La Flamme: the struggle against imperialism and autocracy in West Africa + Hands off Columbia's Mahmoud Khalil! – 3/10 + Israeli Apartheid Week 2025 – 3/21-30

The most recent calendar posting is at:  durhamspark.blogspot.com/2025/02/update-for-week-8-of-2025-proposal-to.html  This current top post is the 902nd.

From Simplicius March 10th:  A company of Russian soldiers infiltrated behind Ukrainian lines in Sudzha, Kursk, in pre-War Russia, March 7-8th by going through 12 kilometers of the now empty Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod gas pipeline (or the Bratstvo, Brotherhood, West-Siberian, or Trans-Siberian Pipeline; March 1, 1973-January 1, 2025?  There was a major transatlantic crisis in the early 80's due to US opposition to Western Europe buying natural gas from the Soviets, with possible sabotage and perhaps revenge killing; there was a major fire at a compressor station in Urengoy December 15, 1983 and there were other accidents or attacks May 7, 2007, December 6, 2007, sometime in May 2014, June 17, 2014, and December 20, 2022)?  A similar scenario with an empty pipeline was depicted in the 1987 James Bond movie The Living Daylights, and was discussed by Antony Blinken in his thesis and first book (is all of this part of the reason the Russians used the pipeline in the War now?) – simplicius76.substack.com/p/kursk-collapse-accelerates-as-daring , en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhhorod_pipeline , and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gus_W._Weiss

Apparently Sudzha was held by Germany October 18, 1941-March 3, 1943, before the great WWII Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943; the town was part of Ukraine before 1922 and the capital of the Provisional Workers' and Peasants' Government of Ukraine.  Maybe that is part of the reason a statue of Lenin was taken down sometime before August 16, 2024 under the new Ukrainian occupation, which began on August 15th.  A drone was reportedly shot down by Russia in Sudzha June 4, 2023:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudzha

The 'restoration' of our 1st Amendment rights under Trump-Vance; first Obama-Biden-Trump came for the anti-war activists, supporters of Palestine, and undocumented immigrants...?  

From The People's Forum: 

Emergency Mobilization!  Release Mahmoud Khalil!  Hands Off Our Students!  ICE Off Our Campuses! 

"Dear [ ],   Last night, DHS agents abducted Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and recent Columbia graduate [according to the BBC March 9th:  "a permanent US resident" with a Green Card, etc.?], from his home. Khalil and his wife, a U.S. citizen who is eight months pregnant, had just unlocked the door to their building when two plainclothes DHS agents forced their way in behind them. The agents initially refused to identify themselves, instead asking Khalil to confirm his identity before detaining him without explanation. Khalil is now in ICE detention.    TOMORROW WE TAKE TO THE STREETS!   We demand the immediate release of Mahmoud Khalil. Hands off our students! ICE off our campuses!   📅 Tomorrow, Monday, March 10 🕓 4PM 📍Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, 26 Federal Plaza, NYC"

[There will be a UNC Carolina Center for Jewish Studies "community lecture" "When is Anti-Zionism Antisemitic? Getting Beyond the Polemics" with Ethan Katz of UC Berkeley 5:30-7pm Monday, March 17th at UNC's Stone Center:  jewishstudies.unc.edu/event/community-lecture-ethan-katz/  Their advertisement is below.  Katz will speak on "‘The Jew, My Brother in Misery’: Frantz Fanon on Jews, Zionism, and Israel" 12:30-1:30pm at the Center's office in Pettigrew Hall on the 17th; RSVP is required.  

The Center is co-sponsoring a conference, "How WWII Changed Iran’s Social, Political, and Cultural Landscape," 8am-5pm Wednesday, April 2nd (with special emphasis on Polish refugees in Iran, which was partially occupied by the Allied powers during WWII?).  There will be a UNC and Duke workshop, "Jewish Studies in the Aftermath of October 7," 8am-5pm April 7th and there will be a lunch seminar, "Follow the Footsteps of the Goat," April 8th 12:45-2pm at their office; RSVP is required; etc. – jewishstudies.unc.edu/event/

"When is Anti-Zionism Antisemitic? Getting Beyond the Polemics

From Congress to campuses, advocates debate ceaselessly the relationship of antisemitism to anti-Zionism. Too often they treat it as a black-and-white question, and critique their opponents as morally inferior. This talk draws on the complex history of anti-Zionism to open a deeper conversation on this vexed topic.

