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Articles in this issue (scroll down or click to read article below):

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  • ARTICLE:

    BOB AVAKIAN 
    REVOLUTION #116: 
    Black People Should Be Among the Front Ranks in the Fight to Defeat Trump/MAGA Fascism

    This is Bob Avakian—REVOLUTION—number 116. 

    Some people who should know better have insisted that defeating Trump/MAGA fascism is not a fight that Black people should be involved in. A number of different arguments have been made in the attempt to “justify” this ridiculous position, and here I’m going to speak to how wrong this is.

    One of the main arguments is this: “White people created this mess, so let them deal with it.”

    First of all, there is not one uniform, undivided white people, all supposedly united behind Trump. Although just over half the white people who voted in the recent election voted for Trump, nearly half the white voters (tens of millions) did not vote for Trump—and a significant number of white people who are not Trump supporters did not vote at all, including some who refused to vote for Harris because of the Biden/Harris administration’s support for the Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people. Huge numbers of white people have been mobilizing in protest and resistance against Trump.

    So, the notion that “white people,” in general and as a whole, are responsible for this situation is way too simple an explanation of the problem. (It is the case that about one-fourth of Black men who voted actually voted for the openly racist Trump, so that is another part of the problem that needs to be addressed.)

    Trump is a fascist—which, particularly in this country, means aggressively enforcing racial oppression, as well as oppression based on sex and gender. He is openly moving to wipe out any mention of race (or gender) and the whole oppressive history of this country, as part of his determined drive to reverse even the partial gains that have been made, over the past 80 years, in the fight against this oppression. A number of years ago now, during Trump’s first time in power, I spoke to this very clearly:

    People need to understand that Trump is a genocidal racist. He may not be trying to bring back literal slavery but he is definitely aiming to take this country back to a situation where overt white supremacy is blatantly promoted, codified in law and court decisions, and enforced through systematic, full-blown white supremacist violence.

    What sense does it make to say that Black people should not be actively opposing this?!

    Let’s get down into this further: If white people were responsible for slavery, did that mean that Black people should not have fought in the Civil War, in the way they did, becoming a major force in defeating the slave-holding Confederacy and putting an end to slavery?

    Or, again, if white people were responsible for the open (“Jim Crow”) segregation and racist terror that Black people were subjected to after slavery was ended, did that mean that Black people should not have risen up in the Civil Rights and Black Liberation movements, in the 1950s and since—or that the gains that have been made through this struggle, against open segregation and legal discrimination, are of no importance for Black people?!

    Who would make such arguments? As for those making similar arguments now—insisting that Black people should stay out of the fight against Trump/MAGA fascism—would they even have a platform for reaching people with these arguments, if it weren’t for the gains that were made through the heroic, self-sacrificing struggle of Black people against open segregation and discrimination? This has been a righteous struggle that has changed the way a lot of people see things, including a lot of white youth especially, motivating them to join in the struggle against this racist oppression. This has been powerfully demonstrated through the 1960s, and since—and again recently in 2020, in the massive, righteous uprising in response to the cold-blooded murder of George Floyd by a heartless pig.

    Trump and his whole fascist regime is aggressively moving to reverse these gains, and slam Black people (and others) back into a more openly, brutally oppressed condition: how in the world can that be a reason for Black people to stand aside from the fight against this Trump fascist regime?!

    Yes, oppression of Black people would exist even if Trump weren’t in power—because this oppression is built into this system of capitalism-imperialism.

    What all this shows is not that all the struggle against this oppression didn’t accomplish anything. What it powerfully demonstrates is that the whole system has to go: Only through a revolution to put an end to this whole system, and bring into being a fundamentally different, emancipating system, can this oppression—and all oppression—be finally and completely ended. But allowing the Trump regime to carry out its horrific program will only make all this much worse, and make the necessary revolution much more difficult to carry out. On the other hand, defeating this fascism, through massive, non-violent but determined and sustained mobilization—uniting all who can be united against this Trump fascist regime, moving to create the conditions where this regime will be removed from power—this can strike a huge blow against oppression overall, and it can also make a big contribution to creating more favorable conditions for the all the way liberating revolution that is needed.

    Another argument is that if Black people become a major force in the fight against the Trump regime, this regime will come down that much harder on the whole thing—and Black people in particular will be singled out for the most brutal treatment. The truth is that Trump is determined anyway to crush those who oppose him—and all those he regards as enemies, or “inferior” and “illegitimate” people, even if they don’t stand up against him. That is all the more reason why this Trump regime needs to be removed from power, before it can fully act to carry out its atrocious aims. To the degree that Trump and his fascist regime would seek to come down with even greater violence against Black people (or any other section of people, as the Trump regime is now doing with immigrants, for example) that is something that the whole mass movement against Trump/MAGA fascism needs to take on and beat back, as part of building the massive strength that will be necessary to actually drive out this fascist regime. It is not a reason to allow the Trump regime to remain in power and carry out its terrible atrocities.

    Like every important struggle against a profound and terrible injustice, the fight to defeat Trump/MAGA fascism will require sacrifice and putting something on the line for the greater good. But allowing this regime to remain in power and carry out the terrible atrocities it is determined to impose on people here, and all over the world, will be far, far worse—while moving to create the conditions where this regime is removed from power will not only prevent very real horrors but will also give rise to masses of people more actively searching for and grappling with what kind of society and world we need to have in order to really and finally put an end to all injustice and oppression.

    To go back to where I began with this message: In the history of this country, Black people have often been in the front ranks of crucial struggle against oppression and injustice, providing an inspiring example and force for liberation that has drawn forth many others, including large numbers of youth among white people. This has led to major changes in how people see things and therefore how they have acted—leading, in turn, to major re-alignments and major changes in society as a whole. And there is certainly no less basis, and no less need, for this now, in the literally life and death battle to defeat this Trump/MAGA fascism—to unite all who can be united to give powerful expression to the mass demand that the Trump fascist regime must go—now!—before it is too late.

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  • ARTICLE:

    Taking the Offensive with the Analysis, Direction and Challenge from Bob Avakian 

    As the fascist regime rapidly escalates, what we wrote last week stands out: "what people understand will shape how they act—right now, in a situation with the whole future on the line."

    ** Since last week, the revolutionary leader Bob Avakian (BA) has released an important social media message @BobAvakianOfficial, REVOLUTION #116: Black People Should Be Among the Front Ranks in the Fight to Defeat Trump/MAGA Fascism.

    Black People Should Be Among the Front Ranks in the Fight to Defeat Trump MAGA Fascism

     

    This speaks to a major and urgent question—and it is already stirring up controversy. This needs to reach widely—breaking open real debate and struggle, and changing what whole sections of people understand about what is happening and what is needed. Download this flyer and mass distribute it. Print out the poster with the title and get these up and out. This is a live debate all over social media, so help spread what Bob Avakian is saying about this—challenging people unapologetically with the truth they need to hear. Email it all over. DM this to people and enter into the comments where people are arguing about this. 

    If you want to volunteer, but don't know where to start, write to us at info@BobAvakianOfficialEverywhere.com or DM @therevcoms and we can work with you. If you have ideas on who this should reach, what online forums and debates this should be entering into, write to us with your ideas!

    ** In addition, get out widely with the pamphlet with a series of social media messages from Bob Avakian titled, TRUMP/MAGA FASCISM: What We’re Really Facing, Why, and What Must Be Done to Defeat It Before It’s Too Late. This should get out to crowds at concerts, art festivals, farmers markets, and protests. Wherever people are gathered, you will find those who are agonized and who want answers. 

    Especially building toward mass protests on May 15 and May 17 called for by RefuseFascism.org, the understanding from BA of what must be done to defeat fascism, and why it can become too late, really needs to get everywhere.

    The Bob Avakian Institute is raising funds to print and ship these for free—in the many, many thousands. Make a donation toward this effort at TheBobAvakianInstitute.org. If you want to place an order, write to them at info@TheBobAvakianInstitute.org.

    ---

    These pieces from BA are full of scientific analysis and go right up against conventional wisdom. While uniting with and giving direction to people's hatred at what this fascist regime is doing, they challenge people to confront the full fascist nature and momentum of what is happening, why and what must be done.

    Donate to the Campaign to Get @BobAvakianOfficial reaching throughout society—online and on-the-ground!

    This voice and leadership need to be reaching throughout society—to raise people's sights to the fact that there is a whole different way the world can be, to lay bare how the revolution to bring this world into being is possible... and to provide the analysis and direction people need in their millions right now, in what Bob Avakian has called "...the literally life and death battle to defeat this Trump/MAGA fascism—to unite all who can be united to give powerful expression to the mass demand that the Trump fascist regime must go—now!—before it is too late."

    Follow Bob Avakian (BA) on social media!

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  • ARTICLE:

    Editorial

    Go All Out to Make May 17 a Day to Demand:

    THE FASCIST TRUMP REGIME MUST GO NOW!

    Trump Must Go Now banner, Washington, DC, April 19, 2025.

     

    In front of the White House, Washington, DC, April 19, 2025.    Photo: Special to revcom.us

    The national organization RefuseFascism.org has called on people everywhere to impact all of society with the urgent demand: Trump Must Go NOW! Involving people from different perspectives, they are calling for May 17 to be a national day of protest: "In big cities and small towns across this country, a day of determined, non-violent protests, rallies and marches, to project the demand that Trump Must Go Now to a much higher level throughout society."

    Revcom.us and THE REVCOM CORPS For The Emancipation Of Humanity are in support of this crucial effort.

    Over the next two weeks, with Trump's rapid escalation of fascism, we call on all readers to:

    1. Devote the next two weeks to spreading this demand everywhere: The Fascist Trump Regime Must Go NOW! Paste up stickers, get out flyers, organize banner drops and other creative ways to get this in front of people. Get this all over so people see it everywhere and the power of this begins to grow. As you do this, build for two important demonstrations called for by RefuseFascism.org. First, on Thursday, May 15, at the Supreme Court and across the country, when the Supreme Court is set for a hearing on Trump's fascist executive order aiming to overturn birthright citizenship. Second, on Saturday, May 17, in key cities across the country—and do this along with spreading this demand on that day in different ways in other places. See more here for the great stakes of this. DEVOTE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN OF THESE NEXT TWELVE DAYS TO ORGANIZING AND BUILDING FOR SATURDAY, MAY 17. 
       
    2. Build RefuseFascism.org. This organization, working to unite all who can be united, is crucial to not only spreading this powerful demand but organizing people for the monumental effort to make a reality of the demand. Spread Refuse Fascism’s Call To Conscience, Call To Act. RefuseFascism.org is raising funds to build this national movement—support them in this effort. DEVOTE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN TO BUILDING THE POWERFUL ORGANIZATION THAT PEOPLE WILL NEED TO CARRY THIS STRUGGLE THROUGH, ABLE TO REACH OUT TO UNITE ALL PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS WHO CAN BE UNITED AROUND IT.
       
    3. Spread the revolutionary leader Bob Avakian’s crucial writings, talks, social media messages and interviews throughout society. These works by BA analyze the extreme danger of the fascist Trump regime, the need to drive out the Trump fascist regime and the strategy with which to do this, the roots of this fascism in the American capitalist-imperialist system and culture, and the solution in a whole new system based on the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America, which Bob Avakian authored. RAISE FUNDS FOR AND POUR YOUR EFFORTS INTO GETTING THESE CRUCIAL INSIGHTS AND GUIDELINES TO HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS AND MILLIONS.
       
    4. Build THE REVCOM CORPS For The Emancipation Of Humanity. Join and support these revolutionary fighters and new-communists in their struggle to not only mobilize people to go all-out to drive Trump from power but to spread the word for and organize people into an all-round revolutionary struggle aimed at overthrowing the system that's given rise to this fascism, and so many other atrocities. Spread the revcom slogans: This Whole System Is Rotten and Illegitimate! We Need and We Demand: A Whole New Way to Live, A Fundamentally Different System. DEFEND AND MOBILIZE SUPPORT FOR THOSE REVCOM FIGHTERS FACING CHARGES FOR NONVIOLENTLY SPEAKING OUT TO MOBILIZE MASSES AGAINST THE FASCIST TRUMP REGIME. 
       

    IN THE NAME OF HUMANITY, WE REFUSE TO ACCEPT A FASCIST AMERICA!

    THE TRUMP FASCIST REGIME MUST GO NOW!

    Bob Avakian Playlist - Messages 112, 113, 114, 111

     

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  • ARTICLE:

    From RefuseFascism.org:

    HANDS OFF BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP!
    In the Name of Humanity, We Refuse to Accept a Fascist America!

    TRUMP MUST GO NOW! 

    Thursday May 15: PROTEST at the US SUPREME COURT

    Washington DC

    9:00 am 1 East 1st St NE

    Editors’ note: This call was posted at RefuseFascism.org.

     

    Download Flyer
    RSVP with RefuseFascism.org to Attend

    Today, the Trump fascist regime is arguing in front of the Supreme Court that they should be allowed to destroy the Constitutional right to Birthright Citizenship. That the Supreme Court is even entertaining this blatantly unconstitutional proposition is outrageous and illegitimate.

    On his first day in office, Trump issued an executive order (Executive Order 14156) claiming to strip away the fundamental right to Birthright Citizenship – a shameless attack on the U.S. Constitution the rule of law, the separation of powers, and the lives of countless people. Birthright Citizenship means that every person born in the United States automatically becomes a citizen of the United States. It is written into the 14th Amendment of the Constitution and was won through the Civil War to grant citizenship to formerly enslaved people.

    Everything about Trump’s executive order is illegitimate.

    First off, Birthright Citizenship is not a policy. It is not a law. It is part of the Constitution. Ending Birthright Citizenship in a legal manner – as terrible and illegitimate as that would be – would require a constitutional process that Trump REFUSES to abide by. By trying to cancel Birthright Citizenship through executive fiat, the Trump/MAGA fascist regime is trampling on the rule of law itself. It is accelerating a new and blatantly dictatorial form of rule – a FASCIST rule in the most powerful country in the world.

    This is illegitimate! Hands off birthright citizenship! The Trump Fascist Regime Must Go!

    Second, think about the inherent violence of taking the concept of citizenship back to the slave-era Dred Scott decision which said that Black people, enslaved or free, were not citizens of the United States and therefore had no rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

    Listen to the words from an Amicus Brief issued by the NAACP, the League of Women Voters, and the Equal Justice Society: “The Executive Order continues a trend of hostility towards immigrants of color, foretells a swelling wave of civil rights violations, and would re-establish a legally inferior underclass in America.” It goes on to say that the terrifying mass deportations currently being conducted out by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the command of the Trump fascist regime “are reminiscent of a time prior to and during Reconstruction when newly freed Black people had to carry their manumission papers on hand for fear of being abducted and forced back into slavery.”

    Think about what this would mean for the countless children of immigrant parents. Newborn children would be rendered stateless. Birth certificates issued by state agencies that defy Trump’s order would be declared null and void. Millions who know no other country would be disenfranchised and thrown into the shadows. Millions who were born here would grow up without the right to passports, to vote, to healthcare, and other basic citizenship rights.

    NO! No decent person should want to go back to a time when citizenship was determined by race or by the inferior legal status of their ancestors!

    This is illegitimate! Hands off birthright citizenship! The Trump Fascist Regime Must Go!

    Third, this is a massive assault on the separation of powers and the power of the federal judiciary.

    Because Trump’s attempt to revoke Birthright Citizenship via executive order is so blatantly unconstitutional, three federal courts immediately blocked it. However, the Trump regime absurdly claims that that these injunctions – which federal courts have full authority to issue – should only apply to the cases that sparked the injunctions and NOT apply to the rest of the country. This is unprecedented and would radically undercut the ability of the federal judiciary – a supposedly co-equal branch of government – to act as a check on unconstitutional abuses committed by the Executive Branch going forward.

    If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Trump, not only will Birthright Citizenship be gone for most of the country for an indefinite period of time, this will open the door to further attacks on the rights and lives of masses of people and it will be a major blow to the authority of the federal courts.

    This is illegitimate! Hands off birthright citizenship! The Trump Fascist Regime Must Go!

    RefuseFascism.org’s A Call to Conscience… A Call to Act says: “Fascism” is not a curse word. Fully imposed, it is a radically oppressive and repressive form of rule over the people of this country, with devastating impact on the people of the world. The rule of law is shredded. Civil and democratic rights are eliminated. Dissent is piece by piece criminalized. The truth is bludgeoned. Group after group demonized and targeted along a trajectory that leads to catastrophe.” Fascism has direction and momentum. There can come a point when it becomes too late for the people to stop it. Now is the time to rise up and drive it from power.

    Everyone today who does not want to live in a fascist America: raise your voices today to say HANDS OFF BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP. And in two days, join with others across this country to take the offense against the whole damn thing — make a big leap in projecting this demand – Trump Must Go Now! – to the tens of millions who are heartsick and furious about all Trump is doing. Let them see there is a movement for them to join with a real strategy to win. Keep raising this demand all summer long, including at the nationwide protests called for June 14, “No Kings Day”!

    Go to refusefascism.org and sign A Call to Conscience, A Call to Act. This call is a vital tool for millions in this country to understand what we are facing and how we have the power to stop it: “Millions in the streets not allowing business as usual when that business is cementing fascist rule with the vilest degrading morality shoved down our throats. MANY VOICES AND BODIES DEMANDING: THE TRUMP FASCIST REGIME MUST GO NOW! With this we can and must create a political crisis in which the Trump regime cannot govern and implement their fascist program or even maintain its hold on power.”

    If we act with courage and heart, if we unite all who can be united from diverse political perspectives, we have the numbers and the power to reclaim the future.

    In the Name of Humanity, We Refuse to Accept a Fascist America!

    Trump Must Go Now!​

    New York City:
    Hands Off Birthright Citizenship - Trump Must Go Now 
    Lunchtime Rally & Speak-out
    Thursday, May 15, 2025 12:00 PM • Foley Square Lafayette Street Worth Street, Centre St, New York, NY,  10013 US
    Banner: Refuse Fascism slogan: In The Name of Humanity We Refuse To Accept A Fascist America!

     

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  • ARTICLE:

    From RefuseFascism.org:

    Saturday May 17: Protest nationwide to put the demand TRUMP MUST GO NOW everywhere

    Protest, march, and raise the demand everywhere:

    THE TRUMP FASCIST REGIME
    MUST GO NOW!

    Editors’ note: This call was posted at RefuseFascism.org.

    Find/host a protest through RefuseFascism.org

    Take to the streets on May 17 in mass protests to make Trump Must Go NOW! known in cities and towns. These protests combined with dramatic banner drops, vigils, and other creative nonviolent actions across the country in the days going into Saturday, on the day itself, and in the days after can make get this demand seen by millions:

    THE TRUMP FASCIST REGIME MUST GO NOW!

    >> HOST your own event Saturday May 17
    Saturday May 17 events include: 
    Adrian, MI 11:30 am at at Lenawee County Courthouse >> More info
    Atlanta 1:00 pm at MLK Jr National Historical Park >> More info
    Boston 11:30 am Park Street Station >> More info
    Boulder 11:30 am Boulder County Courthouse, south lawn
    Chicago 2:00 pm at Federal Plaza >> More info
    Cleveland 10:00 am at West Side Market >> More info
    Dallas 1:00 pm Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge >> More info
    Harlingen, TX 10 am Railroad tracks >> More info
    Honolulu 3:00 pm at Hawaii State Capitol >> More info
    Houston 4:00 pm Houston City Hall >>More info
    Los Angeles 12:00 pm at City Hall >> More info
    New York City 1:00 pm Union Square >> More info
    Philadelphia 12:00 pm Independence Mall >> More info
    Sacramento 11:30 am Cesar Chavez Plaza
    San Francisco 2:00 pm at Civic Center Plaza >> More info
    Seattle 1:00 pm at Seattle Central College >> More info
    Washington D.C.12:00 pm at the Ellipse >> More info
    York, PA 12:00 pm York City Square >> More info

    We all feel it – the atrocities are relentless. Another right snatched away. Someone else disappeared. Due process shredded. Law firms targeted. Universities threatened. Books banned. Immigrants shipped to overseas forever-prisons. Trump promises to disappear “home-growns” (US citizens) next. Trans people banned from the military. It feels impossible to keep up.

    We cannot win by chasing each attack as it comes, overwhelmed and outmatched by the vicious speed of Trump’s fascist regime. Nor can we wait until 2026 or 2028.

    But there is a way to win – a way to defeat this fascist juggernaut.

    It is time to come together to take the offense against the whole damn thing — infusing “TRUMP MUST GO NOW!" into all the resistance movements forging a mighty force to stop the regime from carrying out its horrific fascist assault on people here and around the world.

    On the back of this flyer, the Call to Conscience/Call to Act breaks down the strategy to oust this regime through mass, sustained, nonviolent protest and resistance. Read it. Sign it at RefuseFascism.org/act. Spread it to others.

    Then, On May 17, join with others across this country to make a big leap in projecting this demand – Trump Must Go Now! – to the tens of millions who are heartsick and furious about all Trump is doing. Let them see there is a movement for them to join with a real strategy to win. Keep raising this demand all summer long, including at the nationwide protests called for June 14, “No Kings Day”!

    If we act with courage and heart, if we unite all who can be united from diverse political perspectives, we have the numbers and the power to reclaim the future.

    In the Name of Humanity, We Refuse to Accept A Fascist America!

    Adrian, MI  Demonstrate & Donate
    Saturday, May 17, 2025 11:30 am-1 pm
    Lenawee County Courthouse 425 N Main Street, Adrian, MI 49221 US
    Sponsor: Hope in Action
    This event is accessible

    Atlanta: Trump Regime Must Go NOW! Speakout/Rally
    Start: Saturday, May 17, 2025 1:00 PM • Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park • 450 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312 US
    Host Contact Info: Atlanta@RefuseFascism.org
    This event is accessible

    Boston: Trump Must Go NOW! Protest
    Start: Saturday, May 17, 2025 11:30 AM • Park Street Station • 129 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02215 US 
    End: Saturday, May 17, 2025• 2:30 PM
    Flat streets with some decline

    Boulder Trump Must Go NOW!
    Start: Saturday, May 17, 2025 11:30 AM
    Boulder County Courthouse 1777 6th Street, Boulder, CO 80302 US
    Host Contact Info: Colorado@RefuseFascism.org

    Chicago: Trump MUST GO NOW! Protest Saturday May 17
    Start: Saturday, May 17, 2025 2:00 PM • Federal Plaza • 230 South Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60604 US
    Host Contact Info: Chicago@RefuseFascism.org | @RefuseFascismChicago

    Cleveland:  TRUMP MUST GO NOW! Day of Action
    Start: Saturday, May 17, 2025 10:00 AM • West Side Market • 1979 West 25th Street, Cleveland, OH 44113 US 
    Host Contact Info: Ohio@RefuseFascism.org This event is accessible

    Dallas, TX: Refuse Fascism
    Start: Saturday, May 17, 2025 1:00 PM • Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge • Woodall Rodger’s Fwy, Dallas, TX 75212 US

    Harlingen, TX TRUMP MUST GO NOW
    Start: Saturday, May 17, 2025 10:00 AM
    End: Saturday, May 17, 2025 12:00 PM
    By the railroad tracks 222 W Harrison Ave, Harlingen, TX 78550 US
    Host Contact Info: Northern Cameron County Democrats

    Honolulu: TRUMP MUST GO NOW!
    Start: Saturday, May 17, 2025 3:00 PM • Hawaii State Capitol • 415 South Beretania St., Honolulu, HI 96813 US
    End: Saturday, May 17, 2025• 5:00 PM
    Host Contact Info: refusefascismhonolulu@gmail.com

    Houston: Trump Must Go NOW!
    Start: Saturday, May 17, 2025 • 4:00 PM 
    Houston City Hall• 901 Bagby, Houston, TX 77002 US
    Host Contact Info: Texas@RefuseFascism.org

    Los Angeles: Trump Must Go NOW! Protest
    Start: Saturday, May 17, 2025 12:00 PM • City Hall Steps • 200 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 US
    Host Contact Info: SoCal@RefuseFascism.org
    This event is accessible

    New York City: TRUMP MUST GO NOW
    Saturday, May 17, 2025 1:00 PM • Union Square • 201 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10003 US

    Philadelphia: Trump MUST GO NOW! Protest Saturday May 17
    Start: Saturday, May 17, 2025 12:00 PM • Frankford Transit Center • Delaware Avenue & Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19123 US 
    Host Contact Info: Philly@RefuseFascism.org | @RefuseFascismPhilly

    San Francisco: TRUMP MUST GO NOW! Day of Action
    Start: Saturday, May 17, 2025 2:00 PM • Civic Center Plaza • McAllister Street and Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102 US
    Host Contact Info: NorCal@RefuseFascism.org | @RefuseFascism.norcal
    This event is accessible

    Seattle: Saturday May 17 TRUMP MUST GO - NOW!
    Start: Saturday, May 17, 2025 1:00 PM • Seattle Central College • Broadway & East Pine, Seattle, WA 98122 US
    Host Contact Info: @RefuseFascismSeattle

    Washington DC: Trump MUST GO NOW Rally
    Start: Saturday, May 17, 2025 12:00 PM • The Ellipse • 15th St NW & E St NW, Washington, DC 20503 US
    Host Contact Info: @RefuseFascismDMV | 646 676 2743 | DC@RefuseFascism.org
    This event is accessible

    York, PA: Trump Must Go Now!
    Start: Saturday, May 17, 202512:00 PM
    End: Saturday, May 17, 2025 2:00 PM
    Location:York City Square1 West Market Street, York, PA 17401 US
    This event is accessible
     

     

    Banner: Refuse Fascism slogan: In The Name of Humanity We Refuse To Accept A Fascist America!

     

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  • ARTICLE:

    May 15 Supreme Court Hearing:

    More on the Trump Regime’s Assault on Birthright Citizenship—and Direct Fascist Attack on the Courts and Rule of Law

    On Thursday this week, May 15, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case involving Trump’s executive order that aims to wipe out birthright citizenship. A decision is expected in June or July. As we wrote last week, if the Court rules for Trump in this case, “this will represent a further leap to all-out fascism. Yes, it is just that serious.”

    Birthright citizenship means that anyone born in the U.S.—whatever the citizenship status of their parents—is legally a U.S. citizen. This is not a government policy or a law passed by Congress. It is a principle that appears directly in the U.S. Constitution, as part of the 14th Amendment that was passed shortly after the Civil War. That amendment guaranteed citizenship for former slaves, who were not considered citizens before then. And in language that is clear and unmistakable (and affirmed by multiple Supreme Court decisions since then), the amendment gave that same guarantee to everyone born in the U.S.

    So when Trump, on his first day in office, issued the executive order denying citizenship for children born of parents who were not citizens or green card holders, he was directly defying and trampling on the Constitution. As revolutionary leader Bob Avakian (BA) points out, “If Trump wanted to legally and Constitutionally change this—which itself would be a very bad, reactionary move—he could try to do so by following the procedures for amending the Constitution as set forth in the Constitution itself. But that is just the point: Trump does not recognize any limits to his fascist dictatorship—not the Constitution, and not the laws or the rule of law and due process of law.1 (from social media message @BobAvakianOfficial REVOLUTION #115)

    BobAvakianOfficial - REVOLUTION #115

     

    Last week’s revcom.us article and BA’s message REVOLUTION #115 say more on the heavy stakes involved in this Supreme Court case. Here, we want to get a little more into the way the fascist regime is carrying out this blatant attack on rule of law and immigrants through focusing on the question of nationwide injunctions by federal courts.

