#anti-imperialist solidarity

[whatisonthemoon]

Militant solidarity on International Working Women’s Day in the Netherlands.

from the Friends of the Filipino People in Struggle network

🔥 “The blazing spirit of those who came before us and the struggle they set and kept aflame. They live on. So today on International Working Women’s Day we stand here to continue their fight and keep that revolutionary light ignited. After all, you can’t burn women made of fire.” 🔥

🎥: Veron of Revolutionaire Eenheid delivering a speech calling for militant solidarity on International Working Women’s Day in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Solidarity with the revolutionary struggles of women all around the globe, from Indonesia to the Philippines, and from Palestine to Kurdistan.

Revolutionaire Eenheid is an anti-imperialist youth organization and a member of Friends of the Filipino People in Struggle.  During the march they carried flags bearing the FFPS logo and the call “people’s war is for people’s peace” in support of the Filipino revolutionaries and their struggle to achieve a just and lasting peace through national and social liberation.

“We stand in full solidarity with our Filipino sisters fighting U.S. imperialism and their puppet government in the Philippines.”

Join Friends all around the globe in keeping the anti-imperialist spirit aflame and support the National Democratic revolution in the Philippines! #NDF50

ABANTE, BABAE! PALABAN, MILITANTE! Long live the militant struggle of the Filipino people! Support the Filipino people’s aspiration for a just and lasting peace! Support genuine democracy, support the NDF! People’s war is for people’s peace!

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

Victory to the Axis of Resistance!

[workersolidarity]

Found this after I got off the bus on Tchoupitoulis Street in New Orleans

[connorthemaoist]

Spread the spirit, fan the flames!

Join Behind Enemy Lines for a national organizing meeting on Thursday evening.

- Hear directly from a BEL member who was arrested at the Columbia occupation.

- Discuss the article that they wrote, "Create two, three, many Columbias"

- Learn about BEL's Chicago summer plan to bring militant youth to Chicago to confront Genocide Joe's Death and Nakba Coronation (DNC).

- Find out how to get involved in Behind Enemy Lines.

Thursday evening, 6pm Central/7 pm Eastern. DM for link, bring your questions and your determination.

"The Columbia occupation could be remembered as part of a wave of protests that demonstrated mass outrage in the tace of genocide, but ultimately slowed down and capitulated. Or it could be remembered as a critical turning point, in which a small but critical and growing number of people dedicated themselves to standing with the people of the world. How it's remembered is up to us. And you."

[metamatar]

let me be clear. i have a lot of fondness for the notion of drawing solidarity between brutalized people from across the world and im not a third worldist. it is seductive. but im genuinely sick of anti imperialists from the third world being characterised as people too stupid to know there is poverty and racism in the united states.

im responding to this being linked on my dash

But being that the ghetto is placeless, like Black people, the Fourth World is the only nominal representation these societies can have; third-worldists often times hold indirect and sometimes unspoken disdain for these Fourth World societies . Having never visited, they often times believing everyone has running water, a doctor, and a home — completely ignoring the police state that arrests and murders many urban Black people who dare to find themselves past the red line and in a green, grassy neighbourhood in Riverdale, or walking through the mansion-zoos in the corners of Newburgh.

cultural hegemony means we see all your media. the imperialised always understand their masters! even our bourgeoisie want to immigrate to the first world! said ghetto music is on our speakers! they speak of ferguson in palestine!!! how much contempt do you have for us?

but the worst thing is their are brutalized populations in the third world! their is unimaginable inequality! communities are subject to pogroms and police violence even in the uniform imagined poverty of the third world. while fourth world theorists talk like this – they also erase what arundhati roy talks about when she talks about bastar and kashmir. the fourth world inside the third world. the fourth world in that sense is occupied and it is entirely forgotten by the world at large – no, what matters is urban poverty in los angeles alone.

i also dont think characterising the fourth world like below helps

Subpopulations existing in a First World country, but with the living standards of those in a third world, or developing country.

because it concedes entirely the logics of imperialism, where what matters is the acquiring the living standards, not transforming the relations of power. which makes for allies and programs you cannot trust – happy to brutalise latin america for the next new deal if it was just distributed better. there is no analysis of the productive relations or value transfer. no concern for the costs of "living standards."

[thererisesaredstar]

For Anti-Imperialist Solidarity Peace and Friendship!

13th World Festival of Youth and Students held in Pyongyang (1989)

[hadesoftheladies]

the biggest threat to feminism isn't porn. it's not even the trans movement or anything to do with men. the biggest threat to feminism is whatever upends female solidarity. female solidarity is the only way out, and the biggest threat to female solidarity is white supremacy. racist (that includes anti-semitism, btw) white women will rip us apart and throw the pieces of our movement to the wind. this is an active political threat. white radfems need to get busy pushing anti-racist and anti imperialist rhetoric or we're lost. even lighter-toned women need to advocate against anti-blackness. misogynoir is killing this fucking movement.

lesbophobia is a close (IMO) second and i'm going to make a separate post for that.