Ethan Katz is Associate Professor in the Department of History and the Center for Jewish Studies at UC Berkeley. He is a historian of modern Europe and the Mediterranean, with specialties in modern Jewish history and the history of modern France and its empire. His major publications include The Burdens of Brotherhood: Jews and Muslims from North Africa to France (Harvard, 2015) (winner of a number of honors including the National Jewish Book Award); Secularism in Question: Jews and Judaism in Modern Times, co-edited with Ari Joskowicz (UPenn, 2015); and Colonialism and the Jews (Indiana, 2017), co-edited with Lisa Moses Leff and Maud S. Mandel. He teaches courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level on Jewish history, late modern Europe, the Mediterranean, Jews and Muslims, the Holocaust, religion in the modern world, modern France and its empire, and methodological approaches of Jewish studies and history. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a B.A. in History and French from Amherst College."]

[March 11th it was announced that the ACLU of NC, Emancipate NC, and Muslim Advocates are suing UNC-Chapel Hill over its' "ongoing punishment of certain individuals involved in the nondisruptive, pro-Palestine encampment on campus last spring" (in late April) – www.acluofnorthcarolina.org/en/press-releases/suit-filed-against-unc  Meanwhile, from the right, UNC is one of something like 60 universities and colleges being investigated by the Trump-Vance administration over allegations of "anti-semitism" on campus.  WUNC mentioned UNC's new, self-imposed, legal troubles March 12th, and NPR has been covering the Mahmoud Khalil case, though I  wonder if they aren't very committed to covering it, because it is about the pro-Palestine and anti-war struggle.  I definitely heard yet more condemnation of Venezuela from WUNC and maybe NPR March 12th, and suddenly I feel like I heard them call capitalist Venezuela "communist" for a second time, but it must have been a dream [if the Biden White House said it, it must be true, on NPR].  They had Adrian Florido in Florida (?) covering the Khalil case, and I think I remember recent anti-Venezuelan statements from him.]  [NPR didn't mention the Uhuru or FRSO persecutions under Biden and Obama at all, to my knowledge.] 

From bdsmovement.net – Israeli Apartheid Week 2025 is March 21st (the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination) to March 30th (Palestinian Land Day), with the theme “People Power Makes Apartheid History” "Resist. Rise. Decolonize."

fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bénin

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benin

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_of_Benin

I received these two articles, translated from French; slightly edited:

La Flamme N° 585 February 21, 2025 [ www.la-flamme.org/index.php/bibliotheque-du-pcb/1440-editorial-de-la-flamme-n-585du-21-fevrier-2025-tous-ensemble-en-lutte-pour-le-depart-des-troupes-francaises-et-la-fin-de-l-autocratie ]

Political Organ of the Communist Party of Benin

EDITORIAL

All together, in struggle for the withdrawal of French troops and the end of the autocracy!

Today, as in 1989, our people are still confronted with an autocratic power. The holding of the National Conference, a new National Conference has become unavoidable. But today, as in January 1989, Talon and his clan think that they have definitively defeated the people and that with the help of colonial France, which is waging a war of reconquest against our people through terrorists and the support of the leaders of the Democratic Party, they will be able to bring the people into the game of the elections that they won. But this is to forget who the Beninese people are and their capacity for invention and that they will be able to learn the lessons of the past.

The demonstrations for the withdrawal of French troops from our country, the protests of the employees and workers against the conditions of slavery authorized by Talon's government, mainly for the benefit of French and foreign monopolies, show that the people are not silent. So, together, all in struggle for the withdrawal of French troops and the end of the autocracy, for the sovereignty of our country, freedom and democracy for the people, and a patriotic power and honesty.

The Editorial Board

Editorial

Tous, ensemble en lutte pour le départ des troupes françaises et la fin de l’autocratie !

Aujourd’hui comme en 1989, notre peuple est encore confronté à un pouvoir autocratique. La tenue des Assises nationales, d’une nouvelle Conférence nationale est devenue incontournable. Mais aujourd’hui comme janvier 1989, Talon et son clan pensent qu’ils ont définitivement vaincu le peuple et qu’avec l’aide de la France coloniale qui mène contre notre peuple une guerre de reconquête par terroristes interposés et l’accompagnement des dirigeants du Parti Les Démocrates, ils pourront amener le peuple dans le jeu des élections d’avance gagnées par eux. Mais c’est oublier ce qu’est le peuple béninois et ses capacités d’invention et qu’il saura tirer les leçons du passé.

Les manifestations pour le départ des troupes françaises de notre pays, les protestations des employés et ouvriers contre les conditions esclavagistes autorisées par le pouvoir de Talon, principalement au profit des monopoles français et étrangers, indiquent que le peuple ne se tait pas. Alors, Ensemble, tous en lutte pour le départ des troupes françaises et la fin de l’autocratie, pour la souveraineté de notre pays, la liberté et la démocratie pour le peuple, et un pouvoir patriotique et de probité.

