CHICAGO, June 10—The fascist group “ACT for America” attempted to hold a rally in Chicago to spread racist anti-Muslim hate speech today, and to provoke anti-immigrant hatred under the disguise of protesting so-called “Sharia [Muslim] Law.” Unfortunately for these neo-Nazis, they were outnumbered two to one, and directly confronted by a counter-protest led by Progressive Labor Party members and friends who chanted “Death, death, death, to the fascists! Power, power, power to the workers!”
PLP Sets The Tone: Smash Fascism!
At their racist debut in Chicago, despite their absurd costumes, motley signs, and flag waving, there was nothing funny about these white nationalist proto-Nazis and their racist message. Through their rhetoric, they try to demonize Muslims to set the stage for racist attacks.
Police separated the two groups, allowing the ACT fascists to set up on one street corner unrestricted, while surrounding anti-racist protesters across the street with police and barricades. Our PLP contingent and friends immediately made a plan to cross the street and confront the fascists, while selling CHALLENGE and asking other anti-racists to join us.
Although many protesters agreed that we shouldn’t have been pinned down while the racists were not, most were still reluctant to join us. PLP members with their signs crossed the barricades and directly confronted ACT members, pushing them off the sidewalk. The racists ended up with their backs to the Chicago River and surrounded by anti-racist demonstrators. By this time, many more had joined us in confronting the racists. ACT members had nowhere to go and their message was drowned out by chants of “Asian, Latin, Black, and white – workers of the world unite!” and “The only solution is communist revolution!” The police quickly rushed to protect the small band of white supremacists who fled on foot.
PLP members distributed about 100 CHALLENGEs and collected contact information from workers who are interested in coming to meetings. Some expressed support in attending the upcoming trial on Wednesday, June 21 8:30 am at 26th and California, of a protester who was arrested and held in contempt of court during the trial of Jason Van Dyke, the racist cop who murdered Laquan McDonald.
Brigitte Gabriel: Servant of U.S. Capitalist Class
The growth of fascist movements occurs alongside disarray and weakness within the U.S. capitalist class, manifested by the embattled Trump administration.
No matter what happens with Trump, the belief that “all Muslims are terrorists” does not begin or end with him, and it’s an idea that only serves the ruling U.S. capitalist class. On the one hand, the U.S. bosses are trying to win Black, Latin, Muslim and immigrant workers to fight and die for U.S. imperialism. On the other hand, fighting for U.S. imperialism means committing genocidal-scale mass slaughter for control over global oil in the Middle East and Central Asia. And in terms of preparing workers in the U.S. for imperialist war, Gabriel serves an important role.
ACT for America’s founder Brigitte Gabriel (see box) , far from being some fringe element enjoying a few moments of fame, is firmly entrenched within the U.S. ruling class. Through her contacts with U.S. security personnel and the White House, Gabriel has long advocated for the profiling and surveillance of Muslim workers in the U.S.  According to The Atlantic, “former National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, served on ACT’s board. CIA Director Mike Pompeo last year won the group’s National Security Eagle Award. Trump counterterrorism advisor Sebastian Gorka has spoken before ACT chapters.”
In October of 2016, her website announced that her racism had earned her membership in one of the bosses’ bizarre private members-only fraternities, the “Knights of Malta.” Now, Gabriel enjoys expensive vacations with fellow former mass murderers for the U.S. capitalist class like Henry Kissinger, Tony Blair, and George H.W. Bush.
Anti-Fascists Turn Up
ACT for America held demonstrations in 25 cities and towns around the U.S. Almost everywhere they were greeted by crowds of anti-fascist workers and youth, often outnumbering the fascists who dared to show their faces with the racist, neo-Nazi filth of ACT for America. In Pennsylvania, the KKK-tied “Oath Keepers” provided security for ACT fascists while in Seattle, youth and police engaged in street battles. In California at the site of the San Bernardino terrorist attack, ACT fascists tried smashing car windows of the multiracial anti-fascists, who formed a wall with linked arms before police dispersed the crowd.
Workers and youth in the U.S. are not taking these neo-Nazis lying down! These are good signs for the working class as we steel ourselves for the battles ahead! While many workers and youth are today marching under liberal and pacifist misleadership of capitalist-controlled religious groups and organizations, many are looking for an alternative. An alternative to not just defeating the fascists and neo-Nazis in the streets, but for a whole new world. PLP believes in fighting for communist revolution and uniting as one international working class. The bosses’ cops, the courts, their laws and their pacifist misleaders set the tone for the capitalist ruling class. Our actions as communists in the Progressive Labor Party must set the tone for the working class. Join us and fight back for the communist world our class deserves!