    “Ending nationwide injunctions would be a major change in the law”

    Shortly after Trump issued the executive order banning birthright citizenship, multiple lawsuits were filed challenging it. Four federal district court judges ruled that Trump’s order was unconstitutional and issued nationwide injunctions—meaning that the order could not be put into effect anywhere in the country, not just in the districts where the lawsuits were heard. These district court rulings and nationwide injunctions were upheld in three federal courts of appeal. The case before the Supreme Court on May 15 combines three of the lawsuits—brought by the states of Washington and New Jersey and the immigrant rights group CASA. 

    Instead of asking the Court to rule directly on the constitutionality of the executive order, the Trump regime is demanding that the nationwide injunctions issued by the district courts be ruled unconstitutional—and that the injunctions by the district court judges should apply only “to the individual plaintiffs [those who brought the suits] and the identified members of the organizational plaintiffs.” The Trump regime lawyers called this a “modest” request.

    But as Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of University of California at Berkeley Law School, notes in a recent article,2 what Trump is aiming to do here is anything but “modest”: 

    Ending nationwide injunctions would be a major change in the law. Indeed, the Trump administration’s petition to the Supreme Court argues that a federal court cannot provide relief to other than the parties in a lawsuit. Holding that federal courts cannot provide “relief beyond the parties to the case” would mean that there would have to be separate lawsuits by every other party that wants the same relief. If an organization sues, all of its members could benefit. And if there is a class action, all members of the class would benefit. But a suit by individuals to challenge a policy, such as the end of birthright citizenship, would mean that anyone else who is affected would have to bring a separate lawsuit.

    The primary focus of [Trump’s] solicitor general’s brief was arguing that a decision in one federal district court can have no effect beyond that district. This would mean that a challenge to an unconstitutional government policy would have to be brought separately in each of the 94 federal districts and, ultimately, in every federal circuit [appeals court].

    Chemerinsky notes that the Trump regime makes two main arguments for their case against nationwide injunctions. One claim is that under the Constitution, a court cannot provide remedy beyond those plaintiffs directly involved in a lawsuit. Chemerinsky strongly refutes this:

    …[N]othing in Article 3 [of the Constitution] prevents a court from issuing a remedy against a defendant that benefits more than the plaintiff in a lawsuit. Otherwise, when there is an unconstitutional law, the court would be limited to declaring it invalid as to the plaintiffs in that case but leaving the law on the books except as to others who come forward to challenge it. A nationwide injunction is directed at a party: the United States government. 

    The other main claim by the Trump regime in their case is that nationwide injunctions harm the executive branch in carrying out its duties. Again, Chemerinsky takes this on:

    But the response is, that’s the whole point: If the executive branch is violating the Constitution, it should be stopped. Ending nationwide injunctions would mean that an unconstitutional law or presidential action would remain in effect every place except in the federal district where the injunction was issued. It is precisely for this reason that the Trump administration wants to end nationwide injunctions: Without them it will be far more difficult to halt unconstitutional presidential actions.

    As Chemerinsky notes, “[D]efenders of nationwide injunctions say that is only temporary until the federal court of appeals and, ultimately, the Supreme Court rules. They argue that the alternative of limiting federal court relief to the particular plaintiff or the specific federal district court would be far worse.”

    That “far worse” may mean that, if the Supreme Court decides in Trump’s favor in this birthright citizenship case, depending on the exact wording of the decision, most states would deny citizenship for anyone born after February 19 this year (when Trump’s executive order was supposed to go into effect before the nationwide injunctions) of parents who were not citizens or legal residents. And furthermore, as we said in last week's revcom.us article:

    Such a decision could also imply that Trump could issue an executive order against any and every right now guaranteed by the Constitution and so long as a district didn’t contest it, it would be law in that district. This would set an extremely dangerous precedent. Think of it—what if a similar executive order were applied to the First Amendment right to freedom of speech, and everybody except for those people living in Northern California, New York, and Detroit were suddenly denied the protection of the First Amendment? 

    In short, Trump’s move to ban birthright citizenship is a fascist attack both on the courts and rule of law itself and on immigrants.

    High Stakes and Dangers… and the Urgent Need for Mass Protest

    All this once again highlights the high stakes and high dangers involved in the Supreme Court birthright citizenship case. And it emphasizes the urgent need for people to join with and support Refuse Fascism’s call for May 15 protests at the Supreme Court, and elsewhere around the country—and on May 17: “In big cities and small towns across this country, a day of determined, non-violent protests, rallies and marches. to project the demand that Trump Must Go Now to a much higher level throughout society.”

    Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America (Draft Proposal)

    Authored by Bob Avakian
    Adopted by the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA, 2010.

    _______________

    FOOTNOTES:

    1.  To amend the U.S. Constitution, or change an existing amendment, the proposed amendment must be approved by two-thirds of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and then ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures.  [back]

    2.  “Cases before SCOTUS challenge injunctions against executive orders to end birthright citizenship,” Erwin Chemerinsky, ABA Journal, April 30, 2025  [back]

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  • ARTICLE:

    Israel Announces Its Own “Auschwitz”

    “We are conquering Gaza, clearing it out and taking control” 

    Graphic Auschwitz Gaza

     

    If that headline shocks you, it shouldn’t. 

    As an outright extermination camp, Auschwitz stands alone. 1.2 million people—overwhelmingly Jews—were systematically starved, degraded in countless ways and in the end herded into showers where they were gassed to death, en masse. The world was shamed to have stood by. Auschwitz was part of what the Nazis called the “final solution.”

    Yet look at Gaza and ask yourself: Where is this going? And where is the outcry against it?

    In Gaza, over 2 million Palestinian people are being slaughtered, maimed, starved, humiliated, terrorized, and displaced by Israel. Their society is being destroyed, their homes reduced to rubble, their schools turned to ash, their land bulldozed, and their fields torn up. It has been over 70 days since any food, water, fuel or medical supplies have entered the fully blockaded area. The bombs have not stopped dropping, the horror seems to have no end.

    Perhaps the most gut-wrenching marker of all, 96 percent of the children in Gaza questioned in a study feel their death is imminent, and almost half said that they wished to die. That’s children. Children who should be full of joy and energy, curiosity and hope, with their whole lives ahead of them. Instead, they wish for an end to the suffering, hunger and misery.

    The essence and logic of genocide is the same everywhere: the conscious murder and systematic destruction of a whole people, making it impossible for them to live and survive. 

    Now is not the time to turn away. It is time to step up, and demand with all our hearts—this genocide must stop…and the U.S. must stop arming and supporting it!

    Operation “Chariots of Genocide”

    On Monday, May 5, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his cabinet had approved a new more “forceful” offensive in Gaza. Code-named “Gideon’s Chariots,” Israel calls for tens of thousands of Israeli troops to storm into Gaza and seize and hold all or nearly all of Gaza.3 Gaza’s 2+ million people would be forcibly displaced and squeezed into “sterile” areas—read internment camps—amounting to less than a quarter of Gaza’s already densely-populated territory. 

    These areas are to be located in Gaza’s south, along its border with Egypt. A military official said that a “voluntary transfer programme for Gaza residents… will be part of the operation’s goals." To translate: this would in reality be forced expulsion—following through on Israel's long-term goals and Trump's recent threats that “We’re going to have Gaza... We’re going to take it.”4

    Israel—not the UN or other humanitarian organizations—would take control of food and aid distribution.5

    “We are finally going to conquer the Gaza Strip”

    Unleashing its customary barrage of lies, dutifully repeated by major U.S. media outlets, Israel claims its operation is aimed at freeing the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas,6 and that Gaza’s population has to be moved for its own “protection.” 

    Given the more than 62,000 Palestinians Israel has slaughtered over the past 16 months—and continues to slaughter—and their ongoing war of starvation, any talk from Israel about “protecting” Palestinians is obscene and insulting. 

    But let’s let those now ruling Israel speak for themselves. Here’s what Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s fascist finance minister and key member of Netanyahu’s cabinet, has said just in the last week or so:

    • “We’re occupying Gaza to stay,” “There will be no more entering and leaving.”
    • “We are finally going to conquer the Gaza Strip. We are no longer afraid of the word 'occupation.' We are conquering Gaza, clearing it out and taking control of every area we enter.”
    • "...we can declare that we have won. What will the picture look like? Gaza is completely destroyed," and its Palestinian population will “leave in great numbers to third countries

    Significant Israeli media outlets such as Israel's Channel 14 News have aired hundreds of similar statements, openly calling for genocide: "Now it really needs to be total annihilation. We shouldn't be afraid of terms like humanitarian disaster." "We need to bomb indiscriminately.” “Gaza, as it exists today, must be wiped out." “There are no innocents.” Gazans are "animals" who must be "exterminated." "The more humane solution is to starve them, okay? I think Israel's interest is famine and humanitarian disaster in Gaza." 

    As the revolutionary leader Bob Avakian said last year, “Israel has done something truly incredible—Israel has managed to turn Jews into Nazis!

    In Gaza City, a truck takes the bodies of some of the 29 victims from an Israeli army strike on a restaurant, May 7, 2025.

     

    In Gaza City, a truck takes the bodies of some of the 29 victims from an Israeli army strike on a restaurant, May 7, 2025.    Photo: AP/Jehad Alshrafi

    On May 8, a number of civil society organizations filed a petition with Israel's High Court of Justice arguing that Channel 14 had “broadcast hundreds of statements amounting to incitement to genocide, violence, and racism.” The petition was also directed against Israel's attorney general, the state prosecutor, and the Israel Police, for failing to open a criminal investigation against Channel 14. So far there has been no response from the High Court.7

    “An Engineered System of Deprivation” 

    What will Israel’s new offensive mean for the people of Gaza?

    More than 1.9 million Palestinians—some 90 percent of Gaza’s population—have already been displaced since Israel’s onslaught began over 20 months ago. Many of them multiple times. Almost all of Gaza’s homes and residences have been destroyed, forcing people to seek refuge in tents, temporary shelters or abandoned buildings.  

    Already mass starvation is spreading by the day because of Israel’s blockade of food, water, medicines and other needed goods. Officials in Gaza warn that “3,500 young children face imminent death from starvation, another 70,000 children are being hospitalized for severe malnutrition, and 1.1 million Palestinian children lack the minimum nutritional requirements for survival.”8

    Starving people line up for food in Khan Younis, May 5, 2025.

     

    Starving people line up for food in Khan Younis, May 5, 2025.        Photo: AP/Abdel Kareem Hana

    In a powerful call to conscience (This Is the Moment of Moral Reckoning in Gaza), Sean Carroll writes, “Two million Palestinians in Gaza, nearly half of them children, are now surviving on a single meal every two or three days. At makeshift clinics run by my relief organization, American Near East Refugee Aid, signs of prolonged starvation are becoming more frequent and alarming.” 

    “Israel’s blockade—and the deliberate delays, denials and excessive security procedures that surround it—is not just a failure of logistics,” he continues. “It is an engineered system of deprivation.”9

    Now Israel’s new, more aggressive offensive promises massive destruction of what’s left of Gaza’s infrastructure, and further mass deaths of civilians. And it means Israel is basically declaring that people in Gaza will be prevented from returning to their homes—perhaps ever.

    “We don’t want to even hear the word ‘evacuation’ again,” said one displaced Palestinian living in a makeshift shelter in northern Gaza. He and his family had been displaced at least six times already. “Displacement means death, humiliation, homelessness.” 

    See box: “Voices from the Genocide.”

    Israel’s Proposed “Aid Hubs”—Aiding Forced Displacement

    As part of its promised new offensive, Israel has announced a plan to create its own “hubs” in southern Gaza in order to distribute needed aid, and supposedly prevent it from being stolen by Hamas. This is a constantly repeated lie that has been debunked repeatedly, including by aid agencies and workers on the ground.10

    This isn’t only a cynical effort to stop worldwide outrage over its deliberate use of starvation as a weapon of war—a war crime. It is also designed to facilitate the forced displacement and possible forced expulsion of the Palestinians in Gaza. Not only that, Israel’s “aid” won’t even begin to end the starvation in Gaza.

    Israel has already launched a major assault on UNRWA,11 the main UN organization bringing aid to Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere. It’s also working to sideline other humanitarian organizations. Taking over aid flowing into Gaza would give it an even tighter stranglehold over life itself. 

    Israel’s plan calls for allowing in 60 trucks of aid per day which would be distributed by U.S. contractors at 6 to 10 aid hubs. There are now 400 aid distribution centers across Gaza (which mostly can’t function due to the blockade). During the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas earlier this year, some 600 trucks of aid were entering Gaza every day. And there’s been no mention in these plans of providing healthcare, sanitation, water, fuel or other necessities of life.

    So, Israel’s “aid hubs” don’t come anywhere near ending hunger, starvation or the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

    Locating the hubs in the south is a means of forcing Gazans out of the entire northern part of Gaza. Along the way, they’ll be screened, supposedly to prevent any Hamas “infiltration,” but more likely in order to create a registry of the population. And when they get to the hubs, they’d have to collect aid “under the watchful gaze of private U.S. security contractors, who would use facial recognition technology to vet who receives it.” Yes, American security contractors! This raises the real prospect of being denied aid, interrogated, detained or even killed by Israeli or, now, security forces run by Americans. 

    The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has condemned Israel’s plan and said it would not take part in it: "The design of the plan presented to us will mean large parts of Gaza, including the less mobile and most vulnerable people, will continue to go without supplies," adding that the plan "contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles... It is dangerous, driving civilians into militarized zones to collect rations… while further entrenching forced displacement.”

    “This is a scheme to make it seem like this is about aid,” one humanitarian worker said, “but what it’s really about is entrenching military occupation of Gaza.”

    Staunch Trump Regime Backing for Israel’s Genocide—Use of Starvation as Weapon of War 

    The fascist Trump regime continues to fully back Israel as it starves people in Gaza, repeating the lie that the starvation is being caused by Hamas. At a recent press conference, Trump said, "We’re going to help the people of Gaza get some food. People are starving, and we’re going to help them get some food. A lot of people are making it very, very bad. Hamas is making it impossible because they’re taking everything that’s brought in. But we’re gonna help the people of Gaza because they are being treated very badly by Hamas." 

    Meanwhile it is Israel who controls the entry points. It is Israel that is blocking food aid trucks from coming in. It is Israel who is preventing fuel from entering. It is Israel that has turned off the electricity to Gaza! And it is Israel dropping U.S.-made bombs on the people of Gaza.

    In an even further sick twist, the U.S. and Israel are discussing the possibility that an "American official" would lead a "temporary post-war administration of Gaza." According to Reuters, “The United States and Israel have discussed the possibility of Washington leading a temporary post-war administration of Gaza… [centering] around a transitional government headed by a U.S. official that would oversee Gaza until it had been demilitarized and stabilized, and a viable Palestinian administration had emerged.”12

    The Bigger Picture

    This underscores the urgent need for people in this country to stand up in mass resistance to demand: Stop the U.S./Israeli Genocide of the Palestinian People! It underscores the urgent need for everyone to stand up against the fascist repression of voices standing up against the genocide. And it underscores as well the need to dig into the source of this horror within this capitalist-imperialist system and to seek out and actively grapple with the revolutionary communist analysis and alternative posed by Bob Avakian.

    As Bob Avakian has emphasized:

    We can no longer afford to allow these imperialists to continue to dominate the world and determine the destiny of humanity. And it is a scientific fact that humanity does not have to live this way.

    Voices from Israel’s Genocide

    “Today is the last day. What will we eat? We will die of hunger, for the sake of our children. We are still alive because of the communal kitchen. We don’t cook or bake or do anything, only heating the food that we beg to take. If it weren’t for the communal kitchen, we would have died. For the sake of our children, what shall we do? They said today is the last day. What shall we do? What should I feed them tomorrow?”

    -Displaced Palestinian mother Huda Abu Diyya

    “We are living a real famine, not metaphorically, but hunger that grips the gut, turning every meal into a battle and every loaf of bread into a small victory. People race each other for a handful of flour. They stand in the long lines, not to buy food, but to search for it. Markets are empty, and the shelves mourn themselves. Torn bags and empty boxes have become a daily scene. Vegetables, one or two types hardly worth mentioning, are sold at a price — prices beyond belief. A single piece is sold, like a pear, in an auction. No fruit, no milk, no eggs, no oil. Everything is rare, and everything is expensive, even water. People now cook what’s left of lentils as if they are cooking hope.

    “And mothers, like me, hide our hunger so our children won’t see it. Amir, my son, asks me every day, ‘Mom, when will we eat pizza again?’ I say, ‘Soon,’ and I smile at him while my heart breaks piece by piece. Karim doesn’t speak much, but he runs after anything that looks like food, as if instinct has outrun language.”

    -Duha Latif, a teacher from Gaza, mother of two young children

    “This annihilation is not only continuing, but the levels that I saw with my own eyes, it’s just—there are no more words to use—‘unbearable,’ ‘horrific,’ ‘indescribable’… We have this horrific trifecta of starvation, of lack of medicine and supplies, and bombings.”

    Pediatric nurse Sandra Adler Killen, just returned from her third medical mission to Gaza

    “Because of the blockade, hunger is part of our daily reality now. It is deep and cruel, and there is no relief

    “It has been more than 30 hours since I last ate. At times, I go as long as two days without food. For most people around the world, the word hunger is a fleeting feeling, easily fixed with a trip to the kitchen or a nearby store. Saying “I’m hungry” is routine, almost meaningless. But imagine if every time you felt hungry, there was nothing to eat - no food, no relief, just emptiness. This has been my daily reality in the Gaza Strip for over a month....

    “Children in the Gaza Strip have begun to die of hunger. Unlike adults, they cannot endure such suffering. I think of them, imagining the food they long for but can’t have – and the thought is heartbreaking....

    “It feels as though the Gaza Strip is no longer part of this world, as if we’re living in some distant, forgotten galaxy. Our lives are marked by suffering and strangeness, while the rest of the world carries on as if our reality doesn’t exist.

    “I never truly understood the feeling of hunger – its depth, its cruelty, its ugliness – until I experienced it fully, in every painful detail.”

    -Aya Al-Hattab, a writer in Gaza

    Palestine, Israel, U.S. Imperialism and Revolution

     

    _______________

    FOOTNOTES:

    1.  "Throughout the nearly 19-month war, Israeli troops have carried out large and frequently bloody operations that have covered all except central parts of Gaza, but they have largely restricted their permanent presence to a buffer zone about 1 km deep along the devastated territory’s perimeter and two relatively narrow east-west corridors.”  [back]

    2.  Gaza Ceasefire Holds for Now…But Trump Threats Continue … Escalation of U.S.-Israel Genocide Looms, revcom.us, February 17, 2025.  [back]

    3.  “A senior Israeli security official said this week that the expansion of the fighting in the Gaza Strip, as approved by the cabinet, will not begin before U.S. President Donald Trump completes his visit to the Middle East, and that it will only be launched if no deal for the release of the hostages is reached by then.” This comes at a time when the U.S. is making major moves in the Middle East, in particular toward Saudi Arabia and Iran. In this, as well as in relation to Gaza, there are apparently some differences with Israel, and its perceived interests, even as Israel has staunch, overall backing from the U.S.  [back]

    4.  Hamas is a reactionary Islamic fundamentalist organization which Iran has supported. On October 7, 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian forces carried out an attack inside Israel. Nearly 1,200 Israelis – mainly civilians - were killed and 251 others were taken to Gaza as hostages. Killing civilians or taking them as hostages is a war crime. Fifty-nine hostages (or their remains) are still being held in Gaza, 24 are thought to still be alive.   [back]

    5.  'Gaza Must Be Wiped Out' | Pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 Incites to Genocide in Gaza, Israeli Groups Claim in High Court Petition, Haaretz, May 8, 2025.  [back]

    6.  World Central Kitchen Ends Food Distro Due to Israel’s Genocidal Blockade, Democracy Now!, May 8.  [back]

    7.  See also, Israel Calls Up Tens of Thousands of Reserves, Preparing Gaza Escalation… Forcibly Starves Millions in Gaza, revcom.us, May 5, 2025.  [back]

    8.  One aid official told PBS: “The aid I saw being delivered was medicines going straight into hospitals. It was food going straight to families who needed it, to communities who needed it so badly. We were opening up wells, so people at least had access to a water source. I didn't see Hamas getting anywhere near any of that.”  [back]

    9.  United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.  [back]

    10.  Exclusive: US, Israel discuss possible US-led administration for Gaza, sources say, Reuters, May 7, 2025.  [back]

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  • ARTICLE:

    In the Face of Administration Repression and Collaboration with Trump Regime…
    Columbia Students Continue to Struggle for Palestinians, Against Israeli Genocide

    Over the past year plus, Columbia University in New York City has tried to stomp out pro-Palestinian protest, but courageous students and faculty have persisted. 

    Tweet URL

    On the afternoon of May 7, some 100 protesters, overwhelmingly students, staged an “Emergency Rally,” taking over a reading room in Butler Library in a nonviolent occupation. 

    Their demands included “full financial divestment from Zionist occupation, apartheid, and genocide; cops and ICE off our campus; amnesty for all students, staff, faculty, and workers targeted by Columbia University discipline.” 

    “Over 100 people have just flooded Butler Library and renamed it the Basel Al-Araj Popular University,13 CUAD (Columbia Apartheid Divest) posted on Substack. The flood shows that as long as Columbia funds and profits from imperialist violence, the people will continue to disrupt Columbia's profits and legitimacy….

    “Today, the people refuse the name “Butler Library,” which honors Nicholas Murray Butler, a shameless Nazi sympathizer and president of Columbia University from 1902 to 1945. During his presidency, Butler welcomed Nazi ambassadors to campus with open arms, limited the number of Jewish people who could attend Columbia, and expelled students who protested against Columbia's ties with the Nazis."

    The University’s response was immediate and violent. According to the Columbia Spectator, “Public Safety officers [campus police] used force on the protesters, pushing multiple protesters to the ground when they attempted to leave. Public Safety officers dragged one protester down the stairs and pinned them to the ground before detaining them.”

    May 7, 2025, over 100 pro-Palestinian students at Columbia University took over Butler Library with Gaza banner.

     

    May 7, 2025, over 100 pro-Palestinian students at Columbia University took over Butler Library.    Screengrab from YouTube.

    Columbia had deployed these “officers” following “demands from President Donald Trump’s administration that Columbia employ Public Safety officers with arrest power.”

    Acting Columbia President Claire Shipman called in the NYPD. “As the NYPD made arrests, two individuals were visibly led off campus in stretchers by Columbia University Emergency Medical Service,” the Spectator reported. “The NYPD used force on protesters who picketed around Columbia’s campus after the arrests. Officers punched, pushed, and pinned protesters to the ground.” All told the NYPD arrested 78 students and one supporter outside the campus.

    Afterward, Shipman praised the NYPD for their “professionalism.”

    Columbia and Barnard College even issued interim suspensions to four student journalists covering the protests, which were later rescinded. 

    “This is the 4th time in 13 months that Columbia University has brutalized our peers for standing against the genocide of our people,” the Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition wrote.

    Ominously, Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X that the federal government would be “reviewing the visa status of the trespassers and vandals who took over Columbia University’s library.”

    _______________

    FOOTNOTES:

    1.  Basel Al-Araj was a Palestinian activist, writer and Arab nationalist who was killed by Israel.  [back]

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  • ARTICLE:

    Columbia Crawls on Its Belly to Trump and Finally Earns His Disgusting Praise by Calling Pigs on Peaceful Protesters 

    Columbia was the first university the Trump regime went after in its campaign to crush opposition to Israel and reshape education along fascist lines, and it froze $400 million in research grants destined for Columbia.

    Columbia’s administration has reacted by trying to appease and come to an agreement with the Trump fascists by implementing the draconian repression they’ve called for, among other things.14

    Columbia's acting president, Claire Shipman, made a point of coming to Butler Library to lead the repressive charge, and of slandering the courageous and nonviolent actions of the protesters—making sure to repeat the big lie equating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism (hatred of Jewish people). 

    “Columbia strongly condemns violence on our campus, antisemitism and all forms of hate and discrimination, some of which we witnessed today.” 

    What’s never mentioned in such denunciations by U.S. officials or craven college administrators: the “form of hate and violence” concentrated in Israel’s U.S.-backed genocide in Gaza.

    Bootlicker of the Month - Claire Shipman, acting head of Columbia University

     

    Shipman even had the nerve to blame student protesters for endangering international students: “I am deeply disturbed at the idea that, at a moment when our international community feels particularly vulnerable, a small group of students would choose to make our institution a target.” This after Columbia refused pleas from Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi—both international Columbia students—that the University protect them from ICE. 

    She reserved her praise for the “steady stream of hardworking, appreciative students” who didn’t protest and just used the libraries for studying for finals.

    The next day, the Trump regime’s Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism issued a statement commending Shipman, saying it was “encouraged” by her “strong and resolute” statement denouncing the protesters.

    _______________

    FOOTNOTES:

    1.  For example, “Columbia is moving the judicial board that oversees protest discipline from the supervision of the university senate, a faculty-led body [often sympathetic to students and dissent], to the provost’s office. This is in part to meet a demand from the Trump administration to tighten control of discipline,” the New York Times reports.  [back]

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  • ARTICLE:

    A Month of Protest as Columbia Faculty, Students and Staff Speak Out Against Trump's Assault on Universities

    Recently, there have been a host of protests, statements, and other gatherings by a variety of groups, and encompassing a variety of political views at Columbia speaking out for academic freedom and in opposition to assaults on the universities. Here are some which have taken place at Columbia and Barnard College (which is affiliated with Columbia).

    May 7, Jewish activists from Columbia condemn “the ‘weaponization’ of accusations of antisemitism to silence critics of Israel’s occupation of Palestine and its assault on Gaza.” They traveled to Washington, DC, to lobby Congress. Here’s Columbia graduate student Carly Shaffer: 

    Columbia University has decided who is Jewish, who is not Jewish, and then, from there, who is worthy of protection, who is not worthy of protection. And while we as Jewish students are fully, you know, transparent and honest as the repression and harm we have faced as Jewish students is not anything near what our Palestinian peers have faced, we are here directly to talk about this issue of weaponizing antisemitism to harm anybody and anyone, because it’s all interconnected. I mean, look at the abduction of Mahmoud Khalil. Look at the abduction of Mohsen, when you’re using antisemitism as a weapon.1

    May 5: Vigil Demanding Release of Scholars Abducted by ICE. In the first of planned weekly gatherings, dozens of Columbia University faculty and staff—all dressed in black—held a procession across campus and then stood outside the gates. They were calling for the release of Columbia grad Mahmoud Khalil and others targeted for speaking out for Palestinian rights. Columbia classics professor Joseph Howley addressed the gathering: 

    We were standing vigil on our campus today at the same time as groups of faculty standing vigil at Tufts University, Georgetown University, Boston University, all of us coming together on our different campuses to bear witness to the detention of our community members, to the fact that students and faculty are being made into political prisoners in this country simply for speaking out on behalf of the Palestinian cause.2

    May 8, 2025, Columbia University protest in the rain for Rumeysa Ozturk and Badar Khan Suri

     

    Columbia University faculty members hold a silent vigil in the rain, holding up placards of Mahmoud Khalil, Rümeysa Öztürk, and Badar Khan Suri - students who have been arrested and detained by federal immigration authorities without being charged with any crime.    Photo: @MeghnadBose93

    On April 28, Students, faculty, and alumni began a 25-hour "speak out" in support of academic freedomHundreds took part in order to “amplify a growing position within the Columbia community that the school administration had caved in to Washington and that the school's academic freedom was under attack.” There were speakers from a variety of institutions, departments, and groups on campus. A number of them condemned the slashing of funding for research. Among the demands put forward: that the University fight back against federal attacks; protect and defend students and international scholars; defend science; re-establish diversity policies; and protect researchers.

