As 2018 comes to a close, we review and summarize the highlights of the past year in struggle. While it may appear to have been “more of the same”—expanding imperialist wars and growing racism, sexism and fascism.Yet 2018 was so much more than that for our class. It was a year that showed the potential for expanding mass antiracist fightback and opportunities for communists to spread revolutionary ideas to masses around the world! As always, the working class fought back hard in 2018. A big part of being a communist means placing our confidence and revolutionary optimism in the international working class. Our class shows the growing numbers of workers and students in the international communist Progressive Labor Party the way forward.
Only communism can provide what the working class in every one of these struggles needs. The attacks on workers worldwide will produce more and more uprisings. We must be present in every one of them, organizing solidarity on the job and on campus, explaining that these fights are schools for communism. They teach us how to take power and organize an antiracist, anti-sexist, egalitarian world.
Mass struggle kicked off 2018
The year started with hundreds of thousands marching in the second annual Women’s Marches in the U.S. and worldwide. Thousands of healthcare workers marched in Oaxaca, Mexico. Worldwide, workers and students welcomed and supported refugees amid the worst refugee crisis in human history—created and worsened daily by the sharpening rivalry among the world’s imperialists. In Brooklyn, NY hundreds of immigrant rights organizers and Legal Aid and Brooklyn Defender lawyers rallied against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In Baltimore, Maryland, the year began with dozens protesting against the racist kkkops who were framing Keith Davis for murder. In Brooklyn, dozens of high school students fought to keep a popular class from being cut. The Progressive Labor Party was in all these struggles, calling on workers and students to organize for communist revolution instead of relying on the bosses’ Democratic Party politicians.
Racist police terror and fightback
In the U.S., the struggle against racist police killings did not let up. In a number of places, it flared up into small rebellions.
Baltimore: PL’ers participated in the 272nd West Wednesday rally to remember the police murder of Tyrone West.
Chicago: Tyrone Williams, a Black worker, was arrested in court for protesting the privileged treatment given to killer kkkop Jason Van Dyke. In October, Van Dyke was finally convicted of second degree murder. Then the CPD killed Maurice Granton, and in another case, Augustus Harith, sparking a small rebellion. Workers and PL’ers are organizing in the wake of Jemel Roberson’s murder by the police.
Brooklyn: In August, Kyam Livingston’s mother held the 60th monthly rally demanding justice for the death of her daughter in jail.
In July, PLP won a victory against the racist injustice system in California: The “Anaheim 3,” who had stood up to the Klan, won their case. One comrade, a Black worker, must still wait another year to have his case finally dismissed. The fight continues.
Worldwide struggle
All over the world, the working class fought back. The Party was often in the middle of these battles.
In Puerto Rico, the working class united following the catastrophic Hurricane María and the gutter racist neglect of the U.S. bosses and their current servant, President Donald Trump. PL’ers and friends traveled there and joined the rebuilding efforts in solidarity, building friendships and comradeships that show potential for PLP to grow and lead militant fightback.
In Haiti, the Party has been involved in massive protests against fuel price increases and against government corruption in the PetroCaribe scandal, where several billion dollars were stolen. We are also involved in smaller local struggles.
In Oaxaca, Mexico, indigenous workers organized a community trial of the government and mining companies. On many campuses, students went on strike when thugs beat some protesting students. More than 30,000 marched on the main campus.
Meanwhile, PLP organized a study group of Mexican women and a conference for young people. And, of course, the workers of Mexico provided a welcome to the workers of the migrant caravan. They provided food, clothing, and housing as the workers marched to the U.S. border to seek asylum.
In Pakistan, PLP is struggling to win workers to communism and away from union misleaders who promote voting.
In China, workers of the world witnessed the birth of a new communist movement. It has potential to link up with many workers’ struggles that those outside of China never hear about.
This movement is serious enough that the Chinese capitalist rulers are cracking down on it. PL’ers are reaching out to this young movement.Last but not least, at year’s end, we have a major rebellion in France. Unemployment is high, wages are low, and retirement funding is inadequate. President Emmanuel Macron, a former banker, is trying to make France attractive to investors by making workers’ lives even more difficult. When the bosses raised gas prices, the working class exploded (see page 2). This uprising shows the tremendous power of the working class, and that it will always rise up! The reform struggle has won some crumbs, but these workers need the communist PLP to go for it all—to seize state power under communism.
The fightback list goes on
Back in the U.S., Trump worked hard trying to eclipse Obama’s racist legacy of deporting over three million workers. As Trump tore families apart, the working class responded. At LaGuardia Airport in New York City, workers welcomed immigrant children. In Texas, thousands demanded the abolition of ICE.
In Los Angeles, workers blocked a Homeland Security van. In Indiana, workers tried to block an airplane from leaving with immigrants who were being deported. At the Families Belong Together march in New York City, on a day of 700 rallies across the U.S., 30,000 marched with a vigorous PLP contingent.
The fightback list goes on:
Workers went on strike at an airport in Turkey.
Nurses in Chicago struck, as well as hotel workers in Hawaii, teachers in West Virginia, and workers all over China.
Howard University students in Washington, DC, occupied the main administration building to fight racism and sexism on campus and support neighborhood workers.
At Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, students and workers supported cafeteria workers with a militant march that saw the college’s interim president flee the campus in fear. After exposing a racist administrator, a growing group of immigrant women and Black youth continues to fight anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim racism.
At Park Slope Collegiate, a secondary school in Brooklyn, students, staff, and parents are still fighting for school integration and defending communist, antiracist teachers.
Cheers to another year of struggle!
A system that destroys the lives of so many workers, the class that creates all wealth and value, does not deserve to exist. With their profit system in another crisis, imperialist rulers are plotting to bring even more devastation and misery as they organize for the next world war. Join the fight against capitalism. May Day is coming! Join with us as we march for a communist world, a world run by the working class.