Posts by issue number/Posteos por número de la edición

As a highly fraught 2025 dawns, the question the revolutionary leader Bob Avakian posed in 2020 is all the more urgent... and awaits an answer:

Radical Change Is Coming: Will It Be Emancipating, Or Enslaving—Revolutionary, Or Reactionary?

The answer depends—to a great extent—on whether or not Bob Avakian's voice, vision and leadership becomes known to millions. 

Sound radical? 

It is. And it's profoundly true.

This year holds extreme danger for the people of our world... and one that holds the urgent need for resistance, and revolution. Resistance aiming to unite all who can be united to defeat Trump MAGA fascism. And revolution based on the new communism developed by Bob Avakian (BA) to bring into being a whole new way to live and a fundamentally different system. 

But without the consistent scientific leadership Bob Avakian is providing, people won't understand the full danger of what we're facing with this Trump MAGA fascism and—more fundamentally—how it arose out of this system of capitalism-imperialism, which has given rise to so many other atrocities... they won't understand the kind of mass opposition and defiance we need now to defeat this fascism, and why relying on the "normal channels" of this system would be worse than deadly... they won't see how that relates to building up the forces for revolution to overthrow this system and bring into being a radically different and far better system. 

BA is not just the only leader in this country even talking about making a real revolution, but he is the leader who has developed a whole new framework for human emancipation, the new communism.

With the whole future on the line, this needs to be heard, taken up and debated—urgently. That's what the National Campaign to Get @BobAvakianOfficial Everywhere is aimed at doing—raising serious funds for online advertising, and an on-the-ground grassroots movement. @BobAvakianOfficial is the social media platform where BA is providing real-time, regular, concrete and scientific revolutionary leadership. 

We have a little more than a week in our year-end fund drive to raise $50,000, and $9,845 to go. And we have big plans, and big needs for big impact in the new year.

We want to share three experiences from people across the country that makes these points in different ways:

** One important lesson, which we've emphasized before but can't emphasize enough, is the need to be very forthright—bold—about asking for funds, making an argument for why it matters. Even with a changed situation, the first time you ask, a lot of people are going to say no to making a contribution, but a) people won't give if you don't ask, and b) the more people you ask, the more will give, and c) those who don't give will be thinking about the argument you made—this is especially important as the times intensify, with a lot being called into question about the nature of the society we live in.

We want to share a report we received from a volunteer about the difference it makes to be bold:

I went to an event with the RevCom Corps for the Emancipation of Humanity at a public library featuring Black writers. We were distributing the pamphlet of social media messages from Bob Avakian, "A Profound Fight for the Soul of Black People: A Defeated People—Or, A Revolutionary People?" 

We were setting out to raise money. The pamphlets are $2 but we wanted to both get these in people's hands, and raise more. I was struggling with people to read it, because I unite 100% around that. And I wanted to take it out among Black people. The people I talked to received it really well and donated on the spot.

I read from the pamphlet aloud and challenged people “Are we a revolutionary people or a defeated people?" I asked people, "which one are you?" And I asked them to donate. I had to speak to a lot of people, and I kept it short. I raised $57. To contrast the approach, the other people I was with only raised $2 or $3 because they weren't being as bold. I just walked right up to groups of people and got in their face (not in a rude way, but serious). I held up the cover and stopped everyone. I told them I am a supporter of the revolution. And I told them Bob Avakian is the guy who has been fighting for revolution. It’s important for you to read what he’s saying. We’re fighting for humanity, not just here but around the world. 

I kept things short and sweet, not a long dissertation. I want them to read the pamphlet. My role is to challenge them to get into it, and to donate funds.

** As part of meeting our $50,000 goal, we are not just aiming to raise funds—as important as that is—we are out to raise people! We are aiming for 200 people to give $5. And in that goal, 39 have stepped forward to give.

This is an entry-level way for people to learn about Bob Avakian, and on the spot, contribute so that others can learn about him and the revolution he's fighting for.  This goal for 200 $5 donations that is part of the challenge for the $50,000 goal needs to be more boldly and broadly taken up. One fundraiser just sent the following about their experience in reaching out boldly to others to give.