    April 24: Statement from 200 medical campus faculty and staff to Columbia’s trustees: Protect the future of higher education. The statement condemned the Trump administration for labeling universities and professors as “the enemy,” and upheld the role of universities as “incubators of free, independent thought and are essential to any functioning democracy.” It also condemned Columbia for its use of the NYPD to break up pro-Palestine protests “despite ongoing debate within the University community on how to balance every affiliate’s right to protest and engage in civil disobedience with others’ right to feel safe from harassment on campus.”

    April 17: Over 2,600 alumni call on Columbia to “defend and promote academic freedom” in petitionThe statement, issued a month after Columbia caved in to the demands by the Trump regime, calls on the University “to stand for academic freedom in the face of assaults on this fundamental principle of a free and open society. We call on alumni of Columbia and other academic institutions to stand together as we seek to defend and promote academic freedom.”

    April 15: “'Hands off our university': Faculty rally against federal oversight of Columbia." “Dozens of faculty members from the medical center and the Morningside campus expressed support for academic freedom and the protection of research funding,” the Columbia Spectator reported. “We call on our Board of Trustees to resist the Trump administration’s assault on our students, our research, our teaching, and our patients,” the flyer promoting the rally read. 

    “I can’t help but think that if our University leadership had had the fiber and courage a year ago to stand up for the fact that you’re allowed to talk about Palestine on an American university campus, then maybe today, they would have the fiber and the courage to stand up for every single thing,” Professor Joseph Howley said. 

    April 15: Coalition formed to “defend academic freedom and civil liberties on campus and beyond.” Graduate students at the School of International and Public Affairs held a press conference announcing the launch of the United Students of America Coalition. The coalition was formed “by a group of students determined to unite our campuses against undue political influence and administrative overreach,” its website reads.

    March 28: Columbia faculty and union leaders held a press conference declaring their support for a lawsuit by the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers to restore $400 million in research funds cut by Trump. The lawsuit alleges that the cancellation exceeds President Trump’s legal authority and would “chill free speech on matters of substantial political import, solely because the President disagrees with that speech.”

    On the Fight to Defend Academic Freedom and the Fight Against U.S.-Israeli Genocide in Gaza: Toward Principled Unity in the Overall Fight Against Fascism” This editorial, with important orientation for the struggle on campuses across the country, was posted at revcom.us on April 28. The developments at Columbia we’ve reported on above point to the real potential for the kind of principled unity and struggle it calls for. Some key excerpts:  

    As the attack on the university and the attack on those who would speak out for the Palestinian people are intertwined, so must be our resistance.

    What is needed now is a coming together. The university administrations and faculty must vigorously defend the space for scholars, teachers, researchers and students to work, to research, and to protest U.S.-Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people and the systems in both countries. They must in particular do everything they can to defend those foreign students active around Palestine now being jailed and deported, allowing space once more for organizing and acting against the genocide and for the rights of the Palestinian people. 

    At the same time, all the students and faculty who have put themselves on the line against the genocide in Gaza must speak out against the assault on the universities. Even if you disagree with what your university has done, what is at stake now is the extreme danger that a fascist America will mean to people here, and all over the world. 

    Plus, over the past week there have been important protests on a number of campuses across the country: 

    • May 8, Brooklyn College: dozens of students and faculty members gathered in the afternoon to condemn Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Police arrested several protesters, “taking some people into custody after punching, kicking or slamming them to the ground.”
    • May 7, California State Universities (CSUs) at Long Beach, San Jose State, Sacramento State and San Francisco State “launched a joint hunger strike to protest Israel’s starvation campaign against Palestinians in Gaza. The students are demanding ‘full divestment from companies complicit in genocide,’ ‘an end to CSU ties with Israeli institutions’ and ‘protection of free speech on campus.’”3
    revcom oembed URL

    On May 9, they were joined in a hunger strike by a student at UCLA. And on May 10, six students from Yale announced they have begun a hunger strike! 

    • May 5, University of Washington. “In Washington state, police arrested some 30 student activists overnight after they occupied the University of Washington’s engineering building to protest their school’s ties with weapons maker Boeing. The group Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return are demanding ‘that our tuition money and our research not be used to fund and fuel genocide.’”
    • May 3, Swarthmore College. “In Pennsylvania, nine people were violently arrested Saturday… as police disbanded a Gaza solidarity encampment that had been named the ‘Hossam Shabat Liberated Zone,’ in honor of the 23-year-old Palestinian journalist killed by Israel in March. Students are demanding Swarthmore ‘divest from Israeli occupation, aggression, and apartheid, and declare itself a sanctuary campus.’”4

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  • ARTICLE:

    Three Points from THE REVCOM CORPS For The Emancipation Of Humanity

    On the Unjustified Arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka at an ICE Prison in Newark

    Mayor Ras Baraka taken away by three DHS/ICE agents at DHS camp in New Jersey

     

    Masked DHS thugs arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka outside of Delaney Hall, a concentration camp being operated by DHS-ICE, May 9, 2025.   

    On May 9, a cowardly crew of masked DHS-ICE thugs arrested Ras Baraka outside Delaney Hall, a privately owned concentration camp operated by DHS-ICE in Newark, New Jersey. Ras Baraka is THE MAYOR OF NEWARK. He, along with three members of Congress, had been demanding that the facility allow for legally required inspections and oversight. They were swarmed by about two dozen federal agents. After security unlocked the gates allowing Baraka in, he was told to leave the front of the building by DHS-ICE. Baraka was accused of trespassing and arrested AFTER exiting the facility’s gates, OUTSIDE on a public sidewalk. Since then, DHS has also threatened to bring charges against the three congresspeople who were with the mayor. 

    revcom oembed URL

    Watch this video, and think about these three points: 

    Three points on this latest outrage:

    1. This is fascism. Fascism has direction and momentum. Trump’s MAGA fascism involves attacking and crushing anyone who stands in their way, including their enemies in the ruling class. DHS-ICE has been operating as Trump’s personal political police, arresting and detaining legal residents who conduct political speech that Trump does not like, arresting a judge for insisting ICE follow the law, and now arresting the mayor of a major city and threatening three congresspeople for opposing an ICE concentration camp. A congresswoman described the ICE agents: "They manhandled us… There was just consistently, and across the board—especially with the folks in uniform—no respect for who we were and no respect for the mayor.”

    This is NOT the normal disputes among those in power. This is Trump’s MAGA fascists declaring that they are at the same time above the law and that they ARE the law. This is part of Trump’s aim to lock in a different form of rule—THIS IS FASCISM. 

    2. If Trump’s MAGA fascist regime can do this to a mayor and three congresspeople, what will this mean for the masses of people? Think about the fact that a white supremacist, woman- and LGBT-hating, science-denying and climate-destroying regime is “clearing the way” of all obstacles to going after everyone and everything they hate. 

    Trump has declared his intent to round up millions of non-white immigrants. This ethnic cleansing of the U.S. can only happen by unleashing truly nightmarish, Nazi-like storm troopers and masked thugs disappearing people in broad daylight, or the dead of night. It can only happen with massive, inhuman concentration camps with savage conditions and extreme brutality. It can only happen by ripping up constitutional rights and legal restrictions on the basis of the Trump regime’s absolute authority.

    revcom oembed URL

    3. The “normal” political process will not stop fascism. The arrests in Newark show that even those in power cannot rely on normal political processes to stop Trump’s MAGA fascism. It also shows that even they can and need to be part of what it WILL take: the decent people from broad and different viewpoints and walks of life, in their tens of millions, overcoming divide-and-conquer, coming together in a fight for the greater good of defeating this fascism. We need to defend the mayor and congresspeople from this fascist attack, build opposition to the operation of concentration camps and the Nazi-like roundups of immigrants, and right now work urgently to take up the call from RefuseFascism.org for nationwide protests May 17 aiming to grow the needed mobilization of millions in nonviolent but determined collective action and self-sacrificing struggle to demand: The Fascist Trump Regime Must Go NOW!

    The day after Mayor Baraka’s arrest, revcoms and Refuse Fascism went to Delaney Hall. Watch the video

    Trump Must Go Now! Saturday, May 17th, National Day of Protest

     

    IG @refusefascism

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  • ARTICLE:

    Three Memphis Pigs Who Murdered Tyre Nichols Found NOT GUILTY:

    We Need and We Demand a Whole New Way to Live

    screenshot from video of murder of tyre nichols

     

    Screenshot from video of murder of Tyre Nichols   

    Yet one more time, police caught on videotape, beating mercilessly on a Black man until he died, have been found not guilty of murder and, in fact, of all state charges. We speak of the case of Tyre Nichols, dead at age 29—and of three of the Memphis, Tennessee, cops (also Black) who have walked free, jubilant, out of the courtroom. 

    We will tell the story. But first some questions to keep in mind as you read this:

    Why do these horrors and outrages keep happening, no matter what people do? 

    Could it be different? 

    And what do we have to do to change it?

    Who Was Tyre Nichols?

    How Tyre Nichols' mom wants the world to see him, skateboarding into the sun.

     

    How Tyre Nichols' mom wants the world to see him.    Photo: Courtesy of RowVaughn Wells, mother of Tyre Nichols.

    Tyre Nichols was a young Black man full of creativity and beauty—an aspiring photographer, a father and a skateboarder. His photography website starts with “Welcome to the world through my eyes.” 

    Tyre was on his way home from his job at FedEx when he was pulled over by police for supposed “reckless driving.” Within moments of stopping him, the cops yanked Tyre out of his car, pushed him to the ground, pepper-sprayed him, and zapped him with a Taser. Clearly terrified, Tyre managed to escape from this lynch mob and tried to run home, just two minutes away. When the five pigs—all Black and members of the Memphis PD’s “elite” Scorpion Task Force—caught up with Tyre, they punched, kicked and hit him with a baton for three minutes. Tyre put up no resistance and repeatedly called out for his mother. 

    Tyre went into cardiac arrest at the scene. He died at a hospital three days later from blunt force trauma to the head, with tears and bleeding in the brain.

    The videos from the police body cams and a neighborhood surveillance camera were released three weeks after Tyre was murdered. Aside from the savage beating itself, the videos show the pigs standing around after they had pummeled Tyre, chatting instead of giving urgently needed medical care as he lay close to death. 

    The Police murder of Tyre Nichols in Memphis. 

    Where Did This Outrageous Verdict Come From?

    The all-white jury for the state trial had been selected and brought in from predominantly white and more wealthy Chattanooga, Tennessee—358 miles and a world away from majority-Black Memphis, where Tyre was murdered. This jury watched the same videos of Tyre being mercilessly beaten to death, and concluded these pigs violated no laws of this system. A Memphis attorney said, “This jury was not reflective of the city of Memphis,” because in East Tennessee “jurors tend to be more conservative,” and “they're going to be more friendly to the police.” 

    The defense attorneys vilified Tyre using “evidence” allegedly found after they murdered him—a small amount of marijuana and psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”), and credit and debit cards not in his name. They argued that all of the wanton brutality that killed him was “because of choices Tyre made.” They claimed the cops had “probable cause” for stopping, cuffing, and searching Tyre—“and then everything falling apart from there when Mr. Nichols would not cooperate.” They also tried to pin the worst violence on one of the pigs not on trial (who intends to plead guilty to state charges). But most effective were the use-of-force “experts” who testified that the three pigs acted in compliance with police department policies and “widely accepted law enforcement standards.” And character witnesses testified that the men were good officers who did their job the right way. Never mind what you saw on minute after minute of video of these same pigs viciously brutalizing Tyre! 

    Why Do So Many Keep Dying, Year After Year After Year?

    Some of the people murdered by cops since Tyre's murder

    Jawan Dallas, 36, killed by Mobile, Alabama cops, July 2023.

     

    Jawan Dallas, 36    Photo: Mobile Police Dept.

    Ta'Kiya Young, 21 year old pregnant woman shot by Ohio police

     

    Ta'Kiya Young    Photo: social media

    Victor Perez, killed by Pocatello, Idaho cops.

     

    Victor Perez    Photo: AP/image provided by Ana Vasquez

    Roger Fortson, 23 years old, killed in his home by Miami cops, May 3, 2024.

     

    Roger Fortson, 23 years old, killed in his home by Fort Walton Beach, Florida cops   

    Eddie Irizarry, 27 year old, murdered by Philly cops, August 14, 2023.

     

    Eddie Irizarry, 27 year old, murdered by Philly cops, August 14, 2023.    Photo: Eddie Irizarry/Facebook

    Niani Finlayson, holds her daughter Xaisha.

     

    Niani Finlayson with her daughter Xaisha. Photo: Courtesy of Bradley Gage, December 4, 2023.   

    Dontel Thompson, 19, killed by Houston cop, April 5, 2023.

     

    Dontel Thompson, 19    Photo: Luke Memorial

    Jor'Dell Richardson, 14, killed by Aurora, Colorado cops, June 2023.

     

    Jor'Dell Richardson, 14    Photo: GoFundMe/Jameco Richardson

    Tyre's murder came two years after the promises of police reform were made by those in authority, following the beautiful uprising against the police murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor that shook the whole country. And since Tyre's murder, police in this country have continued to kill over 1,000 people each year, disproportionately Black, Latino, and Native American.

    Now the fascist Trump has signed an executive order that calls for “strengthening and unleashing America’s law enforcement.” This is a promise of backing from the highest levels of the government for the police to act even more aggressively and violently against the masses of people. The executive order calls on the Defense Department to step up its policy of turning over military weapons and other hardware to state and local police forces. 

    Once More on the Three Questions

    Why do these horrors keep happening? 

    The revolutionary leader Bob Avakian said, in BAsics 1:24:

    The role of the police is not to serve and protect the people. It is to serve and protect the system that rules over the people. To enforce the relations of exploitation and oppression, the conditions of poverty, misery and degradation into which the system has cast people and is determined to keep people in. The law and order the police are about, with all of their brutality and murder, is the law and the order that enforces all this oppression and madness.

    Could it be different?

    Yes—through a revolution to overthrow the white supremacist capitalist-imperialist system that has birthed all this madness and oppression since Day 1. Such a revolution would bring in a totally different legal system, as set forth in the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America, authored by Bob Avakian.

    The role of government institutions established with this new socialist Constitution, including the police and military, will no longer be to contain, control, repress, brutalize, murder and slaughter people, here and all over the world. Instead, these radically new institutions will safeguard the rights of the people and give backing to the masses of people in moving to abolish all forms of discrimination and inequality, all relations of oppression and exploitation. They will defend the new, emancipating society against attempts to sabotage, attack and destroy it, and will support people throughout the world fighting for the goal of emancipation.

    As set forth in this Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America, the people in this new society will not only be allowed but encouraged and enabled to fully speak their minds politically, to express themselves freely through artistic and other means, to dissent and protest with constitutional and institutionalized protection of their right to do so. They will be provided with the means for doing this, because this is an important part of creating an atmosphere where people can “breathe” and feel at ease, and where they will be inspired to join with others in grappling with what will, and what will not, contribute to the emancipating transformation of society and the world as a whole.

    (From WE NEED AND WE DEMAND: A WHOLE NEW WAY TO LIVE, A FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT SYSTEM)

    As one concrete manifestation of this, the security forces in this new system would sooner give their own life than to take the life of one of the masses.

    Finally, what do we have to do to change it?

    Make revolution. Nothing less. The strategy for this has been laid out. The leadership for this exists, in Bob Avakian, and the revcoms that he leads. And the situation—in which the rulers themselves are in sharp conflict with each other of the likes not seen since the Civil War—is the kind in which revolution is more possible.

    What is missing is you. Get into these materials and, as you do, get with this revolution.

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  • ARTICLE:

    Reposted from Revolution Books:

    A Call From Concerned Bookstores, Publishers, Authors, and Others in the Literary World

    The following is reposted from Revolution Books. You can read the letter in its entirety, and submit your name as a signatory, here.

    Mosab Abu Toha

     

    May 1, 2025

    Defend and Stand With Mosab Abu Toha, Beloved Palestinian Poet and Writer.
    Palestinian Voices Must Not Be Silenced, Activists Must Not Be Punished, and We,
    Who are Putting Our Names to This Statement,
    Say Genocide Must STOP.
    In the Name of Humanity, We Refuse
    to Accept a Fascist America.

    Mosab Abu Toha has been called “the essential poet embodying the humanity of Gaza.” When Mosab attempted to leave Gaza with his family in November 2023, he was detained by the Israeli military as a potential enemy combatant and released because he did not in fact pose such a threat.

    Mosab writes and teaches in the U.S. But he is now facing new and dangerous threats.

    The right-wing Zionist organization Betar, which has targeted Palestinian writers and pro-Palestine activists for harassment and vigilante attacks, has falsely and viciously branded Mosab a “terrorist.” Last week, they issued this statement for the second time: “Mosab Abu Toha will be arrested and (we hope) deported soon...Yes, we believe his day is coming very soon. Mosab Abu Toha has no place in America.” Mosab had been touring the country with his new and widely acclaimed collection of poems, Forest of Noise. But he has been forced to cancel the tour at the end of March because of these threats.

    These threats against Mosab must be taken very seriously. Not least against the backdrop of the Trump regime's abductions of Mahmoud Khalil and other activists...the cruel and unjust deportation of immigrants to what amount to concentration camps...and now Trump's announcement that “home-grown” US citizens should be deported as well!

    THIS IS A TIME FOR SOLIDARITY AND FOR COURAGE.

    1. As bookstores, publishers, people in the literary world: we declare our determination to defend Mosab Abu Toha and to stand with writers in the cross-hairs of this fascist assault on voices telling the truth of the subjugation of the Palestinian people.
    2. We call on bookstores and other institutions to hold bold readings of Mosab Abu Toha's work with diverse readers, in the coming days and weeks, and to raise awareness of this critical and urgent situation.

    The birds wake up and look for food.
    They chirp on the blossoming trees, laden with fruit,
    with peaches, apples, apricots, and oranges.
    And we, we are still looking for Palestine.
    –Mosab Abu Toha

    Initiating Signatories:

    -Adobe Books and Arts Cooperative, San Francisco, CA
    -Alex Akin, Bolerium Books, San Francisco, CA
    -Emily Autenrieth, owner, A Seat At the Table Books, Elk Grove, CA
    -Camden Avery, The Booksmith, San Francisco CA
    -Bird & Beckett Books & Records, San Francisco, CA
    -Bluestockings Cooperative Bookstore, New York City
    -Dr. Joel Eis and Toni Labori, The Rebound Bookstore, San Rafael, CA
    -David Nurick, Chapter One Book Store, Hamilton, MT
    -Hannah Oliver Depp, owner, Loyalty Books, Washington DC and Silver Spring, MD
    -Chris Doeblin, owner, Book Culture, New York City, Long Island City and Pittsford, NY
    -Arthur Fournier, fine & rare, Brooklyn, NY
    -Laura Joakimson, Omnidawn Publishing
    -Rusty Morrison, Omnidawn Publishing
    -Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore and Gallery, San Francisco, CA
    -Carlos & Ashley Mireles-Guerrero, owners, Judging by the Cover: A Bookstore in Fresno (CA)
    -Hannah Moushabeck, Interlink Publisher
    -Dan Sheehan, novelist; editor at LitHub.com
    -Linda Sherman-Nurick, Cellar Door Bookstore, Riverside, CA
    -Walden Pond Books, Oakland, CA
    -Raymond Lotta, spokesperson, Revolution Books, New York City
    -Barry Thornton, Revolution Books, Berkeley, CA

    Signatories:

    -Laura Bellizzi, owner/operator, Binnacle Books, Beacon, NY
    -Ottavia De Luca, Riffraff Bookstore and Bar
    -Thom Eichelberger-Young, Blue Bag Press
    -Larry Felson, Coordinator, Poetry-At-The-Cobalt Gallery, Fort Bragg, CA
    -Ana Guimil, Odyssey Bookshop
    -Graham Overby, Next Chapter Booksellers

    *Institutions/Affiliations for Informational Purposes Only

    Mosab Abu Toha is a Palestinian poet, short story writer, and essayist from Gaza. His first collection of poetry, Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Poetry. His writings have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Nation. He is the founder of the Edward Said Library, Gaza's first English language library (bombed last year by the Israeli military).

    His books are available from your local independent bookstore or at Bookshop.org.

    To submit your name as a signatory to this letter, go HERE.

    For more information, call 212-691-3345.


    Appendix
    Some resources:

    1) This Call to Conscience, Call to Act from RefuseFascism.org, contains important direction and commitment at this critical moment and is currently collecting signatures.

    2) Sources documenting the threats on Mosab Abu Toha:

    Betar's April 19, 2025 Tweet (X post) which reposts a March Tweet that threatened Mosab Abu Toha with imminent deportation.

    Betar's X account has several posts in the past few weeks calling for the arrest and deportation of Mosab and other pro-Palestinian and Palestinian students, most or all of whom are now in ICE/DHS custody. Betar feeds names they accuse of being Hamas supporters directly to the Trump administration and these people are targeted without due process. They have themselves boasted many times about doing this.

    This is a March 31 article with an interview of a Betar spokesperson asserting that Mosab Abu Toha and Mohsen Mahdawi would both be deported soon. Mohsen was detained 2 weeks later.

    Mohsen's arrest occurred when he was lured on April 14 to what he was informed was an interview on his citizenship application. There is now a court battle over Mohsen's detention and potential deportation.

    Article from Arkansas news outlet about cancellation of Mosab's local event and national book tour with Forest of Noise, in response to these and other threats to himself and his family.

    While court battles have stalled some illegal deportations, the Trump administration has made quite clear their contempt for court directives and due process, violating numerous court orders including defying one order to reverse the removal of 200+ Venezuelan and other migrants to the Salvadoran CECOT torture black box, and continuing as of this writing to defy the Supreme Court order to facilitate the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia who was 'mistakenly' included among those removed to the Salvadoran prison.

    Also see this article posted at Literary Hub:
    Booksellers and publishers are calling for Mosab Abu Toha to be protected

    By Dan Sheehan

    A group of American booksellers, publishers, and authors have issued a statement calling for Mosab Abu Toha—the award-winning Palestinian poet, writer, and librarian who was detained and beaten by Israeli forces as he tried to flee Gaza with his young family in November 2023—to be protected in the wake of threats against him by a far-right Zionist organization...

    Read the article on Literary Hub here.

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  • ARTICLE:

    Regarding the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America, authored by Bob Avakian:

    Constitution For The New Socialist Republic In North America cover 400

     

    It is a fact that, nowhere else, in any actual or proposed founding or guiding document of any government, is there anything like not only the protection but the provision for dissent and intellectual and cultural ferment that is embodied in this Constitution [for the New Socialist Republic in North America], while this has, as its solid core, a grounding in the socialist transformation of the economy, with the goal of abolishing all exploitation, and the corresponding transformation of the social relations and political institutions, to uproot all oppression, and the promotion, through the educational system and in society as a whole, of an approach that will “enable people to pursue the truth wherever it leads, with a spirit of critical thinking and scientific curiosity, and in this way to continually learn about the world and be better able to contribute to changing it in accordance with the fundamental interests of humanity.” All this will unchain and unleash a tremendous productive and social force of human beings enabled and inspired to work and struggle together to meet the fundamental needs of the people—transforming society in a fundamental way and supporting and aiding revolutionary struggle throughout the world—aiming for the final goal of a communist world, free from all exploitation and oppression, while at the same time addressing the truly existential environmental and ecological crisis, in a meaningful and comprehensive way, which is impossible under the system of capitalism-imperialism.        

    From January 2021: NEW YEAR’S STATEMENT BY BOB AVAKIAN. A New Year, The Urgent Need For A Radically New World—For The Emancipation Of All Humanity

    The Bob Avakian Interviews, 2025
    Part 2: The New Communism: A Whole New Way To Live, a Fundamentally Different System

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  • ARTICLE:

    Voices of Resistance

    Updated

    We are featuring here some of the voices of individuals and organizations—coming from a diverse range of political perspectives and viewpoints—who are courageously speaking against the brutal inhumanity of the Trump/MAGA fascist regime. Now is a time to unite all who can be united to demand: The Trump Fascist Regime Must Go NOW! In the name of humanity, we refuse to accept a fascist America!

    Earlier posts, January 21 to April 6, 2025 >>

    [TEMPLATE] Voices from [mo] [date] to [date], 2025
    Voices from May 5 to May 11, 2025
    Parents of Emma Schafer speak out against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for using Emma's murder to "advance a cruel and heartless political agenda"

    “Our daughter Emma radiated love and light everywhere she went and for all people.

    “Even as a child, she was a friend to everyone and someone who spoke up for the less fortunate. She dedicated her life, her career and her free time to causes of social justice and equity. That was just who she was.

    “To see her used by Secretary Noem and others to advance a cruel and heartless political agenda is not just deeply shameful to us— it is an insult to her memory. Noem's words are in direct conflict with who Emma was as a person. Emma built up the community and stood with all members, including immigrants.

    “No parent should have to experience the loss of a child. But every time her name is brought into these conversations—conversations she would have wanted nothing to do with—we have to relive the pain of her death.

    “Secretary Noem, as parents still grieving the loss of a child, we beg you to stop. This is not who she was. This is not helping us. Her memory should live in all the people she touched and the causes that she fought for.

    “We ask all of you to remember Emma as she was and to live your life as she did: with “courageous empathy and love for all.”

    Emma Schafer was a 24-year-old community organizer who was fatally stabbed in her Springfield apartment in July 2023. Kristi Noem moved her Illinois speech to near where Emma was killed.
    DePaul Alumni Reject Congressional Intimidation and Support Students Right to Protest

    May 7, 2025 

    Dear President Manuel,

    We, alumni of DePaul University, were appalled by your shameful groveling during the inquisition to which the Committee on Education & the Workforce (“the Committee”) is subjecting DePaul. 

    DePaul knows very well that the Committee’s inquiry into campus protest has nothing to do with the prevention of anti-Jewish discrimination. Rather, it is a transparent attempt by the Committee to suppress any criticism of Israel, a clearly unconstitutional exercise under Sweezy v. State of N.H. by Wyman, 354 U.S. 234, 248-50 (1957). 

    Rather than defend your students, faculty and staff, you accepted the accusations  wholeheartedly and expressed a commitment to doing a better job of suppressing dissent in the future. You boasted about suspending Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jews for Justice after the encampment was raided and said you are considering completely banning these organizations from campus for speaking up against the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. 

    Read complete statement.

    As of May 10, more than 500 alumni have signed onto a statement condemning @depaulu’s president Robert Manuel failure to defend free speech and suspending SJP DePaul and Jews4Justice as a student organizations on campus.

    “...we can either capitulate ... or we can stand united and resist those who would trample our democracy.”
    Seth Limmer, Ciera Bates-Chamberlain, Michael Pfleger and Otis Moss III are faith leaders in Chicago who have written statements together in the past about the problems facing Chicago and the larger society. This statement was first published in the Chicago Tribune.

    The signs are all there.

    We as a nation have invoked laws to determine that a certain people — based on their ethnicity, language, hat choices and tattoo styles — are enemies of the state. 

    We are using a mega-prison far from the public eye, in a foreign nation, to incarcerate those determined by our president to be enemies of our people. While flouting the rule of law and the rulings of the judiciary branch, these falsely labeled enemies of the state are flown to this frighteningly real place without any of the due process purportedly guaranteed by our Constitution.

    The faith community of St. Sabina Catholic Church should not be the only location in Chicago hanging the flag of the United States upside down: We are a nation in distress.

    We are experiencing a terrifying imbalance of power in America.
    ...
    In the face of these threats, as we watch our nation dance to the echo of a Confederate vision of limited human rights, we are reminded of the courage of Dred Scott, who dared sue his enslaver Irene Emerson in 1846. A little over 10 years later, in 1857, the Supreme Court sided with his Emerson, stating that no person of African descent, enslaved or free, has any rights a white person is bound to protect or respect. This case set the stage for the long struggle toward the 14th Amendment, which finally gave Black people citizenship and also expanded “due process” beyond the classification of “white” to all who are part of the civic project we call the United States of America.
    ...
    Right now, we need to take back our power. We need to say that America’s future isn’t up to the politicians: It’s up to the people. We, the people, do have the power — it is ours for the taking. Let us take it and, together, restore our democracy.

