paper, chairs. This was not enough: some of us had to nism we will have to fight the old capitalist ide - transportation, literature, international pro - stand. ology of selfishness with the communist principle jects? We get donations, members give Young and old, men and women, employed of sharing. monthly stipends, and periodic fundraisers. and unemployed introduced themselves. A The comrades are prepared for it. They took But ito meet the need of our growth we must woman in her 60’s described bloody battles she stacks of Red Flags. Everyone pledged to come be more collective and creative about fun - had fought during apartheid. She had joined the to the Communist School to get a deeper under - draising. Surely there are party members or South African Communist Party (SACP). Now standing of our movement and how to build the friends who have a talent or interest in this she is disgusted with its class collaboration. She new society. Each and every one in the room who aspect of party buil said she was looking for us. was not already a member of ICWP joined. If you like what you are reading in Red Another comrade became very emotional Comrades are prepared for difficulties that lie Flag and want to learn more about commu - when he saw a young ICWP member tirelessly ahead. They are determined to build the party. nist society, I would invite you to contact Red organizing in her neighborhood and among com - Even after a long and exhausting day of mobiliz - Flag about forming a fundraising committee. rades everywhere in the city. He said that young ing, they went on to another area to continue We have many projects that need funding ICWP members give him hope. He himself had building the base for the party. and we need a collective approach to do it! been in the movement for decades as an SACP Overwhelming success and the passionate re - --Enthusiastic comrade communism Will end sexism: a call for study and action Communism will create the material basis for lives and attitudes. We need that! But that alone Each one of these points needs a whole article! ending sexism. We all need to understand this is not a winning strategy. Why couldn’t socialism And there is much more. more clearly and in more depth. We also need to end sexism? How do we know that communism How can the communist philosophy of dialec - understand the sharp political struggle required, can? tical materialism help us counter capitalism’s ide - now and after communist revolution, to actually An earlier Red Flag article (v. 7 #2) began to alism and mechanical materialism that teach us end it. answer this last question. to think of “male” and “female” as essentially The El Salvador May Day article in the previ - Communism will end the private ownership of and wholly opposite? ous issue (v. 7 #6) describes some of the ways the means of production: land, factories, mines, How can 21st century communism go beyond that communist society will differ from capital - forests and all the rest. This will destroy the ma - the gender division of labor that existed even in ism. That includes the same opportunities for terial basis for the capitalist attitude that we are pre-class societies? women and men, collectivity in child-rearing and all things to be used for someone else’s benefit. What are the similarities and the differences household chores, mutual respect instead of vio - In particular, it will allow us to win the political we confront in our communist fight against sex - lence, an end to sexist prejudices. struggle against the outlook that women are ism in the many places our Party is organizing? But many have fought for these anti-sexist men’s property and the abuses justified by this di - What do we learn from this about building inter - ideas and practices in the past. Many still do. visive idea. national communism? Many have struggled to change their own Production for need will replace the wage and Readers and Party collectives should discuss profit system. This will destroy the material basis these and other questions. Then send in contri - for the separation and devaluation of “women’s butions for a series. The Red Flag editorial col - work.” It will enable us to win the struggle to or - lective should make sure that the series develops ganize collective labor in all spheres, including our line as well as possible. It should guarantee responsibility for children. This will end the iso - that disagreements are aired in these pages. lated drudgery of housework. The series should also answer questions some As the May Day article said, communism have asked about why we say that working-class needs to unite the masses, in contrast to capital - women are often the best-prepared to become ism’s need to divide us. communist leaders. It should provide guidance to the work of developing many more new com - rades, especially women, in leadership roles. Wherever possible, articles should inspire us with stories of communist-led anti-sexist strug - gles in the past. They should also show how these were limited by mistaken strategies like feminism, nationalism and socialism. Most of all, they should show how we can win.
The bosses’ press said that the first day of the wildcat strike of Bangalore (India) garment workers, April, 2016 was peaceful, because “only women were involved.” These pictures expose this sexist lie.