NEW YORK CITY, April 14 — “Democrat, Republican, all the same, racist terror is the name of the game!” “The only solution is communist revolution!” Our multiracial contingent of workers and students, young and not so young, PL’ers and friends, led by women, brought the message to the New York State Republican Gala that any of the candidates, Democrat or Republican, are a dead-end for the working class. While each candidate has some differences in their particular agendas, all will maintain imperialist war and all the ills of capitalism. PLP brought the only real solution for the working class— only communism can meet the needs of our class sisters and brothers around the world.
Carrying a large banner that read “Elections Can’t Fix Capitalism—Fight for Communism!” our lively contingent joined a spirited Fight for 15 demonstration as they marched from Times Square to the hotel hosting the Gala. The Fight for 15 movement brings together workers’ rights groups in the fight for a living wage. At one point along the march, a Trump supporter was spotted along the side holding a sign that said “Build the Wall.” The PL contingent, joined by workers around us, immediately started shouting him down with the chants “No free speech for racists!” and “The fight of the workers, it has no racist borders!/Las luchas obreras no tienen fronteras!”
It was inspiring when many groups of workers joined us, passionately taking up our chants as they held CHALLENGE high in the air. These workers especially took to our internationalist chants with enthusiasm— “Obreros, unidos, jamas seran vencidos!/The workers united will never be defeated!” The crowd cheered as they noticed a young boy sitting on his dad’s shoulders holding CHALLENGE with his fist held up, as his dad chanted. A Party member spoke on the bullhorn, saying that this child is the next generation- the reason we fight for a better future. Over 500 CHALLENGEs and a thousand leaflets were distributed, and dozens of people stopped to hear and discuss PLP’s arguments for a communist world.
PLP stands out from the crowd when we fight for multi-racial unity and for communism. The electoral process convinces workers that there is a candidate who will fight for them, or at worst a “lesser evil” who will do less damage. But in fact there is no candidate who will end the exploitation of the working class—they can’t—that’s the basis of capitalism! There is no candidate who will end racism—that’s the foundation of making profit under capitalism! There is no candidate who will end inter-imperialist rivalry—that’s how the U.S. maintains power and control of its interests throughout the world!
While Trump is the most obvious racist who would brutally attack all workers, his Republican counterparts are no better. Likewise, the biggest danger to the working class are the liberal Democrats, like Clinton and Sanders (see page 6), who work to win the working class to believe in and support the very system that oppresses them and uses them as cannon fodder.
Every worker around the world must be won to put down the ballot and organize for communist revolution. Only communism smashes racism, sexism, exploitation of the working class, and imperialist war. If you haven’t joined PLP yet, do so now! March on May Day with PLP! We have nothing to lose but our chains.