    Read the complete statement.

    Nathan Phillips

     

    Nathan Phillips    Courtesy of Nathan Phillips

    Sampan Talks With B.U. Prof. on Hunger Strike Over Canceling of Palestine Speech

    Boston University professor Nathan Phillips, who teaches in the Earth and Environment department, began a hunger strike on April 15 over the arrests of Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil and his university’s removal of signs expressing political speech on campus. 

    Phillips: “... It’s so outrageous and egregious that the Trump administration, pardon my reference, but it’s like they’re defecating on the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment and the Fifth Amendment right to due process have been trashed and I don’t know how anyone in a position of authority or privilege can stand aside and just watch this. So this is an indictment of those with privilege and job security like myself. Why aren’t we shouting this from the rooftops? They should be released today. If you’re not, if you’re, if someone is silent about this. Silence is complicity. They are by their silence, supporting essentially the equivalent of Gestapo ICE actions. And I can’t stand silent. I can’t stand aside.”

    Read complete interview.

     

    Ms. Rachel is a very well known children’s singer with a large internet following. She advocates for children’s rights around the world. Over the last months, she has been speaking out against the wanton murder and starvation of Palestinian children. She told The Independent, “The look in his eyes has stayed in my mind since I saw the video.”… No child should experience that kind of fear, shock and terror.” Her advocacy has included sharing images of staving and maimed children in Gaza, and of fundraising for aid organizations such as Save the Children.

    In early April a pro-Israel group called on U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Ms Rachel as a foreign agent of Hamas, claiming without any evidence that she is being paid to spread the images of children who are malnourished or injured. Ms Rachel has been firm, posting this statement on May 10, 2025.

     

    Speaking out about the suffering of children in Gaza isn’t wrong—

    staying silent is.

     


    When it’s controversial to advocate for children that have been killed in the thousands, are blocked from food and medical care, and have become the largest cohort of amputees in modern history, we have lost our way.

    It’s my unwavering belief that children aren’t less valuable or less equal because of where they were born, the color of their skin, or the religion they practice. They are all precious and innocent children of God.

    Adults and leaders are supposed to take care of children, cherish them and give them everything they need to become happy, healthy adults - not take it from them.

    Instagram.com@msrachelforlittles

    The arrest of Newark City Mayor Ras Baraka

    On Friday May 9 Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested while attempting to review a detention center being opened by ICE.  Protests continue to be held at the facility (including by Refuse Fascism). Here are two of the statements of outrage issued.

    League of Women Voters Responds to Arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka

    “We are deeply alarmed over the arrest of Mayor Baraka while attempting to investigate the condition and treatment of detainees in his city. Mayor Baraka was joined by Members of Congress, who are lawfully able to visit detention centers. Efforts to expose injustice should never be met with obstruction or criminalization by the government.  

    “As a nonpartisan pro-democracy organization, we are deeply alarmed by the ongoing ICE detentions, which fly in the face of due process and human rights. These actions undermine the democratic values of fairness, accountability, and equal treatment under the law.  

    “In a democracy, holding institutions accountable should be protected — not punished. The League of Women Voters will continue to defend our country’s principles and speak out when there is executive overreach and whenever people's rights are denied — especially by the government. We believe silence in the face of injustice is not an option. We call on the President to immediately stop these unlawful actions and for Congress to stand up for fellow members of Congress impacted by this event."  

    Read complete press release.

    Kat Abughazaleh, Democratic Congressional candidate in Illinois
    posted at bluesky:

    THEY ARE ARRESTING ELECTED OFFICIALS FOR PEACEFULLY OPPOSING THE REGIME’S ILLEGAL ACTIONS.

    DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO OVERWHELM YOU. THIS IS NOT NORMAL.

    Voices from April 28 to May 4, 2025

    Governor Pritzker of Illinois at a fund raiser in New Hampshire, April 28, 2025.

    “I understand the tendency to give in to despair right now, but despair is an indulgence that we cannot afford in the times upon which history turns. 

    “Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption. I AM NOW. These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace...” 

    Governor J.B. Pritzker

     

    Bill Owens, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, resigns. 

    This short clip from the CBS news program 60 Minutes talks about how its former executive producer resigned because of interference in the program by Paramount, which owns CBS. Paramount reportedly has caved in to Trump and agreed to settle his lawsuit accusing 60 Minutes of "deceptive" editing of interview with Kamala Harris during the presidential campaign.

    “You’ll see fear, you’ll hear hope.” 

    Detroit Opera is performing Anthony Davis’s powerful opera, The Central Park Five. May 10-18 at Detroit Opera House. The opera tells the story of the incarceration of five innocent young Black and Latino men charged with the rape and brutal beating of a woman in Central Park.  Donald Trump published full-page ads in the four major newspapers in New York in 1989 calling for the death penalty for the Five.  At one point in the Opera a singer voices Trump’s words from the ads. 

    In the wake of Trump’s election the composer and performers have spoken about why they feel it is so important to perform this opera.

    The composer, Anthony Davis said ““They’re trying to erase history, whether it’s slavery or the civil rights struggle, or the history of racism…. I don’t think we can allow that. Particularly as African-Americans, we have to speak up.”

    “We’re seeing now with deportation the casualties that happen when there is a rush to judgment, when they don’t follow procedure, when they ignore evidence, when you ignore the law, when you ignore the system that protects us…. That can be the cost of dissent. We’re allowed to say what we want, and that’s part of our country. That’s part of who we are.”

    In an earlier interview February 7 on WFYI, Indianpolis, Davis said: “We are seeing the dawning of fascism in America, and that's very dangerous. We don't have the constraints. We don't have a Congress that's willing to stand up or resist. But I think if they're not willing to, we have to do it. Unless we push against it, unless we resist it, we'll have no one to blame but ourselves. So I think it's very important to push against it.

    Arrested April 28 in Capitol rotunda for “illegal prayers”

    The Rev. William J. Barber II, a prominent civil rights activist and pastor, is launching “Moral Mondays” to protest the Trump administration ending of programs that support poor people.  On April 28 he and several other religious figures were arrested after saying prayers calling out the Trump government's attacks on people.

    Read full statement

    Clergy and People of Moral Conscience Arrested for Praying Inside the United States Capitol

    Will Hopkins stand up for the Rule of Law?
    By FRANÇOIS FURSTENBERG | April 24, 2025

    Silence has gotten us this far, but it can get us no further. To keep our heads down while our most vulnerable students are plucked away by the capricious exercise of political power is to collaborate in their persecution. 

    University leadership, trustees: I urge you to initiate a broader consultation about University policy. I suspect you will learn that, in times like these, silence amounts to complicity. Johns Hopkins will either side with lawless power, or stand on the side of students — and the law and Constitution….

    Read full statement

    Sh’ma Koleinu: A joint message from Jews of Columbia across the ideological spectrum

    We, a diverse coalition of Jews at Columbia and Barnard, wholeheartedly reject the invocation of Jewish safety as a pretense to persecute, detain, and deport fellow students and community members without due process of law.

    Our coalition includes Zionists, anti-Zionists, Diasporists, non-Zionists, and others. Among us are those who advocate for diverse visions of the Middle East, including those who vocally champion Israel’s right to defend itself and those who stood with our Palestinian classmates at protests and encampments to support their call for liberation. Many of us have been smeared as “pro-genocide,” others defamed as “self-hating Jews.” Some of us hold that our belief in a democratic Jewish homeland requires ardent opposition to corruption in its halls of power. Many of us believe that the destiny of Palestinians and the Jewish people are inextricably intertwined.

    Despite our range of viewpoints, we stand united in our conviction that while combating antisemitism is an essential endeavor, persecuting minorities and suppressing free speech does not make Jewish students safer. Rather, it serves to increase fear, both for ourselves and for our fellow students….

    Read full statement

    Actors with SAG/AFTRA in support of Palestinians

    On May 1, 2025, Rep. Green Previews Articles of Impeachment Against Pres. Trump, Alerts of Constitutional Crisis

    Voices from April 21 to 27, 2025

    Kneecap, an Irish hip hop trio from West Belfast, Northern Ireland, known for being anti-Zionist and anti-Trump, leads crowd at Coachella to chant "Free Palestine" 

    In the days after their Coachella performance, Kneecap was viciously attacked, with their booking agency refusing to continue to represent them, attacks on social media, and with threats that their work visas would be cancelled. They issued the following statement:

    Since our statements at Coachella—exposing the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people—we have faced a coordinated smear campaign. For over a year, we have used our shows to call out the British and Irish’s governments complicity in war crimes.

    The recent attacks against us, largely emanating from the US, are based on deliberate distortions and falsehoods. We are taking action against several of these malicious efforts. 

    Let us be absolutely clear.

    The reason Kneecap is being targeted is simple—we are telling the truth, and our audience is growing. Those attacking us want to silence criticism of a mass slaughter. They weaponize false accusations of antisemitism to distract, confuse, and provide cover for genocide.

    We do not give a f*ck what religion anyone practices. We know there are massive numbers of Jewish people outraged by this genocide just as we are. What we care about is that governments of the countries we perform in are enabling some of the most horrific crimes of our lifetimes—and we will not stay silent.

    NO MEDIA SPIN WILL CHANGE THIS.
    OUR ONLY CONCERN IS THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE.
    THE 20,000 MURDERED CHILDREN AND COUNTING.
    THE YOUNG PEOPLE AT OUR GIGS SEE THROUGH THE LIES. THEY STAND ON THE SIDE OF HUMANITY AND JUSTICE.
    AND THAT GIVES US GREAT HOPE.

    KNEECAP

    Two weeks ago, talk show host Bill Maher had a private dinner with Donald Trump. He gushed about how personable Trump was. In response, comedian Larry David wrote this op-ed in the New York Times.

    ***

    Larry David: My Dinner With Adolf

    April 21, 2025
    By Larry David

    Mr. David is a comedian and writer who created “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and was a co-creator of “Seinfeld.”

    Imagine my surprise when in the spring of 1939 a letter arrived at my house inviting me to dinner at the Old Chancellery with the world’s most reviled man, Adolf Hitler. I had been a vocal critic of his on the radio from the beginning, pretty much predicting everything he was going to do on the road to dictatorship. No one I knew encouraged me to go. “He’s Hitler. He’s a monster.” But eventually I concluded that hate gets us nowhere. I knew I couldn’t change his views, but we need to talk to the other side — even if it has invaded and annexed other countries and committed unspeakable crimes against humanity.

    Two weeks later, I found myself on the front steps of the Old Chancellery and was led into an opulent living room, where a few of the Führer’s most vocal supporters had gathered: Himmler, Göring, Leni Riefenstahl and the Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII. We talked about some of the beautiful art on the walls that had been taken from the homes of Jews. But our conversation ended abruptly when we heard loud footsteps coming down the hallway. Everyone stiffened as Hitler entered the room.

    He was wearing a tan suit with a swastika armband and gave me an enthusiastic greeting that caught me off guard. Frankly, it was a warmer greeting than I normally get from my parents, and it was accompanied by a slap on my back. I found the whole thing quite disarming. I joked that I was surprised to see him in a tan suit because if he wore that out, it would be perceived as un-Führer-like. That amused him to no end, and I realized I’d never seen him laugh before. Suddenly he seemed so human. Here I was, prepared to meet Hitler, the one I’d seen and heard — the public Hitler. But this private Hitler was a completely different animal. And oddly enough, this one seemed more authentic, like this was the real Hitler. The whole thing had my head spinning.  Read more.

    A petition on change.org:

    Stop the National Autism Registry: Protect Our Children’s Privacy and Human Rights

    The Issue

    The federal government is compiling a national database of autistic individuals — collecting private medical, behavioral, and even biometric data from families across the country. Many of these families have not consented.

    This initiative, led by RFK Jr. and supported by the NIH, claims to be for research. But when you strip away the language, you’re left with something chilling:

    They are building a list.

    A list of people like my children.

    A list of autistic individuals — tracked, labeled, and filed under the guise of public health.

    This is not support. It is surveillance.  Read more

    The University of Alabama College Democrats (UACD) released a statement railing against the announcement that President Trump will deliver a commencement address at the college in Tuscaloosa on May 1.

    UACD is shocked and disgusted to learn that our unpopular, divisive, and authoritarian President will be involved in commencement for the graduating class of 2025. This insult will not go unanswered.

    The last time the disgraced criminal visited campus, he was able to turn the Alabama-Georgia game, the biggest college football game on our campus in years, into a political sideshow. We cannot allow this to happen with our commencement ceremonies.

    For all of his meddling in UA affairs, Donald Trump lost our campus to former Vice President Kamala Harris last semester. UA is not a fascist playground.

    The Trump administration kidnapped one of our PH.D. students for no reason a few weeks ago and is holding him without bond at an ICE black site in Louisiana. There is no greater insult than this.

    Given that the White House has pulled federal funding from colleges and universities across our country, we understand if the Bell administration may be stuck between a rock and a hard place. We simply don’t want UA to be turned into a backdrop for MAGA propaganda.

    UACD and its partners are actively mobilizing in response to last night’s news. We will have more updates whenever possible, and we hope to update everyone in the next few days.

    The University of Alabama College Democrats

    JOINT STATEMENT from CFT President Jeff Freitas and UC-AFT President Katie Rodger:

    California’s educators stand with Harvard University in courageously rejecting the Trump administration’s unlawful overreach and protecting student and faculty rights to safety and freedom on campus. California’s university students are already being swept up in Trump’s deportation machine and facing attacks on diversity policies. We call on our state’s higher education systems to also lead with courage and conviction.

    Academic freedom and the First Amendment right to freedom of speech are cornerstones of our democracy and a critical bulwark against authoritarianism. For generations activism and protests by university students have helped propel the civil rights, women's rights, and other justice movements forward – which is precisely why Trump sees our colleges and universities as a threat.

    Higher education is a public good that directly bolsters real democracy in our communities and in our country, and now is the time for us all to join the students, faculty, and workers who are fighting for it.

    Jeff Freitas, CFT President
    Katie Rodger, UC-AFT President

    Day 4 of the pro-Palestinian hunger strike at Occidental College 

    Students demand the college divest from weapons manufacturers with ties to Israel, bolster protections for international students among other demands.

    Letter from faculty members at New York University School of Law:

    “We are faculty members at New York University School of Law, writing in our individual capacities, to affirm our support for the independence of academic institutions, lawyers, and judges, and to oppose the federal government’s attacks on those values—attacks that threaten to undermine democracy, the rule of law, and long valued constitutional rights, among them freedom of expression and basic due process….

    “The Administration has pursued executive actions targeting universities, their faculties, and their students in ways that undermine academic independence and the free exchange of ideas. If such actions continue, the damage to our intellectual communities, which depend on the lawful freedom of expression and open exchange of ideas, could be immense. So too would be the danger to basic due process values that protect each and every one of us. In saying this, we in no way discount the gravity of concerns about antisemitism and other forms of bias, which must be taken seriously. 

    “We further share a commitment to the rule of law and to the role of lawyers and judges in preserving that rule of law. As the American Bar Association states in the preamble to its Model Rules of Professional Conduct, “[a]n independent legal profession is an important force in preserving government under law, for abuse of legal authority is more readily challenged by a profession whose members are not dependent on government for the right to practice.” The Administration’s executive orders targeting individual lawyers and law firms have no basis in law and are contrary to the protections of our Constitution. Requiring lawyers to acquiesce to improper demands or face such punishment places them in a position inconsistent with the essential role of lawyers as independent advocates for their clients. Similarly, government threats to impeach judges based on disagreements with their judicial decisions are inconsistent with the fundamental principles underlying judicial independence, principles that have been respected by political actors of all stripes for over 200 years. An independent judiciary is essential to the preservation of the rule of law and our most basic constitutional rights.”

    See list of signatories here. >>

    Voices from April 14 to 20, 2025

    Holocaust Scholars Defy Flawed Antisemitism Definition
    Powerful new letter from Mahmoud Khalil writing from ICE detention in Louisiana:

    Mahmoud Khalil: What does my detention by ICE say about America

    A democracy for some is no democracy at all.

    April 17, 2025

    Mahmoud Khalil

    It’s 3 a.m. as I lie sleepless on a bunk bed in Jena, Louisiana, far from my wife, Noor, who will give birth to our baby in two weeks. The sound of rain hitting the metal roof masks the snoring of 70 men tossing and turning on hard mats in this detention facility run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Which ones are dreaming about reuniting with their families? Which ones are having nightmares about becoming the Trump administration’s next “administrative error”? 
    Read more

    What the Trump administration is doing now is demanding a loyalty oath...

    Michael S. Roth, president of Wesleyan University, interviewed by Christiane Amanpour on CNN

    “For the federal government to just show up one day at your door and take you away because of the ideas you express, that is anti-American, anti-educational, and undermines our freedom... I am appalled that people who support Israel will ally themselves with an administration that is using scapegoating, racism, and which has no trouble supping with nazis when it's convenient for them... I myself believe strongly in Israel's right to defend itself. I'm critical of the current government in Israel. But all of that shouldn't matter... What the Trump administration is doing now is demanding a loyalty oath. They are demanding that schools express loyalty to the president and his current beliefs. This has nothing to do with anti-antisemitism. And Jews who align themselves with leaders because they think those leaders are picking on other people, eventually the Jews find themselves the targets of that same abuse...”

    Michael S. Roth, President of Wesleyan University, on CNN

     

    As DOGE cuts hit SoCal cultural spaces and libraries, Little Tokyo museum fights to keep programs alive

    From the LAist

    "Despite losing more than $1.45 million in federal funds, leaders at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo have been publicly saying they won’t stray from their defense of civil rights to appease the Trump White House.

    ‘We won't scrub any websites,’ said Ann Burroughs, the museum’s president and chief executive, referring to the practice of federal agencies removing references to diversity and inclusion. ‘We stand up for our values, and we aren't prepared to sacrifice those values for federal funding.’”

    Read full article

    Letter in Support of Mohsen Mahdawi on Behalf of Israelis

    (Currently with 409 signatures)

    “We are a group of Israeli citizens in the U.S. who are appalled by the immoral detainment of Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian activist and an advocate of peace, by ICE. Some of us previously wrote against the threat of deportations when the Trump Administration first issued its January 29 executive order, “Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism.” We stated then and still assert that this act does not protect us, it endangers us. We reject the use of deportations to suppress free speech under the guise of combating antisemitism. The case of Mohsen Mahdawi in particular reveals that the pretext of protecting Jews is falsely being used to further the Trump Administration's extreme agenda of silencing political voices that do not align with it...”

    Read full letter

    Open letters and commentary from university administrators and faculty members calling for resistance to Trump’s demands

    ICE on train

     

    “A co-worker of mine (who is a judge), traveled by train from Montana to North Dakota for work this week. The train made a stop in Havre, MT, where ICE agents—armed and dressed in full military-style tactical gear—boarded the train. They walked the full length of the train and questioned every single passenger about their citizenship status. According to the conductor, who has worked nearly 40 years on that route, this was a first. In all his decades of service, federal agents have never boarded his train like this.

    “This is not a hypothetical. This is not a scene from a dystopian film. This happened this week to my colleague, on U.S. soil, to U.S. citizens, legal residents, and foreign tourists here on holiday, without a warrant, without probable cause—based solely on geography.

    “Under current law ICE has expanded authority to operate within 100 miles of any border. But HOW that authority is being interpreted and exercised has chilling implications for civil liberties, freedom of movement, and equal protection under the law.

    “This isn’t about politics—it’s about the erosion of rights we’ve taken for granted, and the slow normalization of military-style policing tactics in everyday spaces. Even if technically permissible, these actions reflect a disturbing shift in the balance between civil liberties and governmental authority. The normalization of militarized immigration enforcement in public spaces, without individualized suspicion, risks setting dangerous precedents that erode the freedoms we are sworn to uphold.

    “This is not about ideology—it is about the integrity of our legal system. I am compelled to speak up because there is no justification for circumventing the very rights and principles that define our democracy.

    “The question is not whether you “have something to hide.” The question is how much unchecked authority we’re willing to allow before we can no longer call this a free society.”

    Read the news story Judge Roberts refers to here.

    Voices from April 7 to 13

    Public Statement from Members of 
    Georgetown University’s Jewish Community

    We are Jewish students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Georgetown University. While we may hold varying opinions and perspectives on Israel-Palestine, we all agree that the growing wave of politically motivated campus deportation efforts is an authoritarian move that harms the entire campus community. We encourage Jews and everyone—at Georgetown and beyond—to take action and speak out...

    The Trump administration is waging attacks on our spaces of learning, including by politically targeting, harassing, detaining and attempting to deport Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, international, and immigrant community members, all while claiming to do so in the name of Jewish safety. Exemplified by tweets such as “SHALOM MAHMOUD.,” President Trump is weaponizing Jewish identity, faith, and fears of antisemitism as a smokescreen for his authoritarian agenda, further damaging the campus climate for everyone. Making Jews the face of this autocratic initiative feeds antisemitic conspiracy theories and is dangerous for Jews, on campuses and beyond. For multiple reasons, it is crucial that we as Jewish community members at Georgetown speak out and act against this, and we encourage Jews on and off campuses everywhere to do the same.

    Read the complete statement and see signatories here.

    From an article posted at Techcrunch.com

    Genetic sharing site openSNP to shut down, citing concerns of data privacy and ‘rise in authoritarian governments’

    Techcrunch spoke to Greshake Tzovaras, co-founder of openSNP, a large open source repository for user-uploaded genetic data which he will shut down and delete all of its data at the end of April.

    When reached by TechCrunch, Greshake Tzovaras was blunt in his decision to shut down openSNP now and not sooner. 

    “The ‘why now’ to me is ultimately down to there being what counts for a fascist coup in the U.S.,” Greshake Tzovaras told TechCrunch, a native of Germany. 

    “Seeing people being disappeared from the streets under the most dubious pretexts really can’t be called anything else,” he said, referring to the recent reports of people living in the United States, including U.S. citizens, who have been arrested in immigration raids, some whose whereabouts remain unknown

    Greshake Tzovaras said the “wholesale dismantling of scientific institutions and science itself” since January — the beginning of the second Trump administration — was a factor in the shutdown of openSNP. 

    Read the complete article here and also a blog post from Tzovaras where he writes about his dreams for openSNP and why it's time to pull the plug.

    Excerpts from The Daily podcast from the New York Times. 

    “The University President Willing to Fight Trump”

    April 9, 2025
    Chris Eisgruber is the president of Princeton University. We learn through the course of the interview that he is also the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of American Universities whose membership is made up of 71 of the leading research universities in the U.S. like Harvard, Yale, UCLA, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Caltech, Stanford and Cornell. These are short excerpts from the interview. You can hear the complete interview here
    ***
    Rachel Abrams: Over the past few weeks, some of the most prestigious universities in the country have faced a threat to their very existence from President Trump, who has frozen billions of dollars in federal funds in an attempt to rid higher education of what he calls its “woke” ideology. And the question now is, who will cut a deal and who will fight? Today, my conversation with the president of Princeton University, Christopher Eisgruber, who has vowed that he will fight….
    ***
    I want to bring up another one of the [Trump] administration’s critiques, which is something you hear a ton from the right and have heard it for a while, which is that universities, particularly elite universities like Princeton, Harvard, Yale, the Ivies, they are not representative enough of the broader public politically. And of course, that’s important because our judges, our lawyers, people that are incredibly influential in shaping society, often come out of institutions like yours. And so this is shaping not just how students think, but it is shaping American culture more broadly. And that is why it is important to take a strong and aggressive stand.
    I’m curious, what do you make of that argument, first of all? And how important is it for a university to reflect the broader political ideologies of the country? Is it a problem that most universities are probably left of center?
    Chris Eisgruber: It’s not our job to reflect the political ideology of the country. We’re not a Sunday morning talk show that has ideological balance on it. We need to be open to conservative views. We need to be a place where conservatives feel they can flourish. But we’re supposed to be doing something different than just reflecting what’s going on in the country.
    We’re supposed to be having arguments that get at truth and knowledge, and that’s different from a political debating society. It’s different from what goes on in Congress. And it’s different from what goes on in a lot of journalism or from the political distribution in the country.
    There are political divisions about things like climate and vaccines right now. And there is no obligation on the part of the universities to reflect what is the political division of opinion on those subjects or about, say, capitalism and investing.
    … Our job is to have an honest, fair, truth-seeking process. And an honest, fair, truth-seeking process will produce criticisms of society. It won’t just be a mirror to society. So that’s a difference.
    There’s a second thing you said in your original question that also connects to what it is that you just asked about, Christopher Rufo. You quoted some accusations that universities indoctrinate. Universities should never be indoctrinating. And I don’t think we are. And I don’t think that the opinion data or the other serious studies of what universities do supports that. We’ve got to be places where robust arguments take place.
    ***
    RA: Does this mean that you are considering making concessions to the Trump administration?
    CE: I’m not considering any concessions.
    RA: Not at all?
    CE: No.…
    ***
    RA: …do you feel pressure and an obligation to your fellow presidents, to your fellow universities, to the students at institutes of higher education around the country, to really to fight back in some way?
    CF: …It’s important for me to be using my voice, and it’s why, in response to a number of your questions, I’ve said, hey, I can tell you about what’s going on at Princeton, but I don’t think this is all about Princeton. It’s about what’s happening in the United States. I think this would be so much stronger if many more of my fellow presidents were speaking up.
    RA: You’re hoping that they do what you do.
    CE: I really want them to do what I do.

    Return to top

  • ARTICLE:

    Faith leaders: As the republic we hold dear is assaulted, here’s how we stand up

    Seth Limmer, Ciera Bates-Chamberlain, Michael Pfleger and Otis Moss III are faith leaders in Chicago who have written statements together in the past about the problems facing Chicago and the larger society. This statement was first published in the Chicago Tribune.

    The signs are all there.

    We as a nation have invoked laws to determine that a certain people — based on their ethnicity, language, hat choices and tattoo styles — are enemies of the state. 

    We are using a mega-prison far from the public eye, in a foreign nation, to incarcerate those determined by our president to be enemies of our people. While flouting the rule of law and the rulings of the judiciary branch, these falsely labeled enemies of the state are flown to this frighteningly real place without any of the due process purportedly guaranteed by our Constitution.

    The faith community of St. Sabina Catholic Church should not be the only location in Chicago hanging the flag of the United States upside down: We are a nation in distress.

    We are experiencing a terrifying imbalance of power in America.

    It is well documented that universities, science and learning are under attack. We need not add more detail there but would be remiss not to highlight three themes demonstrating how pernicious the threat is to our American way of life.

    To start, history is being rewritten. Jan. 6 insurrectionists not only received pardons, but the 2025 annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. intelligence community is devoid of any mention of domestic terrorist threats. While the federal government diverts its gaze from the Proud Boys and the Ku Klux Klan, it nonetheless argues it will pursue “homegrown terrorists,” language currently coded to attack Black and minority communities. In a painful irony, the National Museum of African American History and Culture is attacked for promoting a “divisive, race-centered” ideology simply because it tells the full story of African American history. At the U.S. Naval Academy, books with a focus on LGBTQ and Black lives were removed from shelves that still offer “Mein Kampf.”

    Secondly, our sanctuaries are under threat of desecration. Since the Book of Samuel, the sancta of our houses of worship were recognized by all political parties as sacred spaces in which enforcement was held at bay. But just this month, that potential for gathering safely in our sacred spaces was stolen by a judge upholding the administration’s move to commence Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in churches, synagogues, mosques and other holy spaces.