[recreationaldivorce]

anti-imperialist network is organising a fundraiser for the communist party of the congo (PCCO, parti communiste du congo) to fund their organising efforts. i highly recommend that people who have shared news about the ongoing genocide in the congo donate to actual organising efforts by communists in the congo if they can; this is important political solidarity work for global north/imperial core communists to engage with. and as usual, if u can't donate then share, etc

edit: it looks like gofundme removed the fundraiser. it wasn't removed by AIN. still trying to ask around to figure out what's happening with the situation but just in case anyone's trying to donate. maybe keep an eye on AIN's social media (north america branch (who is/was running the fundraiser), international) for updates

edit 2: back online :)

update from AIN:

[handweavers]

"Those who point to the lumpenproletariat as the revolutionary vanguard disregard the objective laws of historical development. In pre-capitalist societies, poverty and oppression were even greater than under capitalism. But oppression in itself, no matter how great, does not create the basis for the struggle to abolish oppression.

Because of the specific nature of exploitation under capitalism, the working class, which collectively operates the mass production process of the privately owned monopolies, is transformed into the gravedigger of the system. That is why Marx and Engels wrote in The Communist Manifesto: “Of all the classes that stand face to face with the bourgeoisie today, the proletariat alone is a really revolutionary class.”

No fundamental change—or even a challenge to the monopolists—can occur without the working class. And today the proportion of Black workers in basic industries such as steel, coal, auto, transport and others is transforming the prospects for the class struggle and Black liberation.

The degree of exploitation of Black workers is clearly much greater than that of white workers. Nevertheless, the collective form of exploitation in the decisive mass production industries is suffered by all workers. This creates the objective basis for solidarity, for their unity and leadership in the struggle against the monopolist ruling class.

At the same time, history has assigned a doubly significant role to Black workers—as the leaders and backbone of the Black liberation movement, and as a decisive component of the working class leadership of the anti-imperialist struggle as a whole.

It is the monopolists’ fear of Black, white, Brown, Yellow, Red and working class unity, which in turn can form the basis for still broader people’s unity, that is behind racism and anti-Communism, the main ideological weapons of the ruling class.

Leninism, the Marxism of the imperialist epoch, is the ideological weapon of the working class. It is the scientific guide that enables the working class to combine its struggle with national liberation movements against imperialism.

No other theory has served to free a single working class, a single people, from imperialism anywhere in the world. Beginning with the October revolution, only those guided by Marxism-Leninism have been able to free themselves from class and national oppression and take the road of socialist construction."

— "Objective Laws of Development" Henry Winston, The Crisis of the Black Panther Party (1971)

[whatisonthemoon]

We must make a clean break from the counterinsurgent forces and their so-called solidarity strategies. Collaboration with American and British politicians will not advance the cause of liberation. Collaboration with imperialist-backed organizations and neo-compradors who espouse Zionist ‘anti-Zionist’ ideology will not advance the cause of liberation.

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

Washington, D.C.: Demonstrate to Appreciate and Defend the Alliance of Sahel States!

Thursday, October 24 - 12:00 pm

Gather at Embassy of Mali, 2130 R Street NW, Washington, DC

The Black Alliance for Peace's U.S. Out of Africa Network is calling on everyone who supports self-determination in Africa to turn out on Thursday October 24th, at noon, to rally outside the embassies of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso (all within 3 DC blocks) in a show of support and appreciation to those countries for expelling AFRICOM from their territories, and for their roles in forming the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). We are demonstrating also to affirm that we will not allow any of these countries to suffer the fate of Libya in 2011 at the hands of NATO led by the U.S.

The demonstration will begin by assembling at noon outside the Embassy of Mali at 2130 R Street NW, DC where we will hold a 20 minute rally. Then march one block to the Embassy of Niger at 2204 R Street NW, DC for another short rally. Then proceed to end at the Embassy of Burkina Faso at 2340 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC where we will conclude. In an historical expression of appreciation, each embassy will be presented with a formal letter.

This is a pivotal time for the struggle against imperialism in Africa. The emergence of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) represents an historic breakthrough for Pan-Africanism that the U.S. and NATO are eager to eliminate.

Join us!

[komsomolka]

To sit in the comfort and safety of the West and condemn acts of armed resistance that the Palestinians choose to carry out – always at great risk to their lives – is a deeply chauvinistic position. It must be stated plainly: it is not the place of those who choose to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians from afar to then try and dictate how they should wage the anti-colonial struggle that, as Frantz Fanon believed, is necessary to maintain their humanity and dignity, and ultimately to achieve their liberation. Those who are not under brutal military occupation or refugees from ethnic cleansing have no right to judge the manner in which those who are choose to confront their colonisers. Indeed, expressing solidarity with the Palestinian cause is ultimately meaningless if that support dissipates the moment that the Palestinians resist their oppression with anything more than rocks and can no longer be portrayed as courageous, photogenic, but ultimately powerless, victims. [...]

