CHICAGO, January 20—“FREE THEM ALL! DROP THE CHARGES!” This was the main rallying cry heard in front of the Leighton Criminal Courthouse as over a dozen antiracist fighters braved freezing temperatures outside. Today marked the date of a court hearing for an antiracist fighter who was among the thousands attacked and charged by the racist capitalist state for their participation in a militant rebellion last year.
For nearly an hour, we led chants, gave short speeches, and picketed in front of the stairs leading into the bosses’ racist criminal injustice center. Members of the communist Progressive Labor Party (PLP) helped lead chants, held up anti-capitalist banners, and shared copies of CHALLENGE newspaper. Many drivers and workers passing by honked their horns or raised their fists in support.
Our rally today took on an even wider significance given that it was the inauguration of the latest fascist-in-chief, U.S. President Joe Biden. Those of us in PLP made it clear that no matter who holds the reins of power in the capitalist system, the attacks on our class are bound to continue. In the wake of the Donald Trump-led Small Fascist wing of the U.S. ruling class storming the Capitol building, the splits among the bosses and the racist contradictions of the system have been made even more apparent.
PLP has been honored to fight alongside our class within these worker and student-led struggles. The solidarity and collectivity shown in these fights, no matter the size, is what gives our class the confidence and training that we need to ultimately run an egalitarian communist world in the masses’ collective interest.
The struggle expands
The newly created Chicago Activist Defense Committee (CADC) organized the action today. What originally started as an initiative to support Black artist/worker Jeremey “Mohawk” Johnson (see previous CHALLENGEs) after his arrest by the Chicago Police Department (CPD) during an anti-racist demonstration last August has grown into a wider network to support all those attacked by the capitalist state, citywide.
Adding more fuel to our fire is the clear racist double standard that was on display during the Capitol building siege on January 6th (see editorial on page 2). A mob of mainly white racists quickly overrun scant security forces and were allowed free reign to livestream their mayhem. To date, approximately 100 of those who participated have been arrested and face charges, compared to at least 3000 who were arrested in Chicago alone for fighting back against the racist murder of George Floyd.
As one CADC member put it, “A Black woman was shot to death for driving too close to the White House and our protests are met with extreme violence just for standing in the street and speaking out.” Racist terror and exploitation are ingrained in this capitalist system!
Fight for a system that serves workers
One PL’er concluded, “We fight today to get our comrades freed and their charges dropped, but we must have no illusions that this capitalist legal system exists to serve us.” We must continue fighting and winning others to defend and protect ourselves not only in the present, but also to build the mass PLP which represents the only force that can free us from the racist and sexist misery of capitalism. Let’s keep fighting!