    Lastly, our government is manipulating minorities, turning them against each other in a perverse prisoner’s dilemma. In addition to the threat of cutting services so disadvantaged communities feel the need to fight over scraps, the administration actively seeks to sow enmity to promote its unconstitutional ends. Nowhere is this better seen than in the administration’s sheathing of its attempts to undermine democracy inside the sham of “preventing antisemitism.” Such moves were maligned by coalitions of mainstream Jewish organizations, which assert that the rule of law and strong democratic norms and institutions are vital to all minorities.  Curtailing any of those in the name of one minority will, in the end, hurt all minorities, they say.

    How, then, do we citizens counter these attacks on our democracy?

    While we are grateful to have a governor and state officials who are standing up to the administration, even their admirable work is not enough. Every citizen needs to play a part in defending democracy.

    In the face of these threats, we can either capitulate like Chicago’s cowardly Kirkland & Ellis — prizing and prioritizing our own resources at the expense of others — or we can stand united and resist those who would trample our democracy.

    In the face of these threats, as we watch our nation dance to the echo of a Confederate vision of limited human rights, we are reminded of the courage of Dred Scott, who dared sue his enslaver Irene Emerson in 1846. A little over 10 years later, in 1857, the Supreme Court sided with his Emerson, stating that no person of African descent, enslaved or free, has any rights a white person is bound to protect or respect. This case set the stage for the long struggle toward the 14th Amendment, which finally gave Black people citizenship and also expanded “due process” beyond the classification of “white” to all who are part of the civic project we call the United States of America.

    Those who know what it is like to be classified as “the other” can sense the tragedy and evil lurking underneath the rhetoric of this administration’s attempt to circumvent the Constitution.

    The undaunted courage of individuals and the collective courage of mass protests are what is needed today.  As best as we can, we need not only rise up with the history-changing courage of Scott, but also like a holy host of Scotts riding together to transform America.

    The mass protests that are happening are only stage one of what Americans will need to do. This administration seems too far removed from the people and will likely just go back to Mar-a-Lago for golf while people stand in the streets, making speeches.

    In our opinion, these protests will have to reach the point of revolutionary scale — but not focused on just the president but also those senators and representatives on Capitol Hill and the Supreme Court, whose nine justices must daily be reminded of their duty to execute justice.

    Just as our lives are being transformed by these attacks on American democracy, there needs to be a transformation in terms of how often and how consistently all American elected and appointed officials hear from our citizens early and often.

    As our friend and colleague Christopher Griffin reminds us: Power is never given. Power is taken, and never easily.

    Right now, we need to take back our power. We need to say that America’s future isn’t up to the politicians: It’s up to the people. We, the people, do have the power — it is ours for the taking. Let us take it and, together, restore our democracy.

     

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  • ARTICLE:

    From the International Emergency Campaign to Free Iran’s Political Prisoners Now (IEC)

    Iran’s Political Prisoners Call for Societal Struggle Against “Execution Republic”

    Revcom.us editors’ note: We received the following from the International Emergency Campaign to Free Iran’s Political Prisoners Now (IEC). Translations from Farsi to English are by IEC volunteers.

    Mehran Raouf has had little contact with the outside world since being thrown into prison in late 2020. He was one of Iran’s 19 imprisoned labor activists featured in this year’s International Workers’ Day article about the deadly conditions for such prisoners in Iran.19 Mehran Raouf, a British-Iranian dual citizen, has no close family in Iran and has only been able to send out a few letters over 4 years. He said in one letter over 2 years ago:

    My aspiration and goal in life has been to work to serve the people, and putting effort into reaching [them] and introducing [them to] a better world that is fit for humanity, free from oppression, exploitation and corruption, a society free from environmental pollution, free from disease and futile wars…In solidarity with the widespread uprising by the people, we demand the unconditional release of all political prisoners. 

    Like so many of Iran’s political prisoners, Mehran Raouf is locked up sight unseen behind the high walls of the infamous Evin Prison in Iran. Yet more than 8,000 miles away, his face stands several feet tall on a street mural in Cali, Colombia.

    Wall mural for Iran political prisoner Mehran Raouf, in Cali, Colombia.

     

    Mural painted in Cali, Colombia, posted on IG by @quemarlajaula; @iranprisonemerg (US) and @burnthecage (Europe) co-posted.   

    The IG caption reads: “This mural was created today (May 5) in Cali, Colombia. The portrait is of the political prisoner Mehran Raouf (Raoof), a British-Iranian citizen and workers' rights activist who is arbitrarily detained in Evin Prison in Tehran. Next to him, a gallows on fire repudiates the death sentences of political prisoners in Iran. The mural puts forward the slogans: Free Iran's political prisoners now! Stop the execution and oppression of the women fighters!”20 

    On this wall (and in other Colombian cities and on campuses) in a distant continent and speaking a different language, artists and youth mobilized by revolutionaries have been putting the faces and names of Iranian political prisoners in front of the ordinary people and struggling for them to take up this fight as their own. This has been consistently done in the internationalist spirit of “the struggle of the people of Iran is our struggle.”

    In a moment when Iran and the Middle East in general concentrate a maelstrom of contradictions on a world scale, intensified and imperiled by an increasing surge of executions in Iran, including of political prisoners and dissidents, it is all the more beautiful and precious to see this inspiring spirit in vibrant, living color. 

    Repression of Anti-Execution Activists Intensifies; Police Murder Protester

    Azim Heydari was standing outside the police station protesting the execution of his relative that morning, May 1. Police shot Azim dead on the spot, not even giving any excuse. Two days earlier, a large number of people in this town of Dezful, population more than 265,000 in southwestern Iran, had been protesting outside the prison gate, demanding a suspension of executions. They were fired upon by prison authorities. 

    Azim Heydari, political prisoner executed in Iran.

     

    Thirty-five year old Azim Heydari, executed by police as he protested the execution of his relative.     Photo: iranwire.com

    For many years, the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) has concentrated an especially vicious repression and slander against family members of political prisoners, as well as people killed by security forces on the street. But this cold-blooded murder of an anti-execution protester for standing in front of a police station is a new leap in viciousness, exposing their fear that the protest against executions, as limited as they are currently, even by family members, may gain strength and ignite others to rise up against this atrocity.

    Other examples of intensified repression show how the IRI fears even mild protest.

    A poet and street vendor, Peyman Farahavar, 37, was sentenced to death allegedly for “rebellion” and “waging war against God” in Gilan province in northern Iran. While authorities claim Farahavar was involved in arson at a construction site, those close to him insist his interrogations focused almost exclusively on his writings. Before his arrest, he was working selling fruit alongside his brother to support himself and his 10-year-old son. 

    Peyman Farahavar, poet and street vendor, sentenced to death for his poetry.

     

    Peyman Farahavar, poet and street vendor, sentenced to death for his poetry.     Photo: @hawar.help

    “Peyman always had environmental concerns. The Gilaki language was very important to him,” a source told IranWire. “His identity and the language of his people were important to him - especially the forgotten people, the poor, and the suffering villagers.... In short, he grew to hate this government because of their oppression of the people. He spoke very harshly and stood against them.”

    Burn The Cage reported that four protesters who had staged a sit-in against the death sentences in the “Ekbatan Boys” case were sentenced to a total of 9 years in prison, 184 lashes and a large fine. The “Ekbatan Boys” are six young protesters from Ekbatan, the huge housing project in Tehran where protests took place nightly during the 2022-2023 Woman, Life, Freedom Uprising. They were vindictively convicted, without evidence, in the death of a plainclothes spy during one protest.

    In another example, Zartosht Ahmadi, a political prisoner in Ghezel Hesar Prison, was moved to solitary confinement as a punishment for his protests against death sentences and the distribution of related statements and recordings. A family source told IranWire, “Ahmadi declared he will stand for human rights until his last breath, despite punishments like solitary confinement.” In July 2024, prison officials filed charges that resulted in an additional one-year prison sentence and two years of internal exile, preventing his release after serving five years on previous charges.

    “To Break the Gallows, the Voice of Each Is Not Enough”

    Political prisoner Golrokh Iraee, in the women’s ward of Evin Prison, has been smuggling out letters to be posted on her social media, emphasizing the need for many more people to put their bodies on the line to stop the executions. On May 5, the conclusion of her letter said:

    Voice has a strange power to imagine dreams and nightmares. But to break the gallows, the voice of each other is not enough. Maybe it was necessary that after hearing each other's voice, after hearing the voice of Mohsen's mother, the voice of Mohammad's mother, or the voice of Agha Mashallah Karami,21 we would tie our shoelaces and slam the doors of the house together and go to [protest at] the prison door. 

    These escalations in repression are taking place in a nightmarish increase in executions, even outpacing 2024, when it is estimated conservatively that the regime executed 900-1000 people. In April, according to Iran Human Rights, out of at least 110 executions in April alone (!!), only two were announced by official media. The number of executions in the first four months of 2025 has increased by 75% compared to the first four months of last year. 

    Commemorating the Fallen to Shine a Light for the Future of Humanity

    On May 6, the women’s ward of Evin Prison was the site of a solemn and inspiring commemoration in memory of five political prisoners who were hanged in secret at Evin Prison 15 years ago. It was in conjunction with the “Tuesday No To Execution” prisoner hunger strike, now in its 67th week and in 41 prisons spread across Iran.

    Executed in Evin on May 9, 2010. Left to right: Mehdi Eslamian, Farhad Vakili, Shirin Alam Holi, Ali Heidarian, Farzad Kamangar.

     

    Executed in Evin on May 9, 2010. Left to right: Mehdi Eslamian, Farhad Vakili, Shirin Alam Holi, Ali Heidarian, Farzad Kamangar.     Composite: Golrokh Iraee on X

    Four of them were of the Kurdish oppressed nationality, accused of membership in a banned Kurdish political party. All had been tortured, and denied lawyers and family visits. Their “trial” was over in less than 10 minutes. To this day their burial place is unknown. These horrific details are not much different from those of tens of thousands of prisoners, political and general, who have been killed before them and since. But this commemoration especially uplifts the undaunted stand they took as they faced death. 

    In particular, one of those executed was Farzad Kamangar, who taught in the Kurdish countryside, wrote poetic and joyful notes to his students from prison, his poems smuggled out one by one. Kamangar read to his students from, and followed the example of, the Marxist-Leninist teacher and writer Saman Behrangi, who was drowned at age 29, apparently by agents of the late Shah of Iran, the dictator imposed by a CIA coup in 1953. Kamangar symbolizes the “chain of resistance” stretching back to those who resisted and revolted against the Shah and forward to those resisting the Islamic Republic. Read an excerpt of one of Kamangar’s letters in the accompanying side bar.

    Golrokh Iraee, a political prisoner in Evin women’s ward, in one of these smuggled posts, managed to get the following account out

    The memorial began in the prison courtyard with the reading of excerpts from Farzad Kamangar's enduring letters, words which, after many years, still speak of hope, kindness, resistance, and love for the people. Afterwards, the prisoners read the biography and narrative of the struggles of each of the victims of May 9 to the audience, which reveal human dignity in the face of the repressive machine… Then, stories were read by Shirin Alam Holi's former fellow prisoners, vivid and human stories that painted a picture of a woman who shined a light in the heart of darkness.22 

    The ceremony concluded with a collective singing of the enduring anthem “Purple Blood”… This memorial, while paying tribute to the fallen, was an opportunity to remind ourselves that: The path to freedom cannot be blocked.

    These prisoners who gave their lives managed to share with others a sense of broadmindedness that models a universal lesson, not only for these heroic women in Evin and others held in Iran’s theocratic fascist dungeon and society, but for all people globally at a crossroads moment in history in which heroic sacrifices will be required, which have the potential of ushering in a brighter future.

    IEC Q&A

    Some well meaning people around the IEC have asked us why they should care about freeing Iran’s political prisoners in the face of U.S./Israeli genocide of the Palestinians, and a fascist regime rises in the U.S. Here’s our short answer: Through our updates, we have brought out the examples of the courageous, implacable resistance of Iran’s prisoners and dissidents that holds meaning for everyone in the world today who hates injustices and oppression. They are not just victims as horrible as that isthey are heroes to be emulated. The IEC has kept a letter by nine political prisoners on our website since it was issued in November 2023 for good reason. It is clarion call for all of us to take responsibility for the lives of others in the world, for the common good bigger than just ourselves:

    But indifference towards the war and genocide in Palestine—and perhaps wishing for a military attack on Iran—is far more widespread than just among these extremist forces. Our message is this:

    We simply cannot cover over this complex and unequal war being waged against the Palestinian people, with the justification of our resentment against the government [of Iran] and its destructive policies and wars [in the region]. We cannot close our eyes to what is genocide, in the full sense of the word: “the intention to completely or partially annihilate a national, an ethnic, a racial or a religious group, simply because of their very nature.” Nor can it get glossed over by the media-monopoly.

    The dichotomy presented to us—Hamas or Israel, military intervention or the current situation going on and on—offer only a choice between bad and worse. As long as we look only at options the rulers give us, rather than creating our own way forward, the result can only be bad or worse.

    Mehran Raouf was one of the nine brave political prisoners who signed this letter that speaks for millions and urgently: in the interest of humanity, bring forward another way rather than choosing between oppressors. Listen and act. 

    “Hello, Class”, by Farzad Kamangar

    Farzad composed this letter to his students the day after his death sentence was decreed. It was translated from Farsi for barricadejournal.org by Tyler Fisher and Haidar Khezri.

    Farzad Kamangar and some of his students on a “field trip”.

     

    Farzad Kamangar and some of his students on a “field trip”.    Photo: IEC

    Hello, class. 

    My heart constricts from missing every one of you. Here in prison I compose the poem of life’s eternal song, day and night, with sweet recollections and dreams of you…when we returned, exhausted from all the excitement of our games in the fields (an “official school field trip,” we called it, of course)…

    I wish we could again furtively practice our Kurdish alphabet, far from the principal’s stern eye, and compose poems for each other in our mother tongue, and sing and dance hand in hand, and dance and dance…

    I wish I could again join in the “Ring-around-the-Uncle” game, leading the chants of the first-grade girls, you girls who, years later, at the corner of a page in your diary will write: “I wish I wasn’t born a girl.”… you would not be forced to bid farewell to school for the last time at age thirteen, with eyes full of tears and regret, under the white veil of becoming a woman, and would not experience, with every fiber of your being, the bitter story of the second-class gender…

    You sons of the land of nature and the Sun, I know you are no longer able to sit with your classmates, to read and laugh, because right after the tragedy of becoming a man, the grief of earning your daily bread will seize you by the collar. But remember not to turn your back on poetry, on song, on your lovers and your shared dreams. Teach your children to be heirs of poetry and rain, for their homeland, for their todays and their tomorrows.

    _______________

    FOOTNOTES:

    1. Iran’s Workers: Battered by Brutal Repression and Lethal Work Conditions, iranhumanrights.org, April 30, 2025.  [back]

    2. “Este mural fue realizado hoy en Cali, Colombia. El retrato es del preso político Mehran Raouf, Mehran Raoof, ciudadano británico-iraní y activista por los derechos laborales que se encuentra detenido arbitrariamente en la prisión de Evin de Teherán. Junto a él, una horca ardiendo repudia las condenas a muerte contra los presos políticos en Irán. El mural resalta las consignas: ¡Libertad para los presos políticos en Irán ya! ¡Opongámonos a la ejecución y opresión de las mujeres luchadoras!” [back]

    3. Mohsen and Mohammad refer to two young protesters in the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising from Fall 2022 to Spring 2023 who were executed, and Mashallah Karami is imprisoned for protesting the execution of his son, another WLF protester. [back]

    4. Shirin Alam Holi, a woman from a poor rural Kurdish family, had no formal schooling and was completely illiterate before her arrest. She learned to read and write in prison and aspired to become a lawyer to defend other political prisoners. [back]

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  • ARTICLE:

    Check It Out:

    Fiona Apple’s “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)”

    Fiona Apple has dropped a music video titled “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home).” It rips open the horror of how this system has tens of thousands of women in prison who haven’t been convicted of anything. These women, most of whom are Black or Brown, and many of whom are mothers, are being held in pretrial detention.

    In her video, Apple shares photos and videos of some of these women and their children and tells snippets of their stories. As a co-initiator (with Cornel West) of the Stop Mass Incarceration Network, this video reached inside me and touched my heart. As I write this on Mother’s Day weekend, I’m feeling that everyone with a heart and a conscience needs to check this out; watch it and share it with others.

    Fiona Apple, on her song:

    Time and time again, I listened as people were taken away and put in jail, for no other reason than that they couldn’t afford to buy their way free. It was particularly hard to hear mothers and caretakers get taken away from the people who depend on them. For the past five years, I have been volunteering with the Free Black Mamas DMV bailout, and I have been lucky to be able to witness the stories of women who fought for and won their freedom with the tireless and loving support of the leadership. I hope that this song, and the images shared with me, can help to show what is at stake when someone is kept in pretrial detention. I give this song in friendship and respect to all who have experienced the pain of pretrial detention and to the women of the group’s leadership who have taught me so much and whom I truly love.

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  • ARTICLE:

    Update on the “Revcom Cases”

    HANDS OFF! DROP THE CHARGES!

    Last week, THE REVCOM CORPS For The Emancipation Of Humanity held “Hands Off The Revcoms!” days on April 22-24 to let people know about the outrageous charges and prosecutions of four revcoms in three cities for speech and nonviolent protest against Trump/MAGA fascism, and to enlist people in demanding HANDS OFF! DROP THE CHARGES!

    Heres an update on what happened, along with video messages and messages of support from the “Hands Off” days. For more info on the arrests and charges, and the stakes involved, we will link to fuller articles and statements on the cases.

    In Harlem demanding HANDS OFF THE REVCOMS! DROP THE CHARGES!

    Noche Diaz, National Spokesperson for the Revcom Corps, speaks before hearing

    Revcoms are facing serious charges for speech and nonviolent protest against Trump/MAGA fascism

    Luna Hernandez, Los Angeles—On April 22 the judge in Luna’s case denied her lawyer’s motions to dismiss, and denied entering important evidence and testimony about the political nature of the prosecutor’s office and their pattern of selectively prosecuting people based on their political views. The prosecution of Luna began in 2022, and is now set for trial on May 28. For more on what happened in court, and background of the case, read “LA Goes Forward with Its Unjust Persecution of Luna! Judge Denies the Motion to Dismiss, Drop the Charges! Hands Off the Revcoms!

    David, Bay Area—David’s case was up for arraignment on April 24, where the charges against him were confirmed to be misdemeanor vandalism charges. About a dozen supporters came to court and had their presence noted by the judge, and public defenders have enthusiastically volunteered to take up his case. The next step in his case is a pre-trial hearing on May 30 and a trial date set for June 4.

    Noche and Leo—On April 24, the two attorneys who have taken up Noche and Leo’s case made their first appearance in court and were able to file discovery motions and subpoenas for police body cam footage. Their next day in court is May 28, which is set for hearing further motions. Find out about the petition to drop the charges, more about the arrest, and statements of support for Noche and Leo here

    Noche and Leo received the following statement on April 24 from Latoya Howell, mother of 17-year-old Justus Howell who was murdered by Zion, Illinois, police in 2015:

    No Justice No peace!
    The very reason why we have boots to the ground in these streets is because they try to strip us from not only our constitutional rights but our God given Human rights! 
    We are the people we are in control no racist incompetent Un loyal unlawful unjust insubordinate systemically racist fascist cruel ass government is going to hold us down! 
    We have spoken we will get justice or we will have to shut this system the fuck down! 

    Noche our brother our comrade our family deserves as we command JUSTICE AND IF WE DON’T GET IT SHUT IT DOWN!!!
    Too many times have we been beaten up shot up lynched killed sabotaged set up locked up silenced broke up broke down by these killer cops and this murderous good ol boys system 

    WE DEMAND AN END!
    WE WONT BE SILENCED WE WONT BE STOPPED!!!
    FREE OUR PEOPLE NOW!!!
    NO JUSTICE NO PEACE!!!✊🏽
    Now

    Update from David on My Case

    This past Thursday was my arraignment. I’m being charged with misdemeanor vandalism—a charge I am not guilty of. My trial is set for June 4, with a pre-trial hearing on May 30.

    Why was I arrested? For leading people in urgent and powerful chants on April 5 in San Francisco:

    “In the name of humanity, we refuse to accept a fascist America!” and “Trump must go!” This was part of nationwide “Hands Off!” protests against the full-on Trump fascist assault—targeting immigrants, women, LGBTQ people, the environment, and fundamental rights.

    My arrest is part of a dangerous trend of repression aimed at silencing protest—protest that dares to call out Trump/MAGA fascism or that stands against the genocide in Palestine. And I’m not the only one—Mahmoud Khalil, Mohsen Mahdawi, Rumeysa Ozturk, and many others are facing more serious consequences. There are also three other Revcoms (revolutionary communists) in different parts of the country who are facing charges for nonviolent protest.

    I’m not backing down—and I challenge you to step up. Let’s work together to build a movement powerful enough to stop this fascist program cold. Join RefuseFascism.org with the unifying demand: The Trump Fascist Regime Must Go NOW!

    If you value free speech and don’t want to see people brutalized or criminalized for using it, raise your voice: HANDS OFF THE REVCOMS! DROP THE CHARGES!

    And if you see that this capitalist system is fundamentally rotten—and you want to fight for a real alternative while developing as a revolutionary leader—join THE REVCOM CORPS For The Emancipation Of Humanity.

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  • ARTICLE:

    Reposted from RefuseFascism.org

    A CALL TO CONSCIENCE... A CALL TO ACT:

    NO!

    In The Name of Humanity,

    We Refuse to Accept a Fascist America

    We Demand: The Trump Fascist Regime Must Go!

    Revcom.us editors’ note: RefuseFascism.org published A Call to Conscience ... A Call to Act on their website on March 7, 2025. RefuseFascism is calling on people everywhere to distribute, discuss, and sign this call. People can sign online at https://refusefascism.org/

    NOW IS THE TIME WHEN WE MUST RISE UP AND ACT TO STOP THE CONSOLIDATION OF TRUMP MAGA FASCISM. For the lives of people here and around the world we must refuse unlawful and inhumane orders… we must fill the streets and town squares in rising numbers — not stopping until we become millions — not relenting until this regime is no longer able to implement its program.

    In the grotesque form of Donald Trump and his vicious conglomeration of Nazi-saluting strategists and shock troops, a fascist regime has come to power. They have learned and hardened from the last eight years, and they are on an accelerated path to remaking the country in their image.

    The clock ticks toward the midnight hour. Each minute brings new shocks and jolts. Each second shatters lives.

    It is unconscionable and dangerous to act as if fascism cannot happen in America. It is unacceptable to conciliate or accommodate in the name of protecting a few, when each day the mechanisms of fascism are rapidly being hammered into place – locking in a future that imperils all.

    That Trump came to power through an election is no excuse. No election, fair or fraudulent, legitimates fascism.

    “Fascism” is not a curse word. Fully imposed, it is a radically oppressive and repressive form of rule over the people of this country, with devastating impact on the people of the world. The rule of law is shredded. Civil and democratic rights are eliminated. Dissent is piece by piece criminalized. The truth is bludgeoned. Group after group demonized and targeted along a trajectory that leads to catastrophe.

    Government institutions purged and stocked with MAGA loyalists. Violent vigilante groups – now pardoned. From the halls of power to the streets, fascist foot soldiers are primed and unrestrained to enforce the program of the Trump regime. NO! We Refuse to Accept a Fascist America!

    This is a fascist regime fighting to make this a country even more ruthlessly ruled by white supremacy – where diversity is the enemy, racism is openly the law, and ethnic cleansing is carried out and celebrated. NO! We refuse to live in a society where the fight for equality of all people – no matter their race, gender, sex, nationality, or immigration status is mocked, vilified, and even forbidden.

    A fascist regime fighting to make this a country ruled by virulent macho patriarchy – where women are incubators, LGBTQ people are forced back into the closet, and trans people are erased with targets on their backs. NO! We refuse to live in a country where half of humanity are treated as less than human.

    A fascist regime fighting to make this a country ruled by “America First” xenophobia – where the hatred of “foreigners” means terrorizing whole neighborhoods and peoples, tossing millions of immigrants into the shadows and offshore concentration camps and death through deportation. NO! We respect the dignity and humanity of every person no matter where they were born.

    Trump threatens to take over weaker countries and effects a foreign policy that heightens the danger of nuclear war. Never forget that Trump has said: “If we have nuclear weapons, why can’t we use them?” NO! NO! NO! We will not allow this fascist gangster regime to destroy humanity.

    All this while a leading core of the regime advances a theocratic Christian supremacy – where the Bible is taken literally, and there is no separation between church and state and people’s private lives. NO! We know that the right to believe or not to believe is essential to a diverse and thinking people.

    This a regime of anti-science lunacy, accelerating climate devastation and fueling more epidemics and pandemics. NO! And again NO! We will fight with all we’ve got to prevent the destruction of the planet and life on it.

    WE DO NOT ACCEPT THEIR FUTURE!

    The hour has come for each of us to ask: If we do not act to stop this, what kind of people will we become?

    We stand up and fight for a future in which no human being is enslaved, subjugated, or deemed “illegal”… a future in which the planet can heal and people can be fit caretakers of the earth…

    There can be no conciliation or collaboration between the world we want and the country they want. We have no common cause with MAGA fascism.

    There is a way to defeat this. We, the undersigned, call on the decent people who don’t want to live in a fascist America – who are more than half the country – to courageously rise up as one.

    Those who have dedicated their lives to service – to teach children, to heal the sick, to conduct life-saving research – refusing to comply with fascist decrees, backed up by all justice-loving people.

    Students and young people whose whole future is on the line making schools and campuses centers of resistance and filling the streets.

    Women and LGBTQ people who are furious at being enslaved and erased — bringing their defiance and rage into the public square.

    People of color and everyone sick to death of white supremacy refusing to go back, bringing the experience and fury of centuries of resistance into this fight.

    Artists, writers, clergy, and legal scholars speaking in many voices to say NO! bringing their voices into the struggle.

    With this: Millions in the streets not allowing business as usual when that business is cementing fascist rule with the vilest degrading morality down our throats. MANY VOICES AND BODIES DEMANDING: THE TRUMP FASCIST REGIME MUST GO! With this we can and must create a political crisis in which the Trump regime cannot govern and implement their fascist program or even maintain his hold on power.

    Waiting for the next elections will be too late. We cannot rely on the Democratic Party’s leadership who complacently rely on the very norms and processes that the Trump regime shreds by the hour.

    NO! We must organize and struggle as we never have before. We must not allow ourselves to be divided and conquered. We must unite all who can be united from many different viewpoints and perspectives, to foster and draw on a collective spirit of courage and righteous fury and willingness to make the necessary sacrifices, for the greater good of defeating this fascism. We in our millions are a force powerful enough to defeat Trump/MAGA fascism.

    Let it not be said that when there was still a chance to stop an unprecedented threat to the future of humanity, we did not rise to meet the challenge of our time. Let us not allow the watching world today to despair of our silence and our failure to act. Instead, let the world see our determination and courage and hear our righteous demand:

    In The Name of Humanity, We Refuse to Accept a Fascist America.

    The Fascist Trump Regime Must Go!

    Add Your Name Here

    ***

    For a printable brochure of this A Call to Conscience... A Call to Act, download it HERE from RefuseFascism.org

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  • ARTICLE:

    A Call for Volunteers Who Want to Help Stop Fascism and Bring in a Whole New World

    Do you ache to see this world changed? Are you infuriated—or at times heartsick—as you see the fascist Trump regime rampage on, and want to throw in to stopping it?