As a result, large swathes of the Western left express solidarity with the Palestinian cause in a generalised, abstract way, overstating the importance of their own role, and simultaneously rejecting the very groups who are currently fighting – and dying – for it. All too often, those who have refused to surrender and steadfastly resisted at great cost, are condemned by people who, in the same breath, declare solidarity with the cause. Similarly, it is common for these same people to either ignore or demonise those external forces that materially aid the Palestinian resistance more than any others – most notably Iran. If this assistance is acknowledged, which is rare, the Palestinian groups that accept it are typically infantilised as mere ‘dupes’ or ‘pawns’, for allowing themselves to be used cynically by the self-serving acts of others – a sentiment that directly contradicts Palestinian leaders’ own statements.

A specific criticism of Hamas that is frequently deployed in this context is the ‘indiscriminate’ nature of its missile launches from Gaza, actions which both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International regularly label ‘war crimes’. As observed by Perugini and Gordon, the false equivalence that this designation relies upon ‘essentially says that using homemade missiles – there isn’t much else available to people living under permanent siege – is a war crime. In other words, Palestinian armed groups are criminalised for their technological inferiority’. After the latest round of fighting in May 2021, al-Sinwar stated clearly that, unlike Israel, ‘which possesses a complete arsenal of weaponry, state-of-the-art equipment and aircraft’ and ‘bombs our children and women, on purpose’, if Hamas possessed ‘the capabilities to launch precision missiles that targeted military targets, we wouldn’t have used the rockets that we did. We are forced to defend our people with what we have, and this is what we have’.

This failure to support legitimate armed struggle is a part of a wider problem with the framing used by many supporters of the Palestinian cause in the West, that obscures its fundamental nature and how it must be resolved. Palestine is not simply a human rights issue, or even just a question of apartheid, but rather an anti-colonial fight for national liberation being waged by an indigenous resistance against the forces of an imperialist-backed settler colony. Decolonisation is a word now frequently used in the West in an abstract sense or in relation to curricula, institutions and public art, but rarely anymore in connection to what actually matters most: land. And that is the very crux of the issue: the land of Palestine must be decolonised, its Zionist colonisers deposed, their racist structures and barriers – both physical and political – dismantled, and all Palestinian refugees given the right of return.

[fiercynn]

black & palestinian solidarities

if you support black liberation but are unsure of your stance on palestinian resistance, here’s a reminder that they are deeply intertwined. after the 1917 balfour declaration by the british government announcing the first support for a zionist state in palestine,  zionism and israeli occupation of palestine have followed similar ideologies and practices to white supremacist settler colonial projects, so solidarity between black and palestinian communities has grown over time, seeing each other as fellow anti-imperialist and anti-racist struggles. (if you get a paywall for any of the sources below, try searching them in google scholar.)

palestinians have been inspired by and shown support for black liberationist struggles as early as the 1930s, when arabic-language newspapers in palestine wrote about the struggle by black folks in the united states and framed it as anti-colonial, as well as opposing the 1935 invasion by fascist italy of ethiopia, the only independent black african state at the time. palestinian support for black struggles grew in the 1960s with the emergence of newly-independent african states, the development of black and third world internationalisms, and the civil rights movement in the united states. palestinian writers have expressed this solidarity too: palestinian activist samih al-qasim showed his admiration for congolese independence leader patrice lumumba in a poem about him, while palestinian poet mahmoud darwish’s “letters to a negro” essays spoke directly to black folks in the united states about shared struggles.

afro-palestinians have a rich history of freedom fighting against israeli apartheid, where they face oppression at the intersections of their black and palestinian identities. some families trace their roots back hundreds of years, while others came to jerusalem in the nineteenth century from chad, sudan, nigeria, and senegal after performing the hajj (the islamic pilgrimage to mecca) and settled down. still others came to palestine in the 1940s specifically to join the arab liberation army, where they fought against israel’s ethnic cleansing of palestinians during the 1948 nakba (“catastrophe”). afro-palestinian freedom fighter fatima bernawi, who was of nigerian, palestinian, and jordanian descent, became, in 1967, the first palestinian woman to be organize an operation against israel, and subsequently the first palestinian woman to be imprisoned by israel. the history of afro-palestinian resistance continues today: even as the small afro-palestinian community in jerusalem is highly-surveilled, over-policed, disproportionately incarcerated, and subjected to racist violence, they continue to organize and fight for palestinian liberation.

