The Revolution Club in Los Angeles march on April 2nd. Photo: The Revcoms
On Sunday, April 2, in four cities across the country, the revcoms stepped on the stage with a clear message:
No U.S./NATO War with Russia!
Stop U.S. Threats Against China!
No World War 3!
It’s This System, Not Humanity, That Needs to Become Extinct!
We Don’t Accept Their Future—
It’s Time to Get Organized for a Real Revolution
In Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago and the Bay Area, rallies and marches were held to put these slogans, and this determined force, on the map.
The Revolution Club, Los Angeles, in the streets on April 2, 2023.
Annie Day speaking at the April 2 protest in Los Angeles.
The U.S. is waging a proxy war with Russia in Ukraine—after Russia’s unjust invasion—and making war threats against China in ways that could lead to direct military conflict between these contending imperialist powers. All this holds the danger for world war, and even nuclear war. In this dangerous moment, most people in the U.S. are going along—in silence, willful ignorance, or in some way lining up behind what the U.S. is doing to maintain its global dominance as #1 oppressor in the world. To the degree that there has been any opposition, it’s largely been on the basis of what is or isn't good for Americans instead of the fundamental and most decisive question of what this will mean for the people of the world!
New York City, April 2: Protesters at the Armed Services Recruiting Center at Times Square. Photo: Special to revcom.us
Breaking through this silence, the revcoms led these protests with the clarity concentrated in this urgent truth from the revolutionary leader Bob Avakian:
We can no longer afford to allow these imperialists to dominate the world and to determine the destiny of humanity. They need to be overthrown as quickly as possible.
Chicago, April 2, 2023. Photo: Special to revcom.us
San Francisco, April 2: Standing on U.S. flag. Photo: revcom.us
Going up against the widespread American chauvinism, the revcoms took up the special responsibility of people within this country to call out the crimes of our own rulers, calling out the history and present-day reality of American crimes while refusing to stand with any of these oppressive powers. In LA and Chicago, members of the Revolution Club marched together shredding the American and Russian flags. To sound the alarm about the danger of nuclear war, in some cities, they wore hazmat suits. And to symbolize the internationalism and what we’re fighting for, in a couple cities, they held images of the globe.
We are standing on and shredding the American and Russian flags because it is this system, not humanity, that needs to become extinct.
"We are standing on and shredding the American and Russian flags because these are the symbols of the oppressive empires that sit atop a global system of capitalism-imperialism, with the U.S. being far and away the #1 oppressor in the world."
The chants rang out: “Fuck the U.S. and all its might! For humanity, we will fight.” And “Not Biden, Not Putin, Not Xi Jinping. Let’s build a new world that revolution can bring!”
While the protests were small, they were serious and determined. The speeches and agitation brought alive why “it is this system, not humanity, that needs to become extinct,” laying bare the blood-soaked nature of capitalism-imperialism and why “we don’t accept their future, it’s time to get organized for a real revolution,” because a whole better future is possible through making this revolution.
The essence of what exists in the U.S. is not democracy but capitalism-imperialism and political structures to enforce that capitalism-imperialism. What the U.S. spreads around the world is not democracy, but imperialism and political structures to enforce that imperialism.
—Bob Avakian, BAsics 1:3
In LA, Annie Day said, “A better world without oppression and exploitation is possible. A better world with an economy based on meeting the needs of the people and enabling humanity to become fit caretakers of the Earth... a system that will do away with nuclear weapons, that will become a base area for world revolution... a socialist transition to communism which can finally make possible the dreams and aspirations of people throughout history for a world without war. There is a concrete blueprint for this system in the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America, written by Bob Avakian. And now is the time to get organized for this revolution.”
Through a TikTok video that’s gone viral, these protests had international impact, reaching 1.2 million views with thousands of comments, largely from people all around the world—from people celebrating this stand throughout Africa, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and more.
In NY and Chicago, people of conscience spoke from different perspectives. An audio statement sent by Bob Bossie was played at the Chicago and LA protests. Bob Bossie is a retired priest and member of the international order of the Priests of the Sacred Heart. He worked at the now closed 8th Day Center for Social Justice for 32 years on issues of nuclear war, U.S./UN sanctions against Iraq, and the environment. Also in Chicago, the journalist and historian Paul Street spoke to the crimes and hypocrisy of the U.S. and the special responsibility of people here to stand against what this empire is doing in our name. In NY, members of Raging Grannies and Vets for Peace joined the protest and someone from Extinction Rebellion spoke about how—through the danger of world war and the rapidly moving climate catastrophe—humanity is being brought to the brink of extinction. He talked about the need for people to stand together now to oppose this.
Statement from Bob Bossie
NO to U.S./NATO Proxy War in Ukraine and the Increasing Threats Against China
"Let us be honest, The US surrounds both Russia and China with numerous ships, planes and bases including nuclear weapons. Why? To prevent these nations from challenging US world dominance. What do you think would be the US response if Russian and Chinese ships patrolled US shores, positioned troops in bases in Canada and Mexico, and all of these were armed with nuclear weapons? The 1962 Cuban missile crisis gives us some indications when the world came the closest to nuclear war between the US and the USSR."
Paul Street, historian, speaking in Chicago on April 2.
Speech Given by Paul Street, April 2, Chicago
No World War 3! It’s This System, Not Humanity, That Needs to Become Extinct!
"Our responsibility is to take down our gangsters, our fascists, our capitalists and our imperialists right here in the USA. Really, our task and that of the people of the world is to take down the whole damn capitalist system."
In a rare time in the U.S. when revolution has become more possible, with the rulers of this system irreconcilably divided, it would be wrong to underestimate a force like this stepping onto the stage, speaking the hard-hitting truth with clarity and determination. Learning all we can from what began on April 2, that energy, clarity and revolutionary understanding needs to reach throughout all society building for revolutionary internationalist May 1!
Imperialism means huge monopolies and financial institutions controlling the economies and the political systems—and the lives of people—not just in one country but all over the world. Imperialism means parasitic exploiters who oppress hundreds of millions of people and condemn them to untold misery; parasitic financiers who can cause millions to starve just by pressing a computer key and thereby shifting vast amounts of wealth from one place to another. Imperialism means war—war to put down the resistance and rebellion of the oppressed, and war between rival imperialist states—it means the leaders of these states can condemn humanity to unbelievable devastation, perhaps even total annihilation, with the push of a button.
Imperialism is capitalism at the stage where its basic contradictions have been raised to tremendously explosive levels. But imperialism also means that there will be revolution—the oppressed rising up to overthrow their exploiters and tormentors—and that this revolution will be a worldwide struggle to sweep away the global monster, imperialism.
—Bob Avakian, BAsics 1:6
Chicago, April 2: We stayed at the Bean chanting and agitating as tourists stood by watching and taking photos. Photo: revcom.us