On the one hand 2017 was another year of rising imperialist rivalry between the Chinese, U.S., and Russian capitalist bosses, leading to more and more devastating attacks on the world’s workers. It was also the year Donald Trump was inaugurated and carried on many Barack Obama policies, while adding his more openly vicious brand of racism, nationalism, sexism and warmongering.
As the imperialist powers prepare for more wars and eventually world war, the rulers are trying to get their houses in order. While Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia lead somewhat disciplined ruling classes, Trump presides over a U.S. ruling class in disarray. Moreover, Trump’s chaotic “America First” foreign policy has alienated many of the U.S.’s allies.
At the same time, the world’s workers are fighting the attacks of capitalism, but they need communist leadership more than ever. The fightbacks are often based on nationalism, religion or identity politics.
It is the job of the communist Progressive Labor Party (PLP) to build working-class unity. PLP has participated in many of these struggles and we have been able to raise revolutionary communist ideas, helping to unite the working class and bring us a little closer to a society run by the working class of the world.
Masses Rebel vs. Rising Fascism
The year started with a bang of mass protests following the inauguration of racist Trump. PLP members and friends energized those around them in a passive crowd of 60,000 at the National Women’s March in Oakland, with militant anti-capitalist chants and speeches. Just hours after the inauguration, 175,000 people gathered in Boston to stand against Trump’s racism and sexism. The following weekend, thousands across the U.S. poured into the streets and airports to protest Trump’s racist travel ban against Muslims. One of many moving moments came when a multi-generational Latin family enthusiastically joined the internationalist chant, “Working people have no nation, smash racist deportation.”
Clap Back vs. Racism on Campus
In addition to the mass organizing against racist segregation and redbaiting in the Brooklyn high school Park Slope Collegiate, the working class shut down fascist, racist speakers throughout the year.
Building International Workers’ Movement
Meanwhile in Mexico, 2017 started with occupations, demonstrations, marches, and road blockades throughout the entire country. This was the working class response to the government’s 20 percent price increase on gas and diesel fuel. PLP has been involved in the reform fightback while organizing for communist revolution.
In Colombia, PLP is organizing with construction workers who went on strike demanding back pay that was stolen from them. During the summer, 350,000 public school teachers went on a 37-day strike demanding better health care, higher pay and more school funding. Many teachers discussed revolutionary ideas and helped distribute PLP literature.
At airports in Chicago and Indiana militant protests tried to stop the deportations of our immigrant brothers and sisters. In Chicago, protesters almost got onto the tarmac to stop the planes, but were misguided by liberal misleaders. In Indiana they were confronted by fascist cops in military gear. In both places PL’ers raised revolutionary communist ideas in the heat of these battles.
The summer also saw thousands of multiracial anti-racists confronting and attacking hundreds of Nazis, KKK, and white supremacists in Charlottesville, VA. PL’ers were there to confront these racist scum and call for revolution.
The call for communist revolution also went out in Haiti as several thousand workers and students demonstrated for three straight days for an increase in the minimum wage. Later in the year there were more demonstrations and a call for a general strike as up to 10,000 angrily took to the streets against the government’s anti-working class budget. The Party in Haiti pledged to fight to build “a new society, communism, based on equality, where workers rule in our own interest.”
All these fightbacks and the Party’s struggle to make revolution primary are important. But the imperialists’ drive toward world war is relentless and the devastation on the world’s working class is beyond horrendous. These imperialist butchers only expose these atrocities when they can attack their competitors.
he U.S. bosses say little about Yemen that would reveal that their Saudi ally is bombing Yemen into oblivion. They want Saudi oil. But they criticize the Venezuela bosses who are allying with China and Russia. China doesn’t criticize the North Korean butchers because they are “allies.” Russia loves butcher Assad because Syria houses Russian military bases and the U.S. attacks him for the very same reason. Neither set of bosses gives a damn about the working class in Syria.
Year of Capitalist Disasters
With hurricanes, earthquakes and other disasters, the bosses have a similar spin. But instead of blaming another imperialist rival, they blame nature. Whether it is famines and droughts in Africa, massive flooding in South Asia, earthquakes in Mexico, or hurricanes in the Caribbean and U.S., it is never the fault of their capitalist, profiteering system. They ignore the fact that the capitalists survive these ‘natural disasters’ quite easily, while workers suffer greatly.
And now added to this worldwide, capitalist disaster, we have Trump. The capitalist propaganda says that world war with nuclear weapons is unthinkable. They tell us they can control themselves, compete gracefully, and divide the world among themselves peacefully. That was always bull, and with Trump, the world is more volatile than ever.
Another Year of Workers’ Unity
Our job as communists is more vital than ever. Let’s rise to the task and build our revolutionary communist Progressive Labor Party so we can lead the world’s working class to turn the bosses’ imperialist war into a war for workers power—communism!