La Rédaction

Téléchargez La Flamme N°585

La Flamme N° 582, January 31 2025 [ www.la-flamme.org/ ]

Political Organ of the Communist Party of Benin

Final withdrawal of the AES (Alliance of Sahel Countries) from ECOWAS

The Beginnings of a Sovereign and United Africa

January 29, 2025 is the date chosen by the Sahel countries (Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger) to formalize their definitive separation from ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States).

Indeed, since January 2024, the three countries had announced their withdrawal from the regional organization due to the subjection of this organization to the imperialist powers, especially France.

In response to this decision, the ECOWAS controlled from abroad initially imposed absurd sanctions in the same logic as the determination on the part of France. After facing resistance from these countries, it then held its 66th summit to extend the deadline for their withdrawal by six months.

However, the AES leaders rejected this extension and jointly proceeded to take the necessary steps for this withdrawal.

Thus, the news has just come out: Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are no longer members of ECOWAS.

This withdrawal from ECOWAS consolidates the AES with the establishment of a common army and the establishment of a common passport. This is the beginning of a union of African states that is only true and viable if the sovereignty won has been taken up. Therefore, the definitive withdrawal of the AES countries from ECOWAS marks the beginning of a crucial stage in the history of the African peoples. An era of the affirmation of African sovereignty and dignity is becoming a reality and the beginning of a sovereign and united Africa.

We must also congratulate the consistency and resilience of the AES leaders in their undoubted willingness to take up the wind of patriotism that has been blowing for some time in Africa.

ECOWAS, forced to take note of this withdrawal on January 29 through a public statement, shows everyone that a new era has just begun in Africa.

Today, everyone can already see that this new space is the future of Africa because of the principles it advocates.

It is now that Africa has chosen the path of its liberation, and this liberation will sweep the other African countries directly.

A new Africa is on the horizon....

Long live the AES!!

Forward to a sovereign Africa!!

Daniel

Fourth International Month of Action Against AFRICOM and MOLEGHAF: Update on armed attacks in Port-au-Prince

Originally posted, in English and Spanish, at:  blackallianceforpeace.com/bapstatements/moleghafstatement 

October 2024 is also the fourth International Month of Action Against AFRICOM:  blackallianceforpeace.com/africom2024

MOLEGHAF: UPDATE ON ARMED ATTACKS
in Port-au-Prince

On October 20th, 2024, the National Movement for Liberty and Equality of Haitians for Fraternity (Mouvement National pour la Liberté et L’égalité des Haïtiens pour la Fraternité, MOLEGHAF), a member organization of the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP), issued a statement on the increasing violence perpetrated by the paramilitary group “Viv Ansanm” (or “Live Together”) in Solino, Fò Nasyonal, Nazon, Kriswa and other nearby popular neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince.

MOLEGHAF asserts that this escalation in paramilitary violence is rooted in the neocolonial Haitian state’s collaboration with the United States and other colonial powers, all working to maintain their criminal political agenda and keep Haiti under occupation:

“The sellout Haitian bourgeoisie, at the service of U.S. imperialism, controls our country. This is Full Spectrum Dominance. The ruling class seeks to break the back of all forms of Haitian resistance. By burning our neighborhoods down, they exterminate our very ability to resist. While the United Nations is allegedly sanctioning and embargoing weapons and bullets, the murderous group “LIVE TOGETHER” magically has access to hundreds of thousands of U.S. weapons.”

MOLEGHAF stresses that “US and Western imperialism” have targeted their neighborhoods since “at least our national uprising in 2021.” The attacks on their communities continue “even though hundreds of Kenyan troops now occupy us”. As the Haitian elite uses paramilitaries to crush popular Haitian resistance, MOLEGHAF describes the deteriorating situation:

“None of us are free to leave our homes. We don’t know which way to go. The bloodthirsty death squads kill the poor and unfortunate inside their shacks. They burn through homes and memories. We, the population of Solino, have resisted this barbarism for 1 year and 7 months. Stand with us, We need help! The neocolonial Haitian state lays the basis of these massacres. We cannot continue in this situation. Solidarity is our only hope.”