    If so, we have a message for you:

    What you do in this time—not just the years ahead, but literally in the days, weeks and months before us right now—will have a magnified impact on whether the world plunges headfirst into a fascist hellhole from which there may be no return… or whether humanity fights its way to an emancipated future. We are a revolutionary bilingual website, rooted in the new communism brought forward by Bob Avakian. To get a sense of how we see today’s crucial situation, go here. To get a sense of our overall mission and method of our site, go here. And to get acquainted with Bob Avakian and what is new about the new communism, go here.

    We need writers, graphic designers, photographers and visual artists, translators, tech wizards and video whizzes and algorithm conquerors, fundraisers and proofreaders and palm card distributors. We need experienced people and enthusiastic amateurs who want to help, or be part of helping, at the level they can and learn while they do.

    To begin, let us know who you are… what you think… why you want to work with this website… and what you can do. Send it in to revolution.reports@yahoo.com. 

    And… let’s get busy!

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  • ARTICLE:

    From Bob Avakian, revolutionary leader, author of the new communism

    A Challenge to Katherine Stewart

    DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THE TRUTH ACTUALLY MATTERS, AND THAT INTELLECTUAL INTEGRITY IS IMPORTANT—AND DO YOU RECOGNIZE HOW ENDANGERED THIS IS, THESE DAYS? 

    DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE URGENT IMPORTANCE NOW OF UNITING ALL WHO CAN BE UNITED AGAINST TRUMP/MAGA FASCISM?

    As someone who found previous writings of yours to be characterized by principled methods and containing valuable insights, particularly in analyzing the dangers posed by right-wing Christian fundamentalists, I was especially dismayed to see that, in your book Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy, you indulge in all-too-familiar and strikingly crude methods in attacking the revolutionary communists whom I lead. Among other irresponsible slanders, you accuse us with being witting or unwitting stooges and tools of Vladimir Putin’s Russia and its invasion of Ukraine. Together with the fact that you did not even seek to engage with representatives of our positions, in order to gain an accurate understanding of what those positions actually are, your attack resorts to the typical devices of dishonest hatchet jobs: quoting out of context and in other ways distorting positions that disquiet you by challenging your cherished beliefs. Whatever happened to the fundamental principle that, especially regarding matters of substance and importance, expression of disagreements should be based on serious engagement with, and honest characterization of, the positions of others with whom one disagrees? There is particular importance to this now, in light of the need to unite all who can be united in opposition to Trump/MAGA fascism—something which all decent people (including those holding significantly different views regarding the fundamental nature of the system that rules in this country) should recognize as urgently necessary.

    Even a cursory examination of what has been said by myself and the revcoms (revolutionary communists) makes clear that we are firmly opposed to what is represented by Putin and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We have scientifically analyzed that what has taken place in Russia over the past number of decades is the emergence of an openly capitalist-imperialist country, in place of the Soviet Union, which for several decades, since the mid-1950s, had been a “disguised” capitalist-imperialist country—a social-imperialist country: socialist in name but imperialist in fact. (We have also made extensive scientific analysis of how socialism was reversed in China, after the death of Mao in 1976, and that China as well as Russia is today a capitalist-imperialist country that is contending as such with U.S. capitalist imperialism. At the same time, in reference to something you seem to regard as an outrageous assertion, it is undeniably true—and something which we have also extensively documented—that the crimes committed by the U.S., within this country itself and throughout the world, far outweigh those of other capitalist-imperialist countries, including China and Russia.)

    What is also very important is that—unlike the “mainstream” section of the ruling class of this country, represented generally by the Democratic Party—our opposition to Russian imperialism is not based on outrage over the fact that Russia is seeking to challenge the imperialist “order” that the U.S. in particular has imposed with terrible destructive violence since the end of World War 2—initiated with the U.S. atomic bombing of two Japanese cities in 1945, causing massive devastation and horrific death and suffering. (That the Trump fascist regime is acting in ways that threaten that whole post-World War 2 international “order,” out of its own perception of how to impose American hegemony—through undisguised and unrestrained imperialist gangsterism—is a different matter, but it does not change the fact that this “order” has been one of imperialist domination and plunder, imposed through massive violence and resulting in terrible suffering for the masses of humanity.)

    Our opposition to Russian imperialism is part of our opposition to all imperialism, and all forces and relations of exploitation and oppression of the masses of humanity. And, as part of that, we recognize the special responsibility to particularly oppose “our own” (U.S.) imperialists, who commit their massive and monstrous crimes in the name of the people of this country and seek to rally support for these war crimes and crimes against humanity on the basis of grotesque American chauvinism.

    A common, and particularly devious, form of support for the imperialism of “one’s own” country is to focus attention on and put special emphasis on opposing the rivals of “your” country’s imperialism, instead of correctly emphasizing opposition precisely to “your” country’s imperialism. This is all the more egregious with regard to U.S. imperialism—when in reality it has for some time been the “world leader” in monstrous war crimes and crimes against humanity. Now, as yet another extreme expression of these truly monstrous crimes, there is the ongoing genocidal ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people by Israel, which from the beginning was supported and massively armed by the Biden administration—even as this is now being carried to even more horrific extremes with the full backing of the Trump fascist regime. (What is also striking is how evidence-based scientific analysis and exposure of the reality of the crimes of U.S. capitalism-imperialism is often more disturbing to good liberals than this terrible reality itself!)

    Analysis of all this is set forth very clearly, and documented extensively, in works of mine and others at revcom.us—including important works by Raymond Lotta, who is one of the targets of slander in your book. So, rather than elaborate further on this here, I will return to the challenge with which I began, and render this more concrete and specific. Go to revcom.us and seriously engage my article Shameless American Chauvinism: “Anti-Authoritarianism” as a “Cover” for Supporting U.S. Imperialism, with an Added Note, Updated June 5, 2023.

    (As you will see, a footnote to that article contains reference to my 2017 talk THE TRUMP/PENCE REGIME MUST GO! In the Name of Humanity, We REFUSE To Accept a Fascist America, A Better World IS Possiblewhich draws from and quotes at some length from your book The Good News Club: The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children. It should also interest you to know that I have been analyzing and warning about the danger of rising fascism in this country, including at the highest levels of government, for a number of decades now, with particular emphasis on the role of Christian fundamentalism as a driving force in this fascism. I have also analyzed how this fascism has arisen out of the very soil of this country, from its founding down to the present—in particular the role of slavery and genocide in the history of this country and how ongoing racial oppression, enforced with brutal state violence, has continued to characterize and have a special negative role in American society and the rule of the capitalist class, as an integral and indispensable part of its alleged “great democracy.” Assuming you are willing to engage what our positions actually are, I would also recommend a recent two-part interview with me @BobAvakianOfficial, which covers a number of important questions, including the current situation and its acute stakes and challenges, as well as the historical experience of communism and the new communism I have developed. And, at the end here, I have indicated a number of other works that are relevant to the issues in question.)

    If, in fact, unlike the fascists whom we both strongly oppose and abhor, you do believe that the truth actually matters and that intellectual integrity is crucially important—overall and in these times especially—then, since you have indulged in the unprincipled attacks to which I have referred, it is incumbent on you to take up the challenge I have offered here, to seriously and honestly engage what we revcoms actually have to say about crucial developments in the world and fundamental questions confronting humanity, and to then openly acknowledge, and rectify, the gross and harmful distortions in your book’s attack on our positions. As always, around those positions and in general, we are not only open to but eager for principled engagement and honest debate especially about questions of fundamental and urgent importance for humanity and its future.

    A final point: With regard to burning the U.S. flag, which you disparage as a negative provocative act that causes trouble for liberals like yourself, if one has an actual understanding of the nature and role of this country, throughout its history and down to today (again, see the works I have referred to here), one should feel a profound revulsion at the notion of “patriotic allegiance to this country”—and the burning of the American flag should be clearly understood as an entirely appropriate act. In fact, this act is a very positive provocation: to invoke the language of your attack, it is a very good thing for there to be “proud flag-burners.” It is also worth noting that the right to burn the American flag, as a form of political expression, was codified through a Supreme Court decision decades ago involving the case of Gregory “Joey” Johnson, someone supportive of revolutionary communism. This constituted a victory not just for the right to burn the American flag, but more broadly for the right of political expression overall, including political expression that is controversial and is despised by the ruling authorities. It is, of course, well within the realm of possibility that the current, fascist-dominated Supreme Court may reverse this decision (as it has done with the right to abortion), but anyone who values freedom of expression should recognize the importance of the victory won for that crucial freedom, resulting from the action of Joey Johnson, even if one disagrees with the act itself of burning the flag.

    *****

    As further background, analyzing and documenting more extensively what I have touched on here, there is the American Crime series, at revcom.us. The following, available at revcom.us as well, are also relevant in this regard: my article U.S. Constitution: An Exploiters’ Vision Of Freedom—Added Notes (And Brief Introduction); two papers by Raymond Lotta, examining in depth the actual nature and role, and the consequences, of the capitalist-imperialist system and its domination in the world, with particular emphasis on the role of U.S. Imperialism: Imperialist Parasitism and Class-Social Recomposition in the U.S. From the 1970s to Today: An Exploration of Trends and Changes; and The “Industrialization” of Sexual Exploitation, Imperialist Globalization, and the Descent Into HellAnd the interview with Raymond Lotta You Don't Know What You Think You “Know” About... The Communist Revolution and the REAL Path to Emancipation: Its History and Our Future can also be accessed at revcom.us.

    My collected works are available at revcom.us. If you are interested in learning about what is new in the new communism I have developed, I would point you to, among other things, Breakthroughs: The Historic Breakthrough by Marx, and the Further Breakthrough with the New Communism, A Basic Summary, and the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America, which I have written.

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  • ARTICLE:

    The Need for Dreams (on a Scientific Foundation) in the Time of Fascism

    Making Bob Avakian and the New Communism Known Throughout Society

    In the summer of 2020, the revolutionary leader Bob Avakian wrote: "Radical Change is Coming: Will It Be Emancipating, Or Enslaving—Revolutionary, Or Reactionary?"

    The forces for the reactionary resolution to this question are on the march. The fascist Trump regime is ripping up what millions of decent people have held most deeply and dearly about what it means to be human: Is it dog-eat-dog, kill or be killed, or does it mean caring for each other? Should we drill-baby-drill and conquer the natural world for profit or have an appreciation and wonder for nature and its diverse ecosystems? Should we torture human intimacy into strict dark ages gender roles or let people love who they love? Should we enforce blind-faith lunacy and lies in the service of fascism or foster a spirit of critical thinking and scientific inquiry in pursuit of the truth?

    All this is causing these millions to be agonized to their deepest core. 

    Imagine... 

    But as we unite to confront—and urgently move to defeat—the Trump fascist regime, very few can imagine the positive emancipating answer to the question Bob Avakian (BA) asked in 2020. And this needs to change. There really is a radically different and far better way the world can be.

    And our unity and fighting spirit will be profoundly strengthened if we do so while opening up the biggest questions about this—over what is causing this fascism, and what kind of society we should be living in and fighting for. A vibrant spirit of discussion and debate—comparing and contrasting different views—is part of how we will learn, and it will contribute to raising people's sights. 

    Because of the new communism developed by Bob Avakian (BA), there is a theoretical framework and concrete strategic approach for organizing society on a whole different liberating foundation. We can bring into being a society not based on vicious exploitation and oppression of people of the world, but based on people coming together in a coordinated and cooperative way to meet people's needs and provide the resources needed for the race-against-time in working to deal with the environmental catastrophe wrought by capitalism, and to uproot exploitation and oppression. And we can do this without "turning out the lights" on intellectual and cultural debate and dissent. We can do this in a society that actually and consistently upholds the rule of law, the presumption of innocence. and fosters a morality of humanity first.

    Hard, but Liberating, Truths

    In a time of darkness and danger, it is more urgent to raise our sights. And it is exactly in this moment of great upheaval, where great change needs to be envisioned and can actually be brought into being. 

    As many people can see, Trump fascism hasn't come out of nowhere. There's been a rot in this society that Trump has taken advantage of—a long-standing and festering rot. Trump is, as the revcom.us poster says, "a thoroughly American fascist pig." What caring people haven't felt a deep disquiet about this society?! Why after a Civil War and heroic struggle over decades, can America not get beyond oppressing Black people, Native Americans and other people of color? Why after all this struggle, do women find themselves hated, demeaned and despised in every corner of society, unable to control their own bodies? Why after waves of scientists have sounded the alarm for years, is this country still fracking and burning fossil fuels?

    So as we go forward—as we debate out what kind of positive vision we should be fighting for, let's recognize that not only is the "normal" not coming back, but we shouldn't want it to—it was a nightmare to begin with.

    Even if they don't understand this scientifically, millions of people feel this. Millions have "lost faith" in the institutions of this country: They've witnessed a genocide fully funded and backed by this country for the last year and a half. They worry about having kids on a planet imperiled by capitalist-caused climate change. They worry about not being able to "make ends meet" in a country where millions are one crisis away from homelessness. Millions labor in soul-crushing, meaningless jobs. And many know the wealth and consumer goods in this country rests on the most vicious exploitation in sweatshops and mines—even if they refuse to confront what this really means for people, and why this is—consoling themselves with the lie that they can't really do anything about this. Because they think there is no alternative to this system, many just throw their hands up in despair—in a culture that fosters do-for-self cynicism.

    But as Bob Avakian brings alive in his New Year's message, 2025: A New Year—Profound New Challenges—And a Profoundly Positive Way Forward in the Face of Very Real Horror, "There is a whole new way to live—with a fundamentally different system."

    He says:

    This system is completely absurd—criminally, monstrously absurd—and completely outmoded: long past its expiration date, past the time when it can lead to anything positive for humanity—and, on the contrary, it stands as the direct barrier to the emancipation of humanity from all this madness, atrocity, and unnecessary suffering. The rise of fascism, in many other countries as well as in the U.S. itself, is a glaring sign of the thoroughly outmoded nature of this system and the heightened danger it poses to humanity as a whole.

    We are now at the point where it is more and more urgently necessary to move beyond this whole monstrous system—beyond a situation where people are forced to struggle just for individual survival, with everyone compelled to be in competition and conflict with others, and the masses of people everywhere are chained down by outmoded oppressive relations, while the future, and the very existence, of humanity is increasingly endangered.

    And it is possible now to move beyond all this.

    Read that last paragraph again and think about that: moving beyond "a situation where people are forced to struggle just for individual survival..." 

    What IF We Were NOT Set Against Each Other

    If we weren't set against each other in that individual struggle to survive, think of the new ways that humanity—in all our diversity—can be relating to each other and the planet. In a society that fosters collectivity and community instead of every man for himself, at each other's expense. If we had an economy geared to meeting people's needs and enabling people to become fit caretakers of the earth instead of profit, profit and more profit for a small handful. 

    If we had a society where people's potential was unleashed—to contribute to the greater good, to innovate to deal with the biggest problems of climate change, and disease (and not all the wasted resources that go into how to sell your products, or even sell yourself!). If people sought to learn from the sharp debate about the way forward with the institutions of society funding, and providing space for, that debate, instead of shutting it down or shunting it into the most meaningless margins of society.

    This will be full of struggle and complexity and twists and turns, but it is possible to put an end to so much needless cruelty and immiseration—a society where people could actually breathe... a society that people would want to live in instead of this hellscape of capitalist misery.

    The concrete framework for what this society could look like is laid out in the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America, written by Bob Avakian (BA). And BA brings this alive in a recent two-part Interview, Humanity Does Not Have to Live This Way!

    Once Again on the Need to Dream

    Bob Avakian often quotes from the singer John Lennon, who in his beautiful song “Imagine” sang about a different world that is possible. In it, he sang: "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one." And as BA has added: This is not just a dream. There is the material basis in how society has evolved up to this point to make these dreams a reality!

    Now is a time to dig into all this. To open up a real debate over the future. To spread Bob Avakian's work, the ongoing leadership he is providing through his social media messages and insist on a serious engagement. Pull people together—watch these Interviews, talk about them. Now is a time to build revolutionary community, sharing our differences, our questions, our dreams and aspirations for the world.

    If you want to see a better world, you should contribute financially for BA's voice to reach others—reverberating throughout society. 

    As part of the new communism, Bob Avakian has also been analyzing the rise of fascism in the U.S. and around the world for decades—including how it's rooted in the system of capitalism, with its foundation in genocide and slavery. This is gotten into further in the pamphlet titled TRUMP/MAGA FASCISM: What We’re Really Facing, Why, and What Must Be Done to Defeat It Before It’s Too Late. And he is digging into the principles and standards we need to unite across divergent political perspectives—with a spirit of broadness of mind and generosity of spirit—to wage the historic fight for the future that is on us if we are to defeat this fascism.

    There are some who will attack this, and will attack BA in particular because he has been so outspoken, visionary and radical in the struggle against fascism, and the whole system. There are others who will argue with good intentions that now is not the time. But while we are uniting widely to defeat this fascist regime, overcoming divide and conquer, it is exactly the time to ask the sharpest questions and to hear each other out. For our part, we revcoms understand that this fascism arises out of this system of capitalism-imperialism which is also responsible for many other atrocities. And as I've spoken to here, we urgently see the need and basis for a whole different liberating system. We are eager to discuss and debate this—on a principled basis.

    It is the fascists who believe in close-minded uniformity and shutting down debate. We should learn from our diversity, fostering debate, on a principled basis. An appreciation of the need for this kind of process is itself part of the new communism that BA has developed. And it is a process that we can all learn from—while we stand shoulder to shoulder, and work to make real the dreams of a better world.

    What characterized the truly massive movement of the 1960s, with all its different tendencies, was a determination to actually put an end to the outrages that people were rising up against, along with a broad sense of “being in this together in the fight for a better world,” and the generosity of spirit, as well as largeness of mind, that went along with that. One of the significant expressions of this was meaningful discussion and debate about different ideas and programs, within the broad mass movement, where the actual content and substance of opposing positions was gotten into, instead of petty bickering relying on “cheap shots” and distortion of the views of others—or the refusal to seriously engage views that are different from and might challenge one’s own viewpoint.

    - From social media message REVOLUTION #33 by Bob Avakian: "The powerful positive experience of the 1960s movement—the crucial importance of uniting broadly against injustice and atrocity, with open-minded engagement of different ideas and programs and principled debate over differences."

    In a comment about the Interviews, a young professor and volunteer with The Bob Avakian Institute wrote: 

    ...the concreteness with which Bob Avakian spoke about the new communism, and in particular the concrete examples he gave from the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America as applications of the new communism, was revelatory for me. It underscored the fact that the Constitution is a living expression of the new communism by identifying specific approaches to different spheres of society (the legal system, culture, the economy, political structures, the media, etc.) that differed, quite radically, from those of past socialist societies. And in the Interviews, he brought these breakthroughs to life.

    How does the new communism concretely deal with due process, the right to legal representation, the assumption of innocence, etc.? What would the media ecosystem look like in the new socialist society? In as concrete of terms as we can speak. This was really a revelation for me. It connected the dots between the philosophical and theoretical breakthroughs of the new communism and their application in practice, and the role of the Constitution as the hinge. 

    These concrete examples that give life to the new communism, applied in the Constitution to a new socialist society, are also striking in how radically, diametrically different it is from especially the fascist nightmare being rammed down our throats by the Trump regime, but also from what characterizes far too much of the left in this society. The ways in which it differs from the MAGA fascists are obvious, but are also important—they provide the basis for forging a pole of attraction based on the new communism in this period. But the contrast is also quite sharp when compared to the prevailing culture, including, markedly, the progressive or “radical” culture of the day. Revenge, cynicism, a contempt for due process and the principle of innocent-til-proven-guilty, personal attacks and “branding” rather than struggle at the level of line, lack of intellectual curiosity or broadness of mind, etc., etc. This contrast both highlights much of what is (or can be) attractive in the new communism, but also the scale of what we’re up against in fighting for this approach, method, and line. 

    The Bob Avakian Interviews, 2025

     

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  • ARTICLE:

    Readers’ Corner

    Updated

    Readers Corner

     

    Readers’ Corner highlights views that you, our readers, send us on the big questions about making revolution. Questions about building the movement for an actual revolution. Or responses to, and thoughts provoked by, the social media messages from Bob Avakian—the revolutionary leader and architect of the new communism. Thinking and questions you may have on other important documents from Bob Avakian (BA) and the Revcoms. As well as reflections on the new communism brought forward by BA, both overall and in relation to the urgent moment at hand. Now especially is a time for collective scientific grappling.

    Please send these to revolution.reports@yahoo.com. If your submission isn't reposted, it will still feed into our overall enriched understanding of what questions we should be speaking to.

    * * * * *

    The Fight Against Fascism… Before, and After, BA: Internationalism
    From a reader

    I've been returning to and digging into the recent interviews with Bob Avakian (BA): Part 1: On Fascism, Capitalism, & the Way Out of the Madness; Part 2: The New Communism: A Whole New Way To Live, a Fundamentally Different System. As I have, I have been repeatedly struck by a point that was made in a letter from a reader on revcom.us last December:

    In the history of [communism] there is a clear “before” and an “after,” that is delineated by the emergence of the new synthesis of communism developed by BA—yes, building on the many lessons and accomplishments of the past, but, crucially, breaking with and discarding a tremendous amount of wrong thinking, wrong methods, and wrong practices, that, despite best intentions, seriously vitiated and contributed to derailing the first wave of socialist revolutions...

    What BA has developed with the new communism really is a NEW path forward for humanity that is very DIFFERENT, and MUCH BETTER than anything that the first wave of socialism/communism was even able to conceive of, let alone put into practice.

    There’s so much in these interviews that illustrate this. One thing that struck me deeply in these last couple weeks is the question of internationalism, which I want to speak to here. Internationalism is one very important element of the “before and after” spoken to above, though far from the only one.

    Read more

    The World's Most Radical Thinker On Women's Liberation is An “Old, White, Man”:  A Challenge to Put Aside Ill-Founded Prejudice and Engage Bob Avakian
    by Sunsara Taylor

    Bro culture seething with the hatred of women. Gleeful taunts of “Your body, my choice.” Fascist enforcement of patriarchal gender codes. Trump/MAGA 2.0 is moving at lightning speed. Alongside his genocidal racism, his threats against the people of the world, and the sledgehammer he is taking to any remaining democratic norms or basic rights of the people, Trump is pushing for the open enslavement of women and complete erasure of trans people.

    We Stand At A Crossroads

    Never before have so many women in so many parts of the world broken free of so many traditional chains of patriarchy. Women have fought their way into public life and into every profession. In the U.S., women outpace men in higher education. Women dominate pop culture. Growing numbers boldly reject the shame that has long attached to female sexuality, to abortion, and to being a victim of sexual assault. Meanwhile, LGBT people have become widely visible, won important basic rights and achieved growing respect and acceptance.

    Read more

    Letter from a reader
    Appreciating, Wielding and Promoting Bob Avakian's Official Biography

    ....I would like to recommend that people read, and wield, the recently updated “Bob Avakian Official Biography.” THE REVCOM CORPS For The Emancipation Of Humanity in LA has been wielding this in meetings with broader forces who need to be united in a powerful movement built with the very specific aim of defeating fascism along with the series of @BobAvakianOfficial social media messages REVOLUTION #102-111. Additionally, we have been using it with people who have come into the Revcom Corps as a way to learn about the importance of revolutionary theory and to get an introduction to the actual breakthrough in human understanding the new communism is. 

    Bob Avakian - Official Biography book cover

     

    This biography is also really an excellent introduction to the person who is the kind of leader that has never before existed in this country and whose leadership is of enormous importance for the emancipation of all humanity. It gives a history of the formative experiences that made BA who he is, the times that helped shape him and the critical junctures in the development of those times where his leadership has been decisive—from growing up in Berkeley and his early political life to becoming a communist and communist leader, to the restoration of capitalism in China and the end of the first stage of communist revolutions. It gets into how BA was and is the only thinker and leader in the world today to meet this defeat with the interrogation of that experience in a way that has qualitatively advanced the science of communism. Theory that has met the end of a wave of revolutions in a world that is tragically stymied and existentially imperiled—paving not only a path out of this but a path to a future that not only makes revolution viable again but worth fighting for. Paving the way for a new wave of truly emancipating revolutions throughout the world.  Read more

    A Letter from a Reader—To the Revcoms, and All Who Seek a Radically New World

    “A clear before and an after”: 

    What Bob Avakian (BA) has brought forward is not just another big advance in the history of our project.  In the history of our project there is a clear “before” and an “after,” that is delineated by the emergence of the new synthesis of communism developed by BA—yes, building on the many lessons and accomplishments of the past, but, crucially, breaking with and discarding a tremendous amount of wrong thinking, wrong methods, and wrong practices, that, despite best intentions, seriously vitiated and contributed to derailing the first wave of socialist revolutions. 

    We shouldn’t want to repeat any of that! We shouldn’t want even the best of the past socialist revolutions and societies, especially now that we have an even much better theoretical and practical framework to work with! What BA has developed with the new communism really is a NEW path forward for humanity that is very DIFFERENT, and MUCH BETTER than anything that the first wave of socialism/communism was even able to conceive of, let alone put into practice.

    How much do we all really understand and appreciate that? Really agree? Read more.

    Further Grappling with “A Clear Before and an After” with the New Communism Developed by Bob Avakian 

    I’ve been part of a lot of rich discussions responding to the letter from a reader posted here a couple weeks ago: “A clear before and an after.”

    That letter makes the point:

    In the history of our project [a communist world, free from all forms of exploitation and oppression, with an emancipating culture] there is a clear “before” and an “after,” that is delineated by the emergence of the new synthesis of communism developed by BA [Bob Avakian]...

    One thing I’ve kept coming back to in these discussions is what it means to say that “the new communism is a whole new framework for human emancipation.”  Or as it says in the letter, “What BA has developed with the new communism really is a NEW path forward for humanity that is very DIFFERENT, and MUCH BETTER than anything that the first wave of socialism/communism was even able to conceive of, let alone put into practice.” Read more

    What Is Most Important About Bob Avakian's Leadership?

    From a reader

    Several weeks ago, revcom.us published the following statement:

    We will never succeed in having a real revolution in this country—certainly not one really worth having and that is truly emancipating for the vast majority of people—unless and until millions of people are won to become conscious followers of Bob Avakian and the new communism he has developed as the pathway and blueprint for the emancipation of all of humanity.

    There are several important things in this crucial and true statement, but I want to start with what is the most important (and what is, at the same time, still the least understood and appreciated) part of that statement. The most important part of that statement is not merely or absolutely that there couldn't be a revolution without BA, but that any revolution that is not led by the new communism Bob Avakian has forged wouldn't lead anywhere good. Simply put: There is no road to human emancipation without Bob Avakian's new communism. There is no way to continue to understand and change the world in the fundamental interests of humanity as a whole, to overthrow and defeat the old order and build a new society and system that enables people to uproot and overcome all forms of oppression and exploitation, and do so in a way that unleashes and increasingly involves and relies on the masses of people in this process. Read more

    Why Bob Avakian Is So Important

    From a reader

    “Besides the fact that he is the only leader in this country who is talking about a real revolution—and besides the fact that he is actually leading the process of actively working for that revolution—what Bob Avakian (BA) has done, with the development of the new communism, is of world historic importance. It is, in fact, a whole new framework for human emancipationNo one else has done what BA has done. 