I spent a short time talking to people I know who live on my block, where a lot of West Indian immigrants have lived for many decades. Several of the guys who hang out there follow the news closely, and have strong opinions; none of them went for Trump, and they complain about how wrong he is. I played Bob Avakian's social media message Revolution #102 for 9 different people. This included people from Jamaica, Grenada, Barbados, St. Vincent and Panama. Some listened more than others, and 2 opened Bob Avakian's youtube channel on their phones while we were talking. I gave them a flyer about the campaign to get @BobAvakianOfficial Everywhere. And I asked them to start investing in spreading BA's messages by giving $5 now. On the spot, 3 people stepped forward to give. This is an important first step, and I emphasized that this was a "start" since this needs to be a first-time, but not a last-time donation. I look forward to following up with them after they've listened a bit more, and with updates on the National Campaign and what they're a part of.

** Finally, we want to share an inspiring comment that provides a graphic illustration of the stakes and need for revolution -- in the countless lives stolen by the brutal and illegitimate enforcers of this monstrous and illegitimate system:

On the 5 year anniversary of my husband's murder at the hands of Akron Ohio police, I choose to donate and help raise funds to get @BobAvakianOfficial to millions of people. Together with my Cleveland revcoms family, we collected $420 thru a Facebook marketplace rummage sale. I don't live close to any other revcoms so this was a great way for me to contribute my time and goods to the cause when I may not otherwise have been able to. So far I also have 2 new $5 donors and 2 more potential to contribute to our national goal.

Thru listening to and discussing the social media messages, I have come to realize that there are other options out there. We don't have to live like this. There is hope somewhere out there. My hope is for a fundamentally different system where I can attain true justice for my Mohammad Isaifan's brutal murder and the hope of ending police murder nationally. I encourage you to donate in any way you can TODAY!!!! The time is now. Justice for Mohammad.

We look forward to hearing from you: what you're learning in going out to fight for this; what questions and obstacles you're encountering; and what ideas you have! Write to info@bobavakianofficialeverywhere.org.

The air was filled with defiance and joy last Sunday afternoon at the Revolution Books benefit party as more than 65 people gathered, celebrated and gave life to the slogans:

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

We Need and We Demand: A Whole New Way to Live, a Fundamentally Different System!

Old friends of Revolution Books, brand new ones, people from various parts of the globe—with different backgrounds, all ages—came together to support Revolution Books, for an afternoon of being in a whole new world filled with defiant and uplifting culture, a vision of how humanity could live based on the new communism of Bob Avakian, and a stirring challenge issued by Andy Zee to step in to defeat this fascism and into the revolution. There was a spirit in the room of wanting to be, needing to be, in Revolution Books at this moment when the MAGA fascism of Trump is poised to take power. This was reflected in the performances and the urgent conversations at the tables as people enjoyed the wonderful food donated for the evening. 

The culture represented the people of the world: three singers of Colombian heritage, "Las Lloronas of Gaza" ("The Weeping Women of Gaza"), carried swaddling representing the murdered babies of Gaza and performed in dramatic makeup and costumes, turning mourning into resistance. Poet Mahogany Browne read from her new book, A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe, "If the rich feed on the work of the poor, then how will the poor eat? I say, burn it all down—begin again. One nation, one table. Let no one leave the kitchen hungry!"

Brad Waldron dramatically performed his poem, "How to Describe a Slave Ship in Three Minutes or Less: all the drinks are vinegar and virgin sweetened with loads of cane sugar and cotton..."

Jamel Mims, an African-American hip hop artist, began his performance by reading the poem "If I Must Die," by Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer who was killed in the ongoing Israeli/U.S. genocide in Gaza. Jamel then rapped in English and Mandarin Chinese by performing his bilingual rap, "Say U Dunno."

Andy Zee, a host of The RNL—Revolution, Nothing Less!—Show, a spokesperson for Revolution Books, and a follower of Bob Avakian (BA), raised the whole evening up to another level. Andy talked about the revolutionary leadership we have: "Bob Avakian's work and leadership—which Revolution Books is based on—makes it possible to understand the situation we face and how we could get free..."

Andy spoke of the moment and the urgent need to defeat the Trump MAGA fascism and at the same time be getting organized for revolution: "'This whole system is rotten and illegitimate—we need and we demand: a whole new way to live, a fundamentally different system!' With the deeper, more scientific understanding of the new communism Bob Avakian has developed, we have what we need to stop the world careening off a cliff and free humanity here and all over the world. THIS is the cold, liberating truth that comes from the warmth of the heart that wants to free ourselves and all of humanity."