The Black Alliance for Peace calls on the masses, especially those within the heart of the empire, to stand in solidarity with MOLEGHAF. We reiterate that if there is no peace, justice, and popular sovereignty for the Haitian masses, there can be no Zone of Peace in the Americas. We support MOLEGHAF’s efforts to provide the correct, radical analysis of its current predicament: that the ruling classes in Haiti, under the supervision of Western imperialists, “are seeking to break the back of the popular social movements.” We say NO to US-sponsored violence and repression in Haiti and YES to self-determination and freedom!!

Until the last rock is thrown
Until the last poem is written
Until the last voudou is sung
MOLEGHAF will resist alongside the heroic Haitian people!

Support MOLEGHAF’s fight for democracy in Haiti.
Donate to our people-to-people fundraiser here: ttps://www.gofundme.com/f/support-moleghaf-peoples-democracy-in-haiti

Organizations Globally Condemn the Fascism of the

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM)

Launch Annual Month of Action to Shut Down AFRICOM

October 1, 2024, marks the start of the 4th International Month of Action Against AFRICOM (U.S. Africa Command), organized by the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP). Every year, hundreds of organizations around the world endorse and participate in this Month of Action, standing united against the presence of the United States’ ongoing military presence in African nations across the continent.

International Month of Action Against AFRICOM will kick off with an international webinar featuring voices from the African continent and diaspora expressing the need for the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops and a complete end to the combatant command. Following the webinar individuals and organizations will engage in a month of autonomous and semi-autonomous actions and events designed to elevate this issue in the public consciousness around the world and encourage the continuation of the resistance against U.S. imperialism.

AFRICOM is the brainchild of the Heritage Foundation. The plan was incubated twenty-one years ago, with an eye towards low-priced natural resources and control over African security affairs under the guise of the “Global War on Terror.” Launched by the George W. Bush administration and brought to full operation by the Barack Obama administration, AFRICOM is most known for the destruction of Libya resulting in tens of thousands dead, and millions displaced. The U.S. continues to refine and expand the tactics employed in Libya across the continent.

This year’s Month of Action Against AFRICOM comes at a pivotal geopolitical moment for Africa. The continent is experiencing widespread anti-neocolonialist movements including: (1) the successful expelling of AFRICOM from Niger, (2) admission and evidence that U.S. ally Ukraine has supported terrorism in Mali, and (3) popular mass mobilizations against governments propped up by the U.S. that are facing state repression, ie. Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda.

The Month of Action Against AFRICOM does not represent the full extent of BAP’s work against the neocolonial occupation of Africa. BAP continues to call for the dismantling of NATO, AFRICOM and all imperialist structures. Africa and the rest of the world cannot be free until all Peoples can exercise their sovereignty and the right to live free of domination.

BAP’s Demands include:

• The complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Africa;

• The demilitarization of the African Continent;

• The closure of U.S. bases throughout the world; and

• The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) oppose the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and conduct hearings on AFRICOM’s impact on the African continent, with the full participation of members of U.S. and African civil society.

BAP: 4th Annual Month of Action Against AFRICOM in October — "From Niger to Haiti to Cop City, Defeat the War Against the African People"

 Amidst Military Escalations From Niger to Haiti to Atlanta, 

The Black Alliance for Peace Launches the 4th International Month of Action Against U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM)

 

For Immediate Release:

Media Contact
communications [at blackallianceforpeace com]
(202) 643-1136

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023—Organizations from around the world have endorsed and will participate in the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) 4th International Month of Action Against AFRICOM.  [Webinar October 1st, linked on the preceding site; the 1st is the 15th anniversary of the founding of AFRICOM under George W Bush and Dick Cheney; it gained ground with governments in Africa with the Obama administration and the 2011 NATO attack on Libya, from which the country still hasn't recovered, contributing to the dam collapses that inundated Derna during Cyclone Daniel.] 

A war is being waged against African people across the continent and the diaspora. Whether it’s people in Atlanta fighting to #StopCopCity, a $90 million dollar militarized police training facility, the people of Haiti fighting for their sovereignty against imperial interventionism carried out by the Black misleadership class, or African people across the Sahel and neo-colonial Africa fighting against French and U.S. imperialism, we are in solidarity with those who seek to dismantle these exploitative structures in favor of a people-centered human rights model.

Across the Sahel, the African masses have taken to the streets, calling for French troops to leave their lands. This has taken place in states like Niger, where the United States has nine military installations.

AFRICOM is a force of neocolonial occupation. The people have united to free their lands of all U.S./EU/NATO military forces and intelligence operatives. Regional organizations such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), are exposing themselves as comprador structures of neocolonialism by doing the bidding of western imperialist institutions.

Through this International Month of Action Against AFRICOM, we aim to express our support for the aspirations of the people in the streets and call for the ejection of all Western forces, including AFRICOM and NATO, from the African Continent.