    In the Six Resolutions of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Communist Party, the sixth one states that while BA is Chairman of the Party, he is “greater than” that. It goes on to say, “As we have emphasized, the leadership of BA and the new synthesis of communism that he has brought forward provides the theoretical framework, the scientific method and approach for a whole new stage of communist revolution, not just in this country but in the world as a whole. BA is not just solving tactical problems or things encountered “on the way,” but BA has actually envisioned what the new socialist society would be based on and tackled the contradictions involved in moving a socialist society toward communism—without putting a gun to people’s backs. This is the historic contradiction and because BA has solved it with the new communism, we can actually say humanity has the understanding to get to a world without exploitation and oppression, to a conscious and voluntary association of human beings solving the problems of society and engaging in debate, creative and scientific activities, enriching humanity materially, socially, intellectually and spiritually in a materialist sense. Read more

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  • ARTICLE:

    “Don’t Talk”—A Fundamental Principle for Resisting Repression and Defending the Rights of the People 

    Trump/MAGA fascism is being aggressively imposed on this society in many horrifying ways, instilling fear and a pull towards cooperation with government authorities. One of the ways people are being confronted with this is in situations where people are stopped as they go about their daily business at school, work, or shopping for food and necessities. Right now, that is a living reality for people who are being targeted as “illegal” immigrants, based on how they look or talk. But there are other situations that can be equally frightening: like when someone is arrested at or in connection with a political protest, or when someone is being questioned by police when they don’t have any idea what it is about. In all cases, people need to know what is the best way to respond to prevent these government agencies from doing great harm

    In the popular culture in movies and TV shows, to the ever-present law-and-order shows of one kind or another, and even the news, all trumpet the same theme: if the police want to talk to you, you are already assumed to be guilty—of something. To exercise one's legal rights is viewed as further evidence of guilt; even the most basic right—getting a lawyer to defend oneself from the legal and illegal onslaught of cops, prosecutors and judges—is depicted with a sneer as "lawyering up," as though this shows you must be guilty or have something to hide. 

    Miranda Rights, four points.

     

    Sometimes you hear the police reading what’s called the Miranda warning (see box) to a person they are intending to interrogate, stating that you have the right to remain silent and the right to a lawyer. But then everything proceeds as though the person being questioned is showing their guilt by refusing to answer questions and getting a lawyer to represent them.

    But in real-life situations, the best advice lawyers give anyone who is being arrested, questioned or contacted in any way by the police is: DON’T TALK. 

    It is important for people to know what rights they DO have when agents of repression come sniffing around. And it is especially important to insist on those rights even as they are increasingly coming under attack. 

    Bob Avakian has spoken to this point in his social media message @BobAvakianOfficial REVOLUTION #106:

    As we revcoms (revolutionary communists) have made clear in the Declaration WE NEED AND WE DEMAND: A WHOLE NEW WAY TO LIVE, A FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT SYSTEM: “So long as we are still living under the rule of this system of capitalism-imperialism, we will defend people against attacks on their lives and on the rights that are supposed to be guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.”

    So, what rights based on the U.S. Constitution are supposed to apply whether during an arrest or in any contact with police or government agencies? How should people defend their rights individually and collectively, and what kind of culture is needed to resist the government forces of repression?

    The Right to Remain Silent—Don't Talk

    When facing agents of government repression (here we are talking about the local police and prosecutors, state or federal law enforcement or various government agencies), the principle of "Don't Talk" is an important legal principle overall, and it is crucial in fighting to protect the various movements of resistance and of revolution from government repression. This principle is stressed very strongly by criminal defense lawyers and civil rights organizations—you have a RIGHT to remain silent.

    Many legal rights organizations, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and National Lawyers Guild (NLG), have published materials to inform people of their rights. The most important thing they all advise is to assert your right to NOT answer questions. 

    For example, the following is from a brochure published by the ACLU of Southern California

    WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE STOPPED BY POLICE, IMMIGRATION AGENTS OR THE FBI:
    YOUR RIGHTS 

    • You have the right to remain silent. If you wish to exercise that right, say so out loud.
    • You have the right to refuse to consent to a search of yourself, your car or your home.
    • If you are not under arrest, you have the right to calmly leave.
    • You have the right to a lawyer if you are arrested. Ask for one immediately.
    • Regardless of your immigration or citizenship status, you have constitutional rights.

    And the National Lawyers Guild advises what to do if an FBI agent or police officer knocks at the door:

    Do not open the door. State that you are going to remain silent. Do not answer any questions, or even give your name. Anything you say, no matter how seemingly harmless or insignificant, can be used against you or others. Ask the agents to slide their business cards under the door and tell them that your lawyer will contact them. If the agent or officer gives a reason for contacting you, take notes and give the information to your lawyer.23 

    What Harm Can Talking Do?

    There are many myths and lies promoted in the dominant culture and by the police themselves which leave people confused and feeling they have no choice but to cooperate. This is absolutely wrong and dangerous to any movements of resistance from among the people. 

    Myth #1—Cooperating will make the authorities go away.

    In fact, it often does just the opposite. After all, if they size someone up as a "talker" or weak link, they'll milk this person for all the information they can get. They may return with more questions or continue this line of questioning with others.

    Myth #2—Talking will prevent being arrested.

    The authorities promote the illusion that a person should try to "save their own hide" by cooperating and talking. In reality, as the ACLU and NLG underscore, in many circumstances talking may increase the chances of a person being busted, and may be sealing the case against himself/herself as well as others.

    Myth #3—As long as the information provided is harmless, there's nothing wrong with talking.

    When people don't know their rights and talk freely to the authorities, this can do great harm—no matter what information they provide.

    First of all, because the person doesn't know the full agenda of the authorities, he/she has no basis to evaluate whether or not information is "harmless." Even if the authorities claim to be investigating something that has nothing to do with your politics or political activities (or those of others), appearances can be deceiving. The authorities can and will twist any information to their advantage.

    Secondly, the act of talking encourages the authorities to pursue this tactic and go after others.

    Finally, and most importantly, talking fuels the government's efforts to eliminate any movements of opposition and dissent, while standing firm and not talking as a matter of principle contributes to building a culture of resistance and defiance.

    Myth #4—If I don't cooperate, won't it look like I have something to hide?

    According to the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR),

    This is one of the most frequently asked questions. The answer involves the nature of political "intelligence" investigations and the job of the FBI. Agents will try to make you feel that it will "look bad" if you don't cooperate with them. Many people not familiar with how the FBI operates worry about being uncooperative…. (T)hey [the FBI] are intent on learning about the habits, opinions, and affiliations of people not suspected of wrongdoing....

    They will do anything to get a person to talk: from good cop/bad cop approaches (aimed at getting the person to "open up" to the more sympathetic cop) to threats and outright brutality. They also use "mind games" such as saying that others have already informed on a person; or even going so far as falsely telling someone a family member has died in order to get the person to let down his/her guard and reveal information about themselves or others.

    Any information that a person provides—no matter how seemingly insignificant—can be twisted and used against that person themselves, or against people and organizations who expose and oppose the crimes of this system. The government has a long history of lying about the facts and fabricating "evidence" in order to frame movement activists and revolutionaries. They take intelligence gathered from a variety of sources and use it in the most sinister ways, even including murder. Consequently, there is no reason to be in the least defensive about not talking to or cooperating with authorities.

    If a person thinks that he/she can just "bullshit" an agent, this too is a trap. The investigators are trained to be "friendly" and listen to people's stories. To quote a textbook on interrogation techniques, "Letting the subject tell a few lies, and letting him apparently get away with them, is an excellent technique, and works well with many types of subjects. We have seen that lying on the part of the subject works to the advantage of the interrogator...." The NLG has pointed out:

    Keep in mind that although they are allowed to lie to you, lying to a government agent is a crime. Remaining silent is not. The safest things to say are "I am going to remain silent," "I want to speak to my lawyer," and " do not consent to a search." [emphasis added]24

    Conclusion

    As spoken to throughout this article, as part of trying to beat down movements of resistance and of revolution, agents of the government (police, FBI, prosecutors, etc.) have developed methods to trick, intimidate and brutalize people into giving up legal rights and protections established by the legal system in this country. This basic dynamic and truth needs to be clearly understood, and if various organizations and movements are serious about the challenges they face, they need to grapple with how—mainly by relying on mass movements of the people—to resist such repression.

    History has shown that when the decent people refuse to concede the moral authority on what is right and what is wrong, they are better able to withstand repression and continue to develop resistance. If they do not take this approach, they find themselves in a situation where: That which you do not resist and mobilize to stop, you will learn—or be forced—to accept. Part of building a culture of defiance and resistance among people standing up against fascism and the crimes of this system is refusing to allow the government to either intimidate or bamboozle people into giving up resistance, and refusing in any way to enter into complicity with such intimidation and repression.

    In this context, the legal principles underlying "Don't Talk" take on heightened importance. Those confronted by police agents should not be bamboozled into giving up the legal rights they do have, as this will only lead to strengthening the repressive apparatus of the state, and help to undercut the ability to struggle against the crimes of this system and to build a movement for revolution to overthrow this system and bring about a fundamentally different and much better system. 

    Immigrant Legal Resource Center red cards

     

    Red Cards

    Red cards are being distributed by the thousands in immigrant communities throughout the country, advising people of their rights. This is the text of the “red cards.” 

    I do not wish to speak with you, answer your questions, or sign or hand you any documents based on my 5th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution. I do not give you permission to enter my home based on my 4th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution unless you have a warrant to enter, signed by a judge or magistrate with my name on it that you slide under the door. I do not give you permission to search any of my belongings based on my 4th Amendment rights. I choose to exercise my constitutional rights. These cards are available to citizens and noncitizens alike.

    • DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR if an immigration agent is knocking on the door.
    • DO NOT ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS from an immigration agent if they try to talk to you. You have the right to remain silent.
    • DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING without first speaking to a lawyer. You have the right to speak with a lawyer.
    • If you are outside of your home, ask the agent if you are free to leave and if they say yes, leave calmly.
    • GIVE THIS CARD TO THE AGENT. If you are inside of your home, show the card through the window or slide it under the door.

    _______________

    FOOTNOTES:

    1. Operation Backfire: A Survival Guide for Environmental and Animal Rights Activists, National Lawyers Guild, 2009 [back]

    2. “Know Your Rights! What to Do if Questioned by Police, FBI, Customs Agents or Immigration Officers,” by National Lawyers Guild, S.F. Bay Area Chapter, ACLU of Northern California and the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC-SF), 2004  [back]

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  • ARTICLE:

    U.S. CONSTITUTION: AN EXPLOITERS’ VISION OF FREEDOM—ADDED NOTES (AND BRIEF INTRODUCTION)

    Brief Introduction:

    The following article by Bob Avakian was originally published in 1987. We are republishing it now, because it remains highly relevant in terms of understanding the basic nature of this system we live under—the system of capitalism-imperialism—and the role of the U.S. Constitution as the legal and political basis for this system of ruthless exploitation, murderous oppression and massive destruction. In this republished version, Bob Avakian has provided some Added Notes at the end of the article, to further clarify important points.

    * * * * *

    James Madison, who was the main author of the Constitution of the United States, was also an upholder of slavery and the interests of the slaveowners in the United States. Madison, the fourth president of the United States, not only wrote strongly in defense of the Constitution, he also strongly defended the part of the Constitution that declared the slaves to be only three-fifths human beings (that provided for the slaves to be counted this way for the purposes of deciding on representation and taxation of the states—Article I, Section 2, 3 of the Constitution).

    In writing this defense, Madison praised "the compromising expedient of the Constitution" which treats the slaves as "inhabitants, but as debased by servitude below the equal level of free inhabitants; which regards the slave as divested of two-fifths of the man." Madison explained: "The true state of the case is that they partake of both these qualities: being considered by our laws, in some respects, as persons, and in other respects as property.... This is in fact their true character. It is the character bestowed on them by the laws under which they live; and it will not be denied that these are the proper criterion." Madison got to the heart of the matter, the essence of what the U.S. Constitution is all about, when in the course of upholding the decision to treat slaves as three-fifths human beings he agrees with the following principle: "Government is instituted no less for protection of the property than of the persons of individuals."1 Property rights—that is the basis on which outright slavery as well as other forms of exploitation, discrimination, and oppression have been consistently upheld. And over the 200 years that this Constitution has been in force, down to today, despite the formal rights of persons it proclaims, and even though the Constitution has been amended to outlaw slavery where one person actually owns another as property, the U.S. Constitution has always remained a document that upholds and gives legal authority to a system in which the masses of people, or their ability to work, have been used as wealth-creating property for the profit of the few.

    The abolition of slavery through the Civil War meant the elimination of one form of exploitation and the further development and extension of other forms of exploitation. As I wrote in Democracy: Can't We Do Better Than That?, "despite the efforts of abolitionists and the resistance and revolts of the slaves themselves—and their heroic fighting in the Civil War itself—it was not fought by the Union government in the North, and its president, Lincoln, for the purpose of abolishing the atrocity of slavery in some moral sense.... The Civil War arose out of the conflict between two modes of production, the slave system in the South and the capitalist system centered in the North; this erupted into open antagonism, warfare, when it was no longer possible for these two modes of production to co-exist within the same country."2 The victory of the North over the South in the U.S. Civil War represented the victory of the capitalist system over the slave system. It represented the triumph of the capitalist form of using people as a means of creating wealth. Under a system of outright slavery, the slave is literally the property of the slaveowner. Under capitalism, slavery becomes wage-slavery: The exploited class of workers is not owned by the exploiting class of capitalists (the owners of factories, land, etc.), but the workers are in a position where they must sell their ability to work to a capitalist in order to earn a wage. Capitalism needs a mass of workers that is "free," in a two-fold sense: They must be "free" of all means to live (all means of production), except their ability to work; and they must not be bound to a particular owner, a particular site, a particular guild, etc.—they must be "free" to do whatever work is demanded of them, they must be "free" to move from place to place, and "free" to be hired and fired according to the needs of capital! If they cannot enrich a capitalist through working, then the workers cannot work, they cannot earn a wage. But even if they cannot find a capitalist to exploit their labor, even if they are unemployed, they still remain under the domination of the capitalist class and of the process of capitalist accumulation of wealth—the proletarians (the workers) are dependent on the capitalist class and the capitalist system for their very lives, so long as the capitalist system rules. It is this rule, this system of exploitation, that the U.S. Constitution has upheld and enforced, all the more so after outright slavery was abolished through the Civil War.

    But here is another very important fact: In the concrete conditions of the U.S. coming out of the Civil War, and for some time afterward, wage-slavery was not the only major form of exploitation in force in the U.S. Up until very recently (until the 1950s), millions of Black people were exploited like serfs on Southern plantations, working as sharecroppers and tenant farmers to enrich big landowners (and bankers and other capitalists). A whole system of laws—commonly known as Jim Crow laws—were enforced to maintain this relationship of exploitation and oppression: Black people throughout the South—and really throughout the whole country—were subjected to the open discrimination, brutality, and terror that such laws allowed and encouraged. All this, too, was upheld and enforced by the Constitution and its interpretation and application by the highest political and legal authorities in the U.S. And, over the past several decades, when the great majority of Black people have been uprooted from the land in the South and have moved into the cities of the North (and South), they have still been discriminated against, forcibly segregated, and continually subjected to brutality and terror even while some formal civil rights have been extended to them.

    Once again, this is in accordance with the interests of the ruling capitalist class and capitalist system. It is consistent with the principle enunciated by James Madison: Governments must protect the property no less than the persons of individuals. In fact, what Madison obviously meant—and what the reality of the U.S. has clearly been—is that the government must protect the property of white people, especially the wealthy white people, more than the rights of Black people. It must never be forgotten that for most of their history in what is now the United States of America Black people were the property of white people, particularly wealthy plantation owners. Even after this outright slavery was abolished, Black people have never been allowed to achieve equality with whites: they have been held down, maintained as an oppressed nation, and denied the right of self-determination. Capitalism cannot exist without the oppression of nations, and this is all the more so when capitalism develops into its highest stage: monopoly capitalism-imperialism. If the history of the United States has demonstrated anything, it has demonstrated this.

    The Heritage They Won’t Renounce

    The ruling class of the U.S. today—above all the U.S. imperialists, the large-scale capitalists and international exploiters who dominate the U.S. and most of the world—are indeed, as they proclaim, the direct and worthy descendants of their “Founding Fathers.” And this is why the ruling class and its political representatives, while they feel obliged to say that they are opposed to slavery today (at least in the U.S. itself), solemnly praise and celebrate slave owners and upholders of slavery who were so prominent among the “Founding Fathers” and played so central a part in the establishment of the system in the U.S.: men like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison.

    These imperialists will never admit that their “Founding Fathers” established a system of government that, in its very foundation, is based on oppression and exploitation. They will never admit that their Constitution is the legal instrument for enforcing that exploitation and oppression. They cannot admit this, any more than they can admit their much-vaunted wealth and power has been established and built up by stealing land and resources from the native peoples (and Mexico) through extortion and outright murderous means; by trading in human flesh and harnessing human beings in slave labor; by pitilessly exploiting immigrants in their millions as wage-slaves; by robbing and plundering throughout the world, particularly Latin America, Africa, and Asia (what today is generally called the Third World). They cannot acknowledge that, while the forms of slavery have changed, the U.S. has, from the beginning and down to today, remained a society where enslavement, in one form or another, has been at the very heart of the economic system and the very basis of the political structure.

    There are many (including even Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall) who argue that, because of the upholding of slavery in the Constitution—and other injustices, such as excluding women from voting, and the treatment of the Indians—the Constitution was not such a great document when it was written, but it has been made great through the history of the U.S. and the struggles to create a more perfect Union and a more perfect Constitution. In other words, the Constitution may have had defects in some important ways when it was originally conceived, but the miracle of it is that the Constitution has within it provisions for changing and improving it—for extending democracy and rights to those previously excluded. And, some will add, while the Constitution upholds property rights, it also upholds individual and civil rights (even the statement from Madison cited at the beginning of this article stresses that, some might argue). Let’s look more deeply at these questions.

    Extension of the Constitution … Extension of Bourgeois Domination

    The extension of constitutional rights and protections to those previously excluded from them has gone together, in an overall way, with the extension of bourgeois (capitalist) relations and their dominance throughout the U.S. And, at the same time, it has gone hand-in-hand with the continuation of the oppression of Black people, of Native Americans, of Latinos and immigrants from Latin America (and elsewhere), of the oppression of women, and other forms of oppression and exploitation. All this is not in contradiction to but is consistent with the fundamental principles on which the Constitution is based and the way in which it treats the relationship between the rights of property and the rights of individuals.*

    It is noteworthy that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution (echoing the 5th Amendment) has as its pivotal point the provision that no State may “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law.” Especially in the period since World War 2, this amendment has been used as a major part of the basis to extend civil rights for Black people, for women, and for others discriminated against. Yet this amendment was passed right after the Civil War, in 1866; and for many decades this amendment was not used to combat racial or sexual discrimination. Instead, “For many years the Supreme Court applied the due-process clause mainly to protect business interests against state regulatory legislation.”3 It was only beginning after World War 1, and more fully after World War 2, that the 14th Amendment was applied in a significant way to the questions of racial and sexual discrimination. Thus, “in a long series of cases” beginning in 1925, the Supreme Court “gradually expanded its definition of due process so as to include most of the guarantees of personal liberties in the Federal Bill of Rights and has protected them from state impairment. A similar development occurred with respect to the equal-protection clause.”4 These changes in Supreme Court decisions were part of larger changes in ruling-class policy. But these resulted not from some brilliant new legal insight, nor from some sudden flash of moral awakening within the ruling class. Rather, they resulted from the changed situation of Black people in U.S. society and, more decisively, from the situation and needs of the ruling imperialists.

    As noted earlier, the masses of Black people have undergone a dramatic change in their particular conditions of existence—and of oppression—in the U.S. This began during and immediately after World War 1 but developed fully during and after World War 2. Demand for labor in war production and other strategic industry, followed after World War 2 by sweeping changes in Southern agriculture—called forth by technological changes and international economic competition—drove millions and millions of Black people from the rural South to the urban ghettos of the North and South, and into the most exploited sections of the proletariat. At the same time, the U.S. imperialists emerged not only victorious but greatly strengthened from world war that devastated those countries which were much more directly and centrally involved. So, after World War 2 U.S. imperialism was everywhere, scooping up the former colonial possessions of the prior colonial powers and establishing U.S. neocolonial domination in the name of freedom and (usually) in the guise of allowing formal independence. In this situation, it was not so necessary—nor was it so helpful—to openly and blatantly treat Black people as “second-class citizens” in the U.S. itself. So, over the period of the next several decades, concessions were made to civil rights demands and struggles at the same time as deception, vicious repression, and the promotion of “loyal and responsible Negro leaders” were carried out to keep things firmly under the control of the ruling class and in the service of its larger interests. Similarly, recent decades have seen political and legal changes that have brought certain extensions of formal rights to women and certain concessions to their battle against oppression. These have corresponded to significant changes in society and the world, including the fact that in only a small percentage of U.S. families is it any longer the case that the family is supported by just the man working. But, again, these concessions have been confined within limits that fundamentally conform to the interests and needs of the ruling class in the face of changing conditions in the U.S. and the world.

    Would anyone dare say that, because of these changes and concessions, inequality and injustice have been eliminated in the U.S.? The fact is, none of this has in any way eliminated, or come close to eliminating, discrimination against Black people, their overall conditions of oppression, their status as an oppressed nation. Nor have the ruling imperialists ceased to oppress the Native Americans—they have never even stopped trying to cheat and rob them of valuable land and resources. Nor have these imperialists ceased to discriminate against and viciously exploit other national minorities and immigrants. Nor, despite the constitutional amendment (the 19th, in 1919) giving them the right to vote and other concessions to “women’s rights,” have women been granted equality—there has been no end to the subjugation and degradation they have been subjected to: The oppression of women remains a foundation stone of U.S. society, as indeed it must so long as a system of class domination and exploitation is in force. Today, 200 years after the U.S. Constitution first took effect, and after all the changes and amendments, no one can seriously and reasonably argue that the various kinds of oppression that I have spoken to here do not exist or are only a minor aspect of the situation. No one can seriously and reasonably argue that they are not a basic and deeply rooted feature of American society.

    The reason for this is rooted in the very reality and nature of the economic system in the U.S. and the political system that upholds and enforces this economic system, including the Constitution as the legal “cement” of the political structure. The fundamental reason why the “extension” of constitutional rights to those previously excluded from them has not put an end to exploitation, inequality, and oppression is this: The essence of the capitalist economic system is not the competition of commodity owners, all vying equally in the marketplace (equal opportunity for all). The essence is the exploitation of labor as wage-labor, the command by capital over labor power (the ability to do work) as a commodity—a unique commodity—that creates wealth through its use.** (As a dockworker told me years ago: No one gets rich working; the only way to get rich is by making other people work for you.) And the essence of the political structure that goes along with and protects this capitalist economic system is not freedom and democracy for all, regardless of wealth and social position. The essence is the dictatorship of the bourgeois class—its monopoly of political power and armed force—over those it dominates in the economic system, especially the proletariat. Thus, the right to vote and other formal rights for the proletariat and other oppressed masses are in no way in fundamental opposition to the economic and political system of capitalism and bourgeois dictatorship.

    Bourgeois Democracy—Bourgeois Dictatorship

    Bourgeois democracy presents itself as classless democracy: It proclaims equality for all. Thus, the U.S. Constitution does not say that different classes of people shall have unequal wealth and power; rather, it sets forth a charter that appears to treat everyone the same, regardless of wealth and social status. Yet there never has been, and never could be, a capitalist society without tremendous differences in wealth and power, without fundamental class divisions and antagonisms. In fact, a capitalist society without these things is not even conceivable. And in reality, democracy in capitalist society can only be bourgeois democracy. This means there is democracy—equal political rights and the power to make fundamental decisions—only among the capitalist class, the ruling class. For the rest, and for the proletariat especially, bourgeois democracy means dictatorship: It means being ruled over by the capitalists, even while being allowed to vote and even while being governed by a Constitution that sets forth laws that are said to be applied, equally, to all. How can this be?

    First, as for voting, as I pointed out in Democracy: Can’t We Do Better Than That?:

    On the most obvious level, to be a serious candidate for any major office in a country like the U.S. requires millions of dollars—a personal fortune or, more often, the backing of people with that kind of money. Beyond that, to become known and be taken seriously depends on favorable exposure in the mass media (favorable at least in the sense that you are presented as within the framework of responsible—that is, acceptable politics)…. By the time “the people express their will through voting,” both the candidates they have to choose among and the “issues” that deserve “serious consideration” have been selected out by someone else: the ruling class….

    Further, and even more fundamentally, to “get anywhere” once elected—both to advance one’s own career and to “get anything done”—it is necessary to fit into the established mold and work within the established structures.5

    But that is not all:

    If, however, the electoral process in bourgeois society does not represent the exercise of sovereignty by the people, it generally does play an important role in maintaining the sovereignty—the dictatorship—of the bourgeoisie and the continuation of capitalist society. This very electoral process itself tends to cover over the basic class relations—and class antagonisms—in society, and serves to give formal, institutionalized expression to the political participation of atomized individuals in the perpetuation of the status quo. This process not only reduces people to isolated individuals but at the same time reduces them to a passive position politically and defines the essence of politics as such atomized passivity—as each person, individually, in isolation from everyone else, giving his/her approval to this or to that option, all of which options have been formulated and presented by an active power standing above these atomized masses of “citizens.”… [T]he very acceptance of the electoral process as the quintessential political act reinforces acceptance of the established order and works against any radical rupture with, to say nothing of the actual overturning of, that order.6

    And let us remember that one of the main reasons for which the U.S. Constitution was “ordained and established,” as proclaimed in its “Preamble,” was to prevent social upheaval and the overturning of the order upheld by that Constitution—to “insure domestic tranquility.”

    The same can be said of the other aspects of bourgeois democracy and the kind of rights set forth in the U.S. Constitution (including its “Bill of Rights”): They have the purpose and function of reinforcing the rule of the bourgeoisie and keeping political activity within limits acceptable to the bourgeoisie. Thus, “the much-vaunted freedom of expression in the ‘democratic countries’ is not in opposition to but is encompassed by and confined within the actual exercise of dictatorship by the bourgeoisie. This is for two basic reasons—because the ruling class has a monopoly on the means of molding public opinion and because its monopoly of armed force puts it in a position to suppress, as violently as necessary, any expression of ideas, as well as any action, that poses a serious challenge to the established order.”7 The history of the U.S., like the history of all other “democratic” bourgeois dictatorships, is full of graphic illustrations of just how true the above-quoted statement is!

    Formal equality—the treatment of all persons as equal, and specifically as “equal before the law,” without regard to wealth or social position—in bourgeois society actually covers over the relationship of complete subordination, exploitation, and oppression to which the proletariat and masses of people are subjected. If a small group—the capitalist class—controls the important means of creating wealth, then in reality they have the power of life and death over those who control little or none of these. To have such power over other people is, in essence, to hold them in an enslaved condition, whether or not the chains are literal and visible. In such a situation—which is the fundamental condition of capitalist society—how can there be anything but profound inequality economically, socially, and politically? And with such a fundamental division, with such fundamental inequality, there can never be anything but exploitation, oppression, domination, and dictatorship.

    With regard to the law, this will manifest itself in two main ways. First, those who dominate society economically will dominate in deciding, through the political structure, what the laws will be. They will insure that the laws serve their interests. And second, the actual application and enforcement of the law will discriminate in favor of those with wealth and power and against those without them—and even more so against oppressed nationalities, women, and others who are “the last of the last” in society. Everyday life in any capitalist society proves this over and over. Thus, once again, as with the right to vote and other constitutional rights in a bourgeois-democratic republic, formal equality before the law expresses itself, in reality, as profound inequality—and more—as something confined within and conforming to bourgeois domination and dictatorship.