black revolutionaries and leaders in the united states have supported the palestinian struggle for decades, with a ramp-up since the 1960s. malcolm x became a huge opponent of zionism after traveling to southwest asia and north africa (SWANA), publishing “zionist logic” in 1964, and becoming one of the first black leaders from the united states to meet with the newly formed palestine liberation organization. the black panther party and the third world women’s alliance, a revolutionary socialist organization for women of color, also supported palestinian resistance in the 1970s. writers like maya angelou, june jordan, and james baldwin have long spoken out for palestinians. dr. angela davis (who received support from palestinian political prisoners when she was incarcerated) has made black and palestinian solidarity a key piece of her work. and many, many more black leaders and revolutionaries in the united states have supported palestinian freedom.

while israel has long courted relationships with the african union and its members, there has been ongoing tension between them since at least the 1970s, when all but four african states (malawi, lesotho, swaziland, and mauritius) cut off diplomatic ties with israel after the 1973 october war. while many of those diplomatic relationships were reestablished in subsequent decades, they remain rocky, and earlier this year, the african union booted an israeli diplomat from their annual summit in addis ababa, ethiopia, and issued a draft declaration on the situation in palestine and the middle east that expressed “full support for the palestinian people in their legitimate struggle against the israeli occupation”, naming israeli settlements as illegal and calling for boycotts and sanctions with israel. grassroots organizations like africa 4 palestine have also been key in the BDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions) movement.

in south africa, comparisons between israel and south african apartheid have been prevalent since the 1990s and early 2000s. israel historically allied with apartheid-era south africa, while palestinians opposed south african apartheid, leading nelson mandela to support the palestinian liberation organization as "fighting for the right of self-determination"; over the years his statements have been joined by fellow black african freedom fighters like nozizwe madlala-routledge and desmond tutu. post-apartheid south africa has continued to be a strong ally to palestine, calling for israel to be declared “apartheid state”.

black and palestinian solidarities have continued into the 21st century. palestinian people raised money to send to survivors of hurricane katrina in the united states in 2005 (which disproportionately harmed black communities in new orleans and the gulf of mexico) and the devastating earthquake in haiti in 2010. in the past decade, the global black lives matter struggle has brought new emphasis to shared struggles. prison and police abolitionists have long noted the deadly exchange which brings together police, ICE, border patrol, and FBI agents from the united states to train with soldiers, police, and border agents from israel. palestinian freedom fighters supported the 2014 uprising in ferguson in the united states, and shared strategies for resisting state violence. over a thousand black leaders signed onto the 2015 black solidarity statement with palestine. the murder of george floyd by american cops in 2020 has sparked further allyship, including black lives matter protests in palestine, with organizations like the dream defenders making connections between palestinian and black activists.

this is just a short summary that i came up because i've been researching black and asian solidarities recently so i had some sources on hand; there's obviously so much more that i haven't covered, so please feel free to reblog with further additions to this history!

[txttletale]

Okay so. The biggest Marxist party in France is trotskyist and if it's not too much trouble, I would really like a rundown of why every ML I've talked to hates trots? Because there aren't many other options to be honest

basically it is because every trotskyist party is an anti-solidarity dead weight on the socialist left. they're almost inevitably hypersectarian and stuffed to the brim with grifters, opportunists, and careerists. they have absolutely no shame and see everything as a branding excercise and as an opportunity for sectarian digs and relitigating arguments from thirty, forty, fifty years ago. they often take soft-imperialist positions, both-sidesing nato imperialism and scoffing at the idea of critical support.

they also habitually turn into cults of personality that close ranks around sexual predators, but that's not endemic to trotsykist parties, that also happens with demsocs and MLs and maoists and anarchists and [checks notes] uh oh all the liberal bourgeois and right-wing political parties too.

i don't have a particular hypothesis for why trots are so uniquely fucking obnoxious, but i theorize that like--from the 70s onward, most western countries had an ML and a trotskyist org engaged in pointless sectarian warfare as the former toed the CPSU line and the latter railed against them, both to the exclusion of actually doing anything useful. after the dissolution of the USSR, the ML parties more or less collapsed or went entirely directionless for a long time. as a result, trotskyists have been spending three decades in parties that have no particular goal or point, and as such have completely ossified, bureaucratized, and become terminally infested with grifters.

i obviously don't know the french political context, so i can only describe my experience: my ML org has worked happily side by side with anarchists and democratic socialists--we have never been able to work with trots.

[catdotjpeg]

Leaders of the Cuban Revolution gather at the Anti-Imperialist Tribunal in Havana to denounce Zionist genocide against the people of Palestine. Despite the cruel blockade on Cuba, it never wavers in its solidarity with the Palestinian people.

-- International Peoples' Assembly, 2 Mar 2024

[degeneratedworker]

'For anti-imperialist solidarity, peace and friendship!' Soviet Union 1989