NATO is a global axle in the wheel of the military industrial complex, which includes more than 800 U.S. military bases around the world as well as  joint bases or relationships with almost all African countries. These are all controlled by the U.S. empire for realizing the U.S. policy of Full Spectrum Dominance, which is driven by the ferocious appetite of international finance capital.

That is why we call on our friends and allies to endorse this month as an individual or organization. Beyond that, we are calling on you to participate each week using our calls to action, for which we have provided materials on our webpage. Each week’s call to action ranges from watching our kick-off webinar, “From Niger to Haiti to Cop City, Defeat the War Against African People”, to organizing mass actions like banner drops, facilitating teach-ins using our materials and spreading the word using BAP’s custom graphics.

The Black Alliance for Peace calls for the dismantling of NATO, AFRICOM and all imperialist structures. Africa and the rest of the world cannot be free until all Peoples are able to realize the right of sovereignty and the right to live free of domination.

We demand:

• The complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Africa;

• The demilitarization of the African Continent;

• The closure of U.S. bases throughout the world; and

• The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) oppose the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and conduct hearings on AFRICOM’s impact on the African continent, with the full participation of members of U.S. and African civil society.

No compromise!

No retreat!

Link to online version: https://blackallianceforpeace.com/bapstatements/2023moaaa

September 2023 issue of Torch published

The September issue of The Torch, newspaper of the Independent Workers' Party, has been published and will be available online at:  www.independentworkersparty.org/  This is a united front and welcomes anyone who agrees with the basic principles listed on the website.  People can contribute articles, poetry, and photos; donations and volunteer distributers are also needed.  The IWP has held webinars on the second Great Depression and the continuing struggle in Haiti (available on YouTube, in French and English, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jSqjdJGlH4 ). 

Contents:

The Military Insurrection in Niger 

Lahaina tragedy 

Russia and America / An Interpretation Dr W.E.B Du Bois 1950 Chapter 1  – A Quest for Clarity (continued)

A letter to Canadian legislator Annie Koutrakis against Canada's role in the proxy war in Ukraine  

Haitian letter to Russia's UN ambassador against foreign intervention, in French and English

27th Latin American and Caribbean Brigade of Solidarity with Cuba stem in the U.S. [, in Spanish and English]

180,000 UPS part-timers left out of Teamsters' Deal

Communist Party of Mexico Marxist-Leninist (PCMML) statement at SIPRAL 27

CLASS IN ITSELF, CLASS FOR ITSELF.

The general crisis of capitalism in all its economic, political, cultural, ecological, ideological and social aspects is accentuated and aggravated with each cyclical crisis it goes through. This is part of the epoch of imperialism and therefore must be the epoch of proletarian revolutions.

Economic crises manifest themselves as crises of overproduction of commodities, which have as their main basis the tendency of the rate of profit to decrease, which during this five-year period had some moments of recovery, partially achieved by the use of new technologies. Agenda 2030 is the best planned imperialist strategy of recent years, where the representatives of the most powerful monopolies have agreed to try to give a long life to capitalism, in which new technology – including Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence – aims to displace the human workforce and develop complex processes to solve unsolved problems and prevent the advance of the proletarian revolution.

After the crisis of 2008-2009, the world capitalist-imperialist system went into an economic recession that led to the outbreak of a new crisis between 2019-2020, which, after a small and weak growth in 2022, led to the technical recession in the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom; growth in 2023 will be low and even the representatives of capital predicted a "recession" by the end of this year.

This situation shows that neoliberalism has fewer and fewer options to avoid new crises and, on the contrary, has deepened them. In this scenario, some capitalist sectors accompanied by the petty bourgeoisie are implementing the return to the welfare or Keynesian state, to the internal market or "nationalism", combining these economic policies with the same neoliberalism. In other countries, new forms of fascist or militarist governments with right-wing populist discourses are reemerging.

These elements, plus others such as unpayable national debts, the ecological destruction of the planet, the decline in industrial production, unemployment and layoffs due to new technologies, low wages, the aging of various populations of the planet, the growing and forced migration, the sick financial speculation and the decline of the dollar, are bringing the capitalist-imperialist system closer to a new and disastrous global economic crisis.

Ukraine and now Niger are part of an accumulation of military conflicts that add to those that have been dragging on in previous years, in which we see the same actors in Sudan, Libya and Syria, Yemen, Palestine, Saharawi Republic, etc., which are leading a large part of these nations to a new redivision, to their atomization or dissolution into small territories occupied by foreign forces.