    The basic difference between the bourgeoisie’s view of freedom and democracy on the one hand, and the striving of oppressed masses for an end to oppressive conditions on the other hand, is sharply drawn in recent events in Haiti, the Philippines, and South Korea. The oppressed masses (and students and other revolutionary intellectuals) want some kind of fundamental change in the social system and a breaking of the chains of imperialist domination in their countries. But the bourgeois opposition leaders and parties want only the recognition of bourgeois-democratic provisions and procedures—with elections the highest expression of political activity. Most of all, they want the sharing of power more broadly and “equally” among the upper classes—really, they want their chance to hold the reins of power—while leaving the social system and imperialist domination intact. As for the imperialists, where they become convinced of the need for change in such situations, they make every effort to keep it confined within the framework of imperialist domination and bourgeois rule. Indeed, they try to use such situations to strengthen and perhaps “refine” the apparatus of bourgeois politics—and, above all, of repression—in the countries involved.

    This brings us to a most fundamental point that is so often ignored or glossed over in discussions and debates about democracy in countries like the U.S.: The fact is that even the extent to which rights are allowed to the nonruling classes in imperialist countries depends on a situation where, in large parts of the world under imperialist domination, the masses of people are subjected to much more open and murderous repression. In short,

    The platform of democracy in the imperialist countries (worm-eaten as it is) rests on fascist terror in the oppressed nations: the real guarantors of bourgeois democracy in the U.S. are not the constitutional scholar and the Supreme Court justice, but the Brazilian torturer, the South African cop, and the Israeli pilot; the true defenders of the democratic tradition are not on the portraits in the halls of the Western capitols, but are Marcos, Mobutu, and the dozens of generals from Turkey to Taiwan, from South Korea to South America, all put and maintained in power and backed up by the military force of the U.S. and its imperialist partners.8,***

    But, at the same time, the imperialist rulers and ardent worshippers of bourgeois democracy go to great lengths to try to cover over, or explain away, the brutal repression “at home” that is so essential to the functioning of the system and the maintenance of the established order:

    For there is vicious repression and state terror carried out continually—and not only in times of serious crisis or social upheaval—in the imperialist countries; it is carried out specifically against those who do not support but oppose the established order, or who simply cannot be counted on to be pacified by the normal workings of the imperialist system—those whose conditions are desperate and whose life situation is explosive anyway.

    In the U.S. the hundreds of police shootings of oppressed people, particularly Blacks and other minority nationalities, every year; the fact that jails are overwhelmingly filled with poor people, the greatest number again being Black and other minority nationalities—it is an amazing but true statistic that one out of every thirteen Black people in the U.S. will be arrested each year (and Blacks are incarcerated eight and one-half times as frequently as whites)!—and the widespread use of drugs, surgical techniques, and other means to repress and terrorize prisoners (as well as an astounding number of people not in jail, including allegedly recalcitrant children); the use of welfare and other so-called social service agencies to harass and control poor people down to the most intimate details of their personal lives; this, and much more, is part of the daily life experience of millions of people in the major imperialist countries. Along with all this, of course, is the use of the state apparatus for direct political repression….

    In times of severe crisis and social strain, of course, all this is carried out more intensively and extensively…. Already, right now in the U.S., to cite one important aspect of this, hundreds of thousands of immigrants, “illegal” and “legal,” are being subjected to a campaign of terror—including raids at their places of work and homes, the sudden and forcible separation of parents from children, and the deportation of large numbers of refugees back to the waiting arms of death squads and other government assassins in countries like El Salvador. The same kind of thing is also being directed against immigrants in France, West Germany, England, and other imperialist democracies.

    Through all this, while overt political repression by the state is in one sense the clearest indication of the class content of democracy—in the imperialist countries as well as elsewhere—in another sense the daily, and often seemingly arbitrary, terror carried out against the lower strata in these imperialist countries concentrates the connection between the normal workings of the system and the political (that is, class) nature of the state.9

    A New and Far Greater Vision of Freedom

    In the course of this article so far, in speaking to some essential questions concerning the U.S. Constitution and the system it upholds, I have answered some of the main arguments made in defense of this Constitution and this system, including the argument that the Constitution, if not perfect, is perfectible—that it can be continually improved and the rights it establishes can be extended to those previously excluded. Before concluding, I want to briefly address some of the other main arguments made on behalf of—or in defense of—this Constitution and the principles and vision it embodies.

    “This Constitution establishes a law of the land that is applicable to all—it establishes a government of laws, not of people.” This is closely linked to the principle of “equality before the law.” What is meant by “a government of laws, not of people” is that no one is “above the law” and that what is allowed and what is forbidden are set forth before all, in one set of regulations binding on everyone, and this can be changed only through the procedures established for making such changes. A “government of people” refers to a notion of a government where it is the will and the word of certain people—a king, a despot, a small group of tyrants, etc.—that determine what is allowed and what is forbidden, and where this can and will change according to the dictates and the whims of such rulers: There is no common and clearly spelled-out standard binding on all, even on the political leaders and the powerful and influential in society.

    Like all principles of bourgeois democracy, this notion of “a government of laws, not of people” misses and obscures the essential question. First of all,

    “the rule of law” can be part of a dictatorship, of one kind or another, and in the most general sense it always is—even where it may appear that power is exercised without or above the law, laws (in the sense of a systematized code that people in society are obliged to conform to, whether written or unwritten) will still exist and play a part in enforcing the rule of the dominant class. Conversely, all states, all dictatorships, include laws in one form or another.10

    Most fundamentally, the question is: What is the character and the class content of the laws, what system do they uphold and enforce, which class interests do they represent—of which class dictatorship, bourgeois or proletarian, are they the expression and instrument—and toward what end are they contributing—the maintenance of class division and domination, exploitation and oppression, or the final elimination of class divisions, of all oppressive social divisions, and of social antagonisms? In short, the essential question is not “a government of laws vs. a government of people,” it is which people—which class—rules, and what laws are in force, in the service of what ends?

    “‘We The People,’ that is the heart of this Constitution and the genius of this Constitution: It establishes a government of, by and for all the people.” As a matter of historical fact, this opening phrase of the Constitution, “We the people of the United States,” was not the product of some lofty desire by the “framers” of the Constitution to set forth some universal principle of popular sovereignty. It was the product of their desire to overcome the problem of States posing their own sovereignty against that of the Federal Government—and the desire to avoid the specific problem of not knowing which States would ratify the Constitution: “The Preamble of the Articles of Confederation had named all the states in order from north to south. How was the [Constitutional] Convention to enumerate the participating states without knowing which would ratify? In a brilliant flash of inspiration, the Convention began with the words, ‘We the People of the United States…do ordain and establish this Constitution….’”11

    More importantly, the larger historical context and the actual content of this proclamation—“We The People”—must be made clear. The founding of the United States of America as an independent country represented not just the breaking away from domination by a foreign power. It also meant breaking away from a form of government that vested great power in the person of the monarchy—even while it ultimately served the interests of the bourgeoisie and the landed “nobility.” In general, the rights and the restrictions of power established in the Constitution of the newly founded United States revolved around preventing arbitrary rule by despots and the concentration of too much power in one person or one part of the government. The “separation of powers” and the “checks and balances” of different branches of government was seen as a way of insuring that the government would serve the interests of the capitalist class and (at that time) the slaveowners as a whole. It is in this light that “We the people of the United States,” in the “Preamble” of the Constitution, must be understood. Obviously, “We the people of the United States” did not include all those who were expressly excluded from the process of selecting the government and endorsing the Constitution. For, “Even on the most obvious level, how could the government of the newly formed United States, for example, be considered to have derived its powers ‘from the consent of the governed’ when, at the time of the formation of the United States of America, a majority of the people ‘governed’—included slaves, Indians, women, men who did not meet various property requirements, and others—did not even have the right to vote…to say nothing of the real power to govern and determine the direction of society?”12

    Bourgeois ruling classes generally speak in the name of the people, all the people. From their standpoint, it may make a certain amount of sense: They do, after all, rule over the masses of people. But from a more basic and more objective standpoint, their claim to represent all the people is a deception. If it was a deception at the time of the founding of the United States and the adoption of its Constitution, it is all the more so now. For now the rule of the capitalists is in fundamental antagonism with the interests of the great majority of people, not just in a particular country, but all over the world. Now the decisive question is not overcoming economic and political obstacles to the development of capitalism and its corresponding political system. The time when that was on the historical agenda is long since passed. What is now on the historical agenda is the overthrow of capitalism and the final elimination of all systems of exploitation, all oppressive social relations, all class distinctions, through the revolution of the exploited class under capitalism, the proletariat.

    To get a very stark sense of just how historically conditioned—how long since outmoded and completely reactionary—are the interests and the paramount concerns of the "Founding Fathers" and their descendants, the ruling imperialists of today, let us consider the fact that, in writing their Constitution, Madison and others "For theoretical inspiration...leaned heavily on Locke and on Montesquieu's Spirit of the Laws. Both writers had insisted on the need for separation of powers in order to prevent tyranny; in Montesquieu's view even the representatives of the people in the legislature could not be trusted with unlimited power."13 In reading over Montesquieu's Spirit of the Laws I could not help but be struck by how thoroughly his frame of reference is that of a bygone age and his outlook that of exploiting classes whose period of historical ascendancy is long since past. As a glaring illustration, consider the following:

    If I had to justify our right to enslave Negroes, this is what I would say: Since the peoples of Europe have exterminated those of America, they have had to enslave those of Africa in order to use them to clear and cultivate such a vast expanse of land.

    Sugar would be too expensive if it weren't harvested by slaves.

    Those in question are black from the tip of their toes to the top of their heads; and their noses so flattened that it is almost impossible to feel sorry for them.

    It is inconceivable that God, who is a very wise being, could have placed a soul, especially a good soul, in an all-black body....

    One proof of the fact that Negroes don't have any common sense is that they get more excited about a string of glass beads than about gold, which, in civilized countries, is so dearly prized.

    It is impossible that these people are men; because if we thought of them as men, one would begin to think that we ourselves are not Christians.14,****

    Let the "Founding Fathers" and their descendants draw theoretical inspiration from the likes of Montesquieu! Let them defend slavery and modern-day exploitation on the ground of property rights, taking their lead from the likes of James Madison, the main author of the Constitution. As for the proletariat, our goal is "Marx's view of the complete abolition of bourgeois property relations—and all relations in which human beings confront each other as owners (or non-owners) of property rather than through conscious and voluntary association."15

    For the exploiting classes, and in a system under their rule, the "bottom line" is to reduce the masses of people to mere wealth-creating property—and today, under the domination of the imperialists, the greatest of all exploiters, the mass of humanity is treated as merely a means to amass even greater wealth and power in the hands of, and for the profit of, so few. And at what cost! This cost must be measured in massive human suffering, degradation, and destruction. Imagine the even greater cost in human suffering, degradation, and destruction that will have to be paid unless and until the oppressed and exploited victims of this system, who are the great majority of humanity, rise up and overthrow this system and finally put an end to all social relations of exploitation and oppression.

    In conclusion, The Constitution of the United States is an exploiters' vision of freedom. It is a charter for a society based on exploitation, on slavery in one form or another. The rights and freedoms it proclaims are subordinate to and in the service of the system of exploitation it upholds. This Constitution has been and continues to be applied in accordance with this vision and with the interests of the ruling class of this system: In its application it has become more and more fully the instrument of bourgeois domination, dictatorship, oppression, conquest, and plunder.

    Our answer is clear to those who argue: Even if The Constitution of the United States is not perfect, it is the best that has been devised—it sets a standard to be striven for. Our answer is: Why should we aim so low, when we have The Communist Manifesto to set a far higher standard of what humanity can strive for—and is capable of achieving—a far greater vision of freedom.*****

     

    NOTES

    1. Quotes from James Madison are from the Federalist Paper No. 54 in The Federalist Papers (New York: New American Library, 1961), pp. 336-341, especially pp. 339 and 337. [back]

    2. Bob Avakian, Democracy: Can't We Do Better Than That? (Chicago: Banner Press, 1986), pp. 110-11. [back]

    3. Edward Conrad Smith, editor, The Constitution of the United States with Case Summaries (New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1979), p. 18. All citations in this article are from the essay “The Origins of the Constitution.” [back]

    4. Ibid., pp. 18-19. [back]

    5. Avakian, Democracy, p. 69. [back]

    6. Ibid, p. 70. [back]

    7. Ibid, p. 71. [back]

    8. Lenny Wolff, The Science of Revolution: An Introduction (Chicago: RCP Publications, 1983), p. 184. [back]

    9. Avakian, Democracy, pp. 137-39. [back]

    10. Ibid., pp. 233-34. [back]

    11. Smith, Constitution of the U.S., p. 12. [back]

    12. Avakian, Democracy, p. 100. [back]

    13. Smith, Constitution of the U.S., p. 13. [back]

    14. Charles Montesquieu, De L'Esprit Des Lois, Paris: Garnier, 1927, livre 15, chapitre 5, "De L'Esclavage Des Negres" (The Spirit of the Laws, book 15, chapter 5, "On the Enslavement of Negroes"), my translation. [back]

    15. Avakian, Democracy, p. 212. [back]

    Added Notes by the Author, Spring 2023

    * A major factor underlying this “extension of constitutional rights and protections to those previously excluded from them” has—especially since the second half of the 20th century—been the increasing globalization of the capitalist-imperialist economy, a worldwide system of exploitation ensnaring literally billions of people, and in particular super-exploitation of masses of people, including more than 150 million children, in the Third World of Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The relationship of this worldwide exploitation, and super-exploitation, to the situation in the U.S. itself—particularly with regard to the economic structure and social and class relations within this country—is analyzed in depth in the paper by Raymond Lotta Imperialist Parasitism and Class-Social Recomposition in the U.S. From the 1970s to Today: An Exploration of Trends and Changes, which is available at revcom.us. The political dimensions of this are explored in my article Imperialist Parasitism and “Democracy”: Why So Many Liberals and Progressives Are Shameless Supporters of “Their” Imperialism (also available at revcom.us), where the following is made clear:

    [T]his imperialist plunder provides the material basis for a certain stability, at least in “normal times” in the imperialist “home country” (with the U.S. a prime example of this). This relative stability, in turn, makes it possible for the ruling class to allow a certain amount of dissent and political protest—so long as this remains within the confines of, or at least does not significantly threaten, the “law and order” that serves and enforces the fundamental interests of this ruling class.

    At the same time, as sharply demonstrated in mass uprisings which do call into question that “law and order” and/or defy allegiance to the imperialist interests of this system—such as the mass outpouring against police terror in 2020, and urban rebellions and mass opposition to the Vietnam war in the 1960s—the rulers of this country will frequently respond to such opposition with severe repression and murderous retribution.  For example, the city of Wilmington, in Biden’s home state of Delaware, was placed under martial law for months during the 1960s upsurge against the oppression of Black people, and a number of members of the Black Panther Party, most prominently Fred Hampton, were murdered by police, along with many Black people taking part in urban uprisings in that period, while militant mass resistance against the Vietnam war and rebellions among middle class youth and students were in some cases subjected to a vicious, and at times murderous, response by police and National Guard troops.

    It should never be forgotten, or overlooked, that the “law and order” that enforces this relative stability has included the regular murder of Black people, as well as Latinos, by police—resulting in the fact that the number of Black people who have been killed by police in the years since 1960 is greater than the thousands of Black people who were lynched during the period of Jim Crow segregation and Ku Klux Klan terror, before the 1960s. It should also not be overlooked that the U.S. has the highest rate of mass incarceration of any country in the world, with Black people and Latinos particularly subjected to this mass incarceration. [back]

    ** The point here, as emphasized in my work Breakthroughs: The Historic Breakthrough by Marx, and the Further Breakthrough with the New Communism, A Basic Summary, is that the essence of the capitalist economy, and the source of capitalist “wealth” and “economic growth,” is not a bunch of capitalist entrepreneurs and their “innovation,” or their “entrepreneurial genius.” It is the exploitation by the capitalists (the bourgeoisie) of wage-workers (the proletariat). This is different than the question of what is the driving force compelling the capitalists to continue to intensify the exploitation of the proletariat and to continually find new means of doing so. As also pointed out in Breakthroughs:

    Engels, in Anti-Dühring, discussed the motion of the fundamental contradiction of capitalism between socialized production and private appropriation. He pointed out that the working out of this contradiction assumes two different forms of motion that go into the dynamic process of this fundamental contradiction’s motion. Those two forms of motion are, on the one hand, the contradiction between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat that it exploits, and the other form of motion that Engels identified, importantly, is the contradiction between organization and anarchy, the organization of production on the level of, say, an enterprise—which may be highly organized, with lots of calculations going into it, market estimates and all kinds of things, and may be very tightly organized in terms of how the actual process of production is carried out on the level of the particular capitalist corporation, and so on—while, at the same time, this is in contradiction to the anarchy of production and of exchange in the society as a whole (or today in the world as a whole, today more than ever in the world as a whole). So you have these two forms of motion—and I’ll come back later to a crucial distinguishing aspect of the new communism: the importance of identifying the second form of motion of this fundamental contradiction, that is, the anarchy/organization contradiction, or the driving force of anarchy, as overall the principal and most essential form of the motion of the fundamental contradiction of capitalism....

    In this regard, in the article “On the ‘Driving Force of Anarchy’ and the Dynamics of Change,” Raymond Lotta cited this statement of mine:

    anarchic relations between capitalist producers, and not the mere existence of propertyless proletarians or the class contradiction as such, that drives these producers to exploit the working class on an historically more intensive and extensive scale. This motive force of anarchy is an expression of the fact that the capitalist mode of production represents the full development of commodity production and the law of value.

    And then there is this very important passage:

    Were it not the case that these capitalist commodity producers are separated from each other and yet linked by the operation of the law of value they would not face the same compulsion to exploit the proletariat—the class contradiction between bourgeoisie and proletariat could be mitigated. It is the inner compulsion of capital to expand which accounts for the historically unprecedented dynamism of this mode of production, a process which continually transforms value relations and which leads to crisis.

    (Breakthroughs is available at revcom.us; and the article by Raymond Lotta referred to here, “On the ‘Driving Force of Anarchy’ and the Dynamics of Change,” can be found in the online theoretical journal Demarcations, Issue Number 3.) [back]

    *** As noted in “Imperialist Parasitism and ‘Democracy’: Why So Many Liberals and Progressives Are Shameless Supporters of ‘Their’ Imperialism”:

    Some of the mass murderers in other countries who today play such a crucial role in serving the interests of U.S. imperialism throughout the world, and in making possible the maintenance of bourgeois democracy in this country itself (worm-eaten as it is indeed), are the same as they were 40 years ago, and some are different—but the essential reality remains that the “platform of democracy” in this country rests on fascist terror, along with ruthless exploitation, in the oppressed nations of the Third World (Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia). [back]

    **** In relation to this statement by Montesquieu—and more generally his views on slavery—I am reproducing here the following “A Note from Bob Avakian: On Montesquieu, Slavery and the U.S. Constitution,” which appeared in Revolution #037, March 5, 2006, posted at revcom.us:

    Recently, Revolution ran an excerpt from a pamphlet I wrote, which was originally published in 1987, U.S. Constitution: An Exploiters' Vision of Freedom. In that excerpt, there is a quote from De L'Esprit Des Lois (or, in English, "The Spirit of the Laws") by Charles Montesquieu, an 18th–century French philosopher, who was one of the sources of inspiration for the U.S. Constitution, and in particular the theory of the separation of powers that is incorporated in that Constitution. The quote from this work of Montesquieu's, which was published in 1748, is one in which he recites an extreme and grotesquely racist justification for "the enslavement of the Negroes." In relation to this, it is not infrequently argued that Montesquieu was being ironic here, and deliberately overstating this argument, in order to, in effect, polemicize against the enslavement of African people, and that in general Montesquieu's writings express opposition to slavery. But the reality is not so simple as this, nor does this reflect what Montesquieu was essentially seeking to do in this part of "The Spirit of the Laws." It can be said that in "The Spirit of the Laws" Montesquieu's position is one of general opposition to slavery, and he indicates that slavery is not appropriate in countries like France; but, at the same time, he speaks to various circumstances in which he believes slavery can be justified or reasonable. For example, he argues that in the parts of the world, in particular the southern regions, where the climate is warmer, this climate makes people lazy (indolent), and slavery may be justified in order to get them to work (and he argues that in a despotic country, where people's political rights are already repressed, slavery may not be worse for people in that condition).

    This, and the general discussion of slavery that makes up this part (book 15) of "The Spirit of the Laws," is included in a broader discussion by Montesquieu on the nature of different societies and governments in different countries and parts of the world (this is found not only in book 15 but also books 14 and 16 of "The Spirit of the Laws") in which Montesquieu argues that geography and in particular climate plays a big part in determining the nature of different peoples and the character of their society and governing system. And it is important to understand that, although in this discussion Montesquieu makes logical refutation of certain arguments, including certain defenses of slavery, this is not a polemic for or against slavery, or other forms of government, and its character is not that of moral argumentation, so much as it is an attempt to explain why various practices, and various forms of society and government, have existed (and in some cases continue to exist) in various places.

    Another way to put this is that what Montesquieu is doing, in these parts of "The Spirit of the Laws" (and generally in this work), is attempting to make a kind of materialist analysis of these phenomena, including slavery in many places where it has existed—although it must be emphasized that this is not a thoroughly scientific, dialectical materialism but instead a rather crude and vulgar materialism which is marked, and marred, by a considerable amount of determinism: it is a kind of mechanical materialism that argues for a direct and straight-line (linear) connection between things like geography and climate and the character of society and government. It is a kind of materialism that does not adequately and accurately characterize the real motive forces in the development of human society, and in fact this kind of vulgar materialism has often been used to justify various forms of oppression, including colonial and imperialist domination. While we can, and should, recognize that, in the circumstances and time in which he wrote—about 250 years ago—there are aspects of what Montesquieu was seeking to do that were new and represented a break with the suffocating and obfuscating feudal outlook and conventions, it is very important to understand how Montesquieu's outlook and method were marked, and limited, by the social, and international, relations of which they were ultimately an expression: relations in which one part of society, and of the world, dominates and exploits others. And that is the basic point that was being emphasized in relation to Montesquieu and the U.S. Constitution, in the pamphlet U.S. Constitution: An Exploiters' Vision of Freedom.

    With regard to the specific passage that was cited in U.S. Constitution: An Exploiters' Vision of Freedom, "on the enslavement of the Negroes," there is, in fact, some reason to accept that Montesquieu does not actually agree with the justification for this enslavement that he summarizes, and that he is actually subjecting this kind of justification to some ironic and satirical treatment. A reasonable interpretation of Montesquieu's arguments, as he goes on in this part of "The Spirit of the Laws" (book 15), is that this kind of argument, about the non-human character of the Negroes, is not a valid argument, not one that actually justifies this enslavement. But then he does go on to explore the question of what might actually be reasonable justifications, in certain circumstances, for slavery; and, as spoken to above, he finds such justifications in situations such as those where there is a despotic government, or where—as he concludes, through an application of vulgar and determinist materialism—the warm climate makes people lazy and unwilling, on their own initiative, to work.

    Thus, in looking into and reflecting on this further, I would say that, while it is important to understand the complexity and nuance of what Montesquieu writes here—and it can be said that the way in which I cited Montesquieu in writing this pamphlet on the U.S. Constitution does not really or fully do that—it is not the case that what Montesquieu was doing here was actually making a case against the enslavement of the Negroes, or against slavery in general. Once again, it is important to keep in mind the fact that, although he was opposed to slavery on general principle, and declared that it was a good thing that it had been eliminated in his home country, France, and more generally in Europe, Montesquieu did not think slavery was wrong, or without justification, in all circumstances. And it also seems that Montesquieu did not hesitate to invest in companies involved in the slave trade. In this, there is a parallel with John Locke, the English philosopher and political theorist, who, as I pointed out in this same pamphlet (U.S. Constitution: An Exploiters' Vision of Freedom), was also a major influence in the conception of the U.S. Constitution. As I wrote in Democracy: Can't We Do Better Than That? (p. 29):

    "In sum, the society of which Locke was a theoretical exponent, as well as a practical political partisan, was a society based on wage-slavery and capitalist exploitation. And it is not surprising that, while he was opposed to slavery in England itself, he not only defended the institution of slavery, under certain circumstances, in the Second Treatise, but turned a not insignificant profit himself in the slave trade and helped to draw up the charter for a government headed by a slave-owning aristocracy in one of the American colonies. For as Marx sarcastically summarized: ‘The discovery of gold and silver in America, the extirpation, enslavement and entombment in mines of the aboriginal population, the beginning of the conquest and looting of the East Indies, the turning of Africa into a warren for the commercial hunting of black-skins, signalized the rosy dawn of the era of capitalist production.’" [back]

    ***** In the years since the writing of this article, I have devoted considerable work to the development of what is meant by this “far greater vision of freedom”—what it would mean “in real life.” One very important result of this is the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America, which provides both a sweeping vision and a concrete blueprint for a radically different and emancipating society and world. This Constitution is available at revcom.us. [back]

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  • ARTICLE:

    What Is Legal and Constitutional for Fascists Should Be Legal and Constitutional for Everyone Else

    “So long as we are still living under the rule of this system of capitalism-imperialism, we will defend people against attacks on their lives and on the rights that are supposed to be guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution. But we need a whole different system, with a whole different Constitution—the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America—which will provide much greater rights for the people, including the basic right to have the fundamentally determining role in a new society and government whose purpose and goal is to eliminate all exploitation and oppression, everywhere.”

    WE NEED AND WE DEMAND: A WHOLE NEW WAY TO LIVE, A FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT SYSTEM

    With outright fascists now coming into positions of dominance in all three branches of government, the above point of orientation from We Need and We Demand assumes even greater importance. As does the following, from Bob Avakian’s talk Something Terrible, Or Something Truly Emancipating: Profound Crisis, Deepening Divisions, The Looming Possibility Of Civil War—And The Revolution That Is Urgently Needed:

    This brings up another important dimension of working for revolution—and opposing the fascists as part of doing that: It is necessary to sharply expose and oppose—and fight to politically and practically overcome—the reality that for white supremacists and fascists generally the Second Amendment, the "right to bear arms," has been regularly upheld and given the backing of the law and the courts, and the support of the police and other institutions of the state; while for Black people, other oppressed people, and generally those opposing the oppression and injustice of this system, the "right to bear arms," even in self-defense, has been actively opposed and suppressed.

    This is made graphically clear in the book by Carol Anderson focusing on the Second Amendment—The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America. This book contains (yet more!) searing exposure of the depraved violence visited upon Black people throughout the history of this country, and speaks to how the "right to bear arms" has never applied to Black people, and instead there has been the perverse "right to kill" Black people, on the part of the powers-that-be and racist whites generally. This cannot be allowed to continue!

    And it is not just around what is represented by “the Second Amendment” that a determined fight must be waged, but around the many ways in which the approach to rights that are supposedly guaranteed to people is applied in a highly unequal way, so that oppressed people, and those acting against the oppressive relations of this system, constantly find their rights attacked, “abridged,” or outright denied and suppressed. In waging this fight, it is important to recognize and, to the degree possible, take advantage of this contradiction: In reality, under this system of capitalism-imperialism, rights and liberties are determined, and limited, in accordance with what serves the interests of this system and its ruling class; but, we are constantly told that, under this system, there is “liberty and justice for all,” and the rulers of this system, or at least some of them, feel it is important to maintain this myth. Again, to the degree possible, this contradiction must be seized on, in waging the fight to defeat attempts by the enforcers of this system to violate what are supposed to be basic rights, in their moves to suppress people rising up against this system and its profound injustice.

    But, most fundamentally, this fight must be waged with full awareness, a scientifically grounded understanding, of the essential nature of this system, with the orientation and goal of working toward the overthrow of this system and the dismantling of its relations and institutions of vicious exploitation and blood-soaked oppression and repression.

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    Episode 248 of The RNL — Revolution, Nothing Less! — Show

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