The perspectives of the struggle of the working class and the working masses after 36 years of the existence of neoliberalism are showing a relevant role. In a new upsurge of the proletarian movement, it is up to the most advanced of the movement, the proletarian parties, the Marxist-Leninists, to influence, organize and lead these mobilized masses to defeat the bourgeois and petty-bourgeois vision that weighs on these actions, which also seek to trap them by reformism and opportunism, instruments of capitalism itself to undermine the historical perspective of the proletariat, the proletarian revolution and socialism.

Therefore, it is necessary to continue to show the masses, today with greater intensity, that neoliberalism is capitalism-imperialism, which has already played its historical role and must disappear and give way to a socialist society, through the proletarian revolution. All forms of struggle are valid and must be subordinated to the political struggle. We must bring the bourgeois political crisis to the revolutionary crisis in order to establish a workers', peasants' and people's government, through proletarian and popular constituents or assemblies. The building and strengthening of the parties of the working class is necessary to lead to profound and definitive victories for the proletariat over the financial oligarchy and its servants.

In Latin America, social democracy exercises power as a "progressive" alternative now in its second "wave", a social democracy on the right; even when it has an anti-neoliberal discourse, as in Mexico, they continue to implement it. All these variants impose constitutions, laws and norms that sustain capitalism and govern by affecting labor and human rights, as well as the freedom of assembly and organization of millions of workers who create social wealth.

The migratory flows in the world are expanding in the face of conditions of misery, marginalization and insecurity. The reactionary violence that the elites promote in various areas through so-called organized crime and paramilitaries is used as a mechanism of social control, as well as control of territories and natural resources. Also, through ideological control over broad social sectors, it is deepening while new mechanisms of repression are being implemented. The pandemic and war, interconnected phenomena in which a decadent social order is expressed, are useful to deepen the control and subjugation of the languages and favor the implementation of military coups that mean a greater subjugation of the peoples.

The ideological struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat is part of the struggle for political power, for control of territory and material resources, just as the political struggle and military war share the same objectives. The ideological struggle is an expression of the class struggle that has so far failed to overcome the ideological hegemonic control of the capitalist-imperialist system. Much work remains to be done by the revolutionary and communist organizations to overcome this situation, to encourage the class consciousness of broad sectors of workers in the countryside and the cities, as well as other sectors of the people. In this sense we must achieve greater impact with our propaganda to put at the center of the debates our positions on national and world problems, particularly on the tasks that the new proletarian revolutions must win.

Class consciousness is the ability of the members of a class to assume their historical project in relation to the development of the productive forces and the mode of production in which they live. This is how Karl Marx defined it in 1840. The proletariat does not become a class for itself until it fully understands the importance of being the producer of all wealth that exists, and that it is its collective strength that can bring about significant change in the political and economic system that exploits and oppresses it. Only once they clearly take up this class consciousness do they struggle to liberate themselves and in turn liberate all classes oppressed by capitalism, because this represents the most advanced class project, above any other progressive position.

In Latin America this class consciousness has been restrained by repression and the most savage dictatorships, but also because in different historical moments, since the emergence of capitalism, the nationalist bourgeoisies have won for their ideological position by calling for the defense of the homeland and defense of the country. Other moments when, after the end or defeats of the dictatorships, the revisionist and social democratic positions have deceived broad sectors of the people, confusing them with their versions of bourgeois democracies and libertarian and populist ideas, artificially displacing the understanding of the fundamental contradiction between capital and labor.

This struggle is of capital importance for communists, because it forms the basis of the subjective conditions for carrying forward revolutionary movements towards the historical goals of the workers. Faced with the power of imperialism, this battle has a fundamental role, to concretize the construction of national and world anti-imperialist fronts, which incorporate all oppressed sectors with their various forms of organization against capitalism and imperialism under the same slogans and programs.

COMMUNIST PARTY OF MEXICO MARXIST-LENINIST

Proletarians of all countries, unite.

AUGUST, 2023

Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Ecuador (PCMLE) statement at SIPRAL 27

 THE STRUGGLES OF THE WORKING CLASS AND PEOPLES,

AND THE ANTI-IMPERIALIST DISPUTES

The prolongation of the war in Ukraine, which has now lasted more than a year and a half, is the main evidence of the intensification of inter-imperialist contention. Russia, the United States and NATO all have in this conflagration the location of the most important projections of their future in international geostrategic control.

To this corresponds the extraordinary investment of economic, military and human resources, and that is still not enough for them and they insist on the need to raise them in all meetings and forums on both sides.

But this war is not the only one in the world, nor the only form of inter-imperialist contention. The trade war is intensifying and subsiding as the situation favors one or another power, one or another economic or military bloc, without the struggles and strife between the members of the same bloc disappearing, as is the case with the countries that make up NATO.

This feverish dispute is spreading to all corners of the earth, it manifests itself in the fueling of local conflicts, the encouragement and support for bloody coups d'état, such as what happened in Niger and Gabon on the African continent, the scene of various and recurrent conflicts.

"We are living in a world conditioned by the ups and downs of the confrontation between the imperialist powers and their economic and military blocs and pacts ," said the ICMLPO in the May 1 Manifesto . The inter-imperialist war that is taking place in Ukraine is an expression of this, but it is not its only manifestation. Localized armed conflicts are under way in other countries, trade wars, military apparatuses and armies are being strengthened, there are disputes for economic and political control of the entire planet. The inter-imperialist struggles, particularly the one between the United States and China, warn us of the danger of a world-wide conflagration."

The repercussions of this intensification of inter-imperialist contention are manifold. In the economy, in addition to the serious effects on the countries directly involved in the armed conflict, its repercussions are evident on a global scale.

The economic downturn is seriously affecting China, with major repercussions on its exports and imports, which have an impact on the international economy.

The harmful combination of economic stagnation with high inflation rates is another effect, present mainly in the United States and Europe, but also in several countries in Latin America and other regions of the world.

However, the main impact is suffered by the workers and peoples, mainly in the countries of the imperialist NATO bloc. The increase in war budgets and "aid" to the Zelensky regime, public subsidies to the financial sector to prevent its bankruptcy, among other aspects, have impacted and continue to impact the economy of those at the bottom, with the increase in energy prices and the fall in the purchasing power of wages. The precariousness of work, the dismantling of public services and the regressive reforms to social security have been some of the consequences of the actions of the imperialist bourgeoisie, to place the cost of its war on the backs of the workers and peoples.

The working class and peoples are responding to the offensive of capital

The most important struggles in the world that have taken place in recent times have been led by the working class and broad working masses.

"Now is our time!

“In all countries the demands for higher wages and better working conditions have begun to grow: mobilizations, strikes, demonstrations have increasingly become the way to impose themselves on the bosses. It is a tendency, with different levels and rhythms, that can be seen in all countries; the class struggle, the strength of the workers when they fight together, the importance of the working class, have become more and more affirmed", says the Communiqué of the European section of the ICMLPO. It is referring to the powerful actions of struggle developed in France where, under the slogans: "No to 64 years", "Enough is enough, this time it is no", "No to exploitation, no to work to the grave", were promoted since the beginning of this year against the increase in the retirement age of workers.

But also there were repeated actions that took place in Germany, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Turkey, etc.

Meanwhile, in England, on February 1, a media outlet described:

"Schools closed, trains were paralyzed, officials were absent from multiple ministries. On Wednesday, the United Kingdom saw its largest day of strikes in eleven years with stoppages in many sectors, united by the demand for higher wages against an inflation rate of 10.5%.

“Some 20,000 schools in England and Wales were affected by the first of seven days of strikes called for February and March by primary and secondary school teachers , adding to protests that began months ago in many other sectors.”

Even in the United States, countless workers' strikes were joined by writers, screenwriters and actors in the lucrative film industry.

In Latin America, multiple and repeated actions are developing throughout the region.

The popular rebellion in Peru stands out for its magnitude, in response to the parliamentary coup that removed Pedro Castillo from the government and replaced him with Dina Boluarte. It reached great levels of breadth, radicalism and persistence for a period of 2 months. Only the ferocious repression that claimed the lives of more than 60 combatants, together with the blatant support of US imperialism and the right-wing governments of the region could – momentarily – break the rebellion.

In most countries of the region there have been multiple expressions of protest in which the role of the working class has been clearly highlighted, but they have also had the incorporation of broad sectors of the popular camp.

Ecuador, scene of great class battles

Our country is facing an acute economic, social and political crisis. The impossibility of the bourgeoisie as the ruling class to provide an solution and respond to the fundamental needs of our peoples has led to the increase in poverty and extreme poverty, high unemployment and the accelerated concentration of wealth in the hands of the big bourgeoisie.

The presence in Ecuador of the most important international drug trafficking cartels, connected at different levels with State institutions, has precipitated an unprecedented institutional crisis, political instability and the increase in crime and insecurity in the country.

These factors have determined a complex scenario in which the class contradictions between the bourgeoisie and the working class and other exploited and oppressed classes are expressed and exacerbated, as well as the inter-bourgeois contradictions that have acquired particular significance.

In this scenario, the popular camp, with the action of the working class, broad strata of non-proletarian workers, the indigenous movement, youth, women and sectors of small and medium producers, has played a fundamental role in multiple and significant actions of struggle.

On June 13, 2022, the popular indigenous strike began and lasted for 18 days, winning a victory with a decrease in the prices of gasoline and diesel, the non-expansion of the oil exploitation, the prohibition of mining concessions in protected areas, among other gains.

"The massiveness of the struggle was accompanied by its combativity," says comrade Guido Proaño in the pamphlet: The June strike, eighteen days to win a victory. The mass movement has learned from its own struggles and this was expressed in the struggle in the streets, in the building of barricades, the use of mechanisms and instruments of protection and self-defense, mass actions in the cities, the seizure of governorates and institutions, the closure of main roads to affect the productive apparatus. the blocking of cities taking over key points, the organization of relays, the assembly of logistics to sustain the fighters in the capital."

This momentous battle was not the only one. In multiple and repeated days of mobilization and struggle, the working class, mainly grouped in the organizations that make up the United Workers' Front, has shown its opposition to the attempts of the neoliberal regime of Guillermo Lasso to impose privatizations of strategic areas and social security, of wanting to implement labor flexibility, as a supposed pillar to confront unemployment.

The day of mobilization on May Day 4 months ago took place in 50 cities of the 24 provinces of the country, reiterating the firm position of the working class, leading the popular camp in the complex scenario of political and institutional crisis that confronts Ecuador.

Of course, the camp of the social and political struggle in our country has incorporated multiple sectors affected by the action of the big bourgeoisie in power. Rice producers, dairy farmers, banana growers, Popular Front organizations, peasant social security, university students have been involved. Of particular importance was the struggle promoted by the teachers grouped in the National Union of Educators, who broke the arrogance of the government and won the right to equal pay.

The very episodes of the development of the political crisis, with the impeachment of President Lasso, the declaration of cross-death [in which the president can dissolve the assembly] and the early elections, have not only been expressions of inter-bourgeois contradictions, but also a consequence of the high and persistent levels of combats of the working class, the indigenous movement and other popular sectors.

The struggle in the streets and squares, the strikes and roadblocks has been combined with the presence of the electoral contests.

In opposition to the different alternatives of the bourgeoisie, the revolutionary left and the popular forces have contested the different areas of representation in local governments, in parliament and even in government with their own alternatives.

In the recent early elections, in addition to the 6 presidential candidacies of the bourgeoisie representing different tendencies of the right and so-called progressivism, the popular and left alternative was presented by Yaku Pérez for the Presidency, with the alliance "Claro que se puede" [Certainly we can].

We were in the front row of the contest until the terrible assassination of candidate Fernando Villavicencio. This reprehensible event shook the political scene and favored the two alternatives of the bourgeoisie, which will contest for the government in the second round. Neither of them are an alternative for the working class and peoples of Ecuador.

By way of conclusions:

The revival of the struggle of the working class at the international level affirms the validity of the fundamental contradiction between capital and labor, between the working class and the bourgeoisie.

The recent experiences of struggle of the working class confirm Lenin's theses of the obligation of revolutionaries to participate and get involved in the big trade unions or trade union federations and to fight for the consciousness of the great working masses.

It has also been shown that in the multiple battles, the working class does not act alone, that broad strata of working people are incorporated who, without being strictly part of the working class, are victims of the capitalist system and of the policies of the imperialist bourgeoisie and its natural ally, the big bourgeoisie in the dependent countries.

In several Latin American countries , indigenous peoples are playing an important role in driving the social and political struggle.

A prominent role has been played by youth and women, who are incorporated and involved with determination in all these struggles.

However, the multiple actions of struggle carried out on an international scale also reveal their limitations that prevent this potential from being projected in a meaningful way to the struggle for revolutionary transformation, for the overcoming of capitalism.

These limitations are seen, on the one hand, in the weaknesses in mechanisms of coordination and unification in the most important moments of the struggle.

The lack of a clear political goal that articulates and projects these struggles is one of the most important and evident limitations, which prevent this struggle from being linked to a project of change, to a revolutionary channel.

Of course, when we speak of these limitations it would be wrong to hold the working class and the working masses responsible for them. It is necessary to take up the new and great challenges that are presented for revolutionaries, for Marxist-Leninist parties, to improve and expand our activity to place ourselves at the height of the current development of the class struggle, and to lead that process and lead the social struggle into the revolutionary channel, to the struggle for political power, for the revolution and socialism.

August 1, 2023