This was followed by a clip from the Bob Avakian Interviews where he answered the question of "Why if you don't have a poetic spirit would it be very dangerous to lead a Marxist movement or a socialist state?" Bob Avakian spoke of the reality that "human beings have a need for beauty.… It comes in nature, it comes in music, it comes in poetry.... The kind of world we're aiming for is not one where that kind of beauty is discounted or suppressed, but one where the human being's need for that is given much fuller expression." This gave a vision of the new society we are fighting for based on the new communism and a sense of BA, the person with humor, wit and insight—heart and soul and hard-core for revolution. 

Incredible food was donated by neighborhood restaurants and supporters of Revolution Books. Spirited and deep conversations, and learning about each other and the revolution, characterized the whole afternoon. Over $1,000 was raised by meeting a $500 match challenge during the course of the afternoon to contribute to the year-end $25,000 Revolution Books fund drive.

In early December, 40+ men and women behind the dungeon walls of Iran’s Evin Prison called for mass protest against death sentences for six political prisoners, and against rampant executions overall. 

The [Woman, Life, Freedom] uprising of 2022 marked a turning point in the Iranian people’s struggle for liberation. It has shaken the foundations of the ruling government to such an extent that they have no alternative other than to intensify repression in various forms. The issuing of death sentences and carrying them out, including against political prisoners, has increased exponentially over the past two years. This is a sign of the fear and panic that exists among the political elite of Iran, due to the advances made by society in standing up and demanding its rights.

We, a group of political prisoners in Evin prison, are fundamentally opposed to the death penalty, and we support all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience who are facing execution. We believe that the struggle for liberation requires collective solidarity in defense of basic human rights, including by carrying out social resistance to the death penalty. We call on all the people of Iran from all walks of life to protest alongside the political prisoners, in any way possible, against the issuance of such inhumane and reactionary sentences. Today is the time to form up in the streets against the executions! Today is the time to save the lives of the political prisoners! No to Execution!

[Published December 9, 2024 by the IEC]

ENDORSE THIS CALL HERE

The “Call to the People” comes as the ongoing, weekly “No to Execution Tuesdays” hunger strike prisoner-led movement continues and grows. It has spread to 27 prisons and has lasted nearly a full year. It began on January 30, 2024 in Iran’s Ghezel Hesar prison where the vast majority of executions are taking place like a runaway train. The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign was initiated by 10 political prisoners in Ghezel Hesar with the goal of abolishing executions and ending state violence. “We chose Tuesday because often it is the last day our cell­mates are alive before being trans­ferred to solitary confinement [in preparation] for execution,” Ghezel Hesar prisoners explained in an open letter… “We ask you to defend all prison­ers sen­tenced to death, regardless of their political or non-political charges, because we have all been unfairly tried.” 

The Evin prisoners’ recent “Call to the people” gives further political leadership for the struggle to become more organized as collective and widespread resistance, with likely hopeful prospects of transforming resistance into revolutionary struggle for radical, socio-economic system change—beyond the many stellar individual acts of bravery that may be catalytic.

The Amazing Heroic Women Political Prisoners 

The organized, collective protests of leftist women political prisoners in Evin stand out. They have written letters, staged repeated protests, and participated in numerous hunger strikes. BBC (British Broadcasting Company), for their own purposes related to the larger interests of British imperialism, recently published an animation on YouTube that captures the brutal repression and righteous resistance of the women locked inside Evin’s hellish gates.

“Songs from Inside”: Voices from Evin 

This powerful video from interviews of three of Evin’s women prisoners depicts the women political prisoners’ organized and defiant sit-ins against executions, featuring audio from their protests. These voices represent the selfless and fearless humanity that is needed out in the streets of Iran and globally to fight for justice and a better world.

Theocrats Take Revenge on Women and People’s Rebellion

Since the powerful 2022-23 Woman, Life, Freedom (WLF) uprising, sparked by the murder in police custody of Mahsa Jina Amini for “improper” hijab, Iran’s regime is on “a horrifying surge in executions that saw Iran’s prisons transformed into sites of mass killings.” Human rights group Amnesty International documents 853 executions in 2023, while HRANA reports 811 between October 2023 and October 2024.¹ This averages 2 to 3 daily executions or official state lynchings going on for two years! 

On Thursday, December 5, the death sentence of 22-year-young Ali Khaleqi Farghani was carried out on his birthday in Mashhad Central Prison. According to iranwire.com, three people were executed on Monday, December 9 and also on Tuesday, December 10; eleven people were executed on Wednesday, December 11 and also on Sunday, December 15. This totals 28 people just in the span of seven days, or four per day in the first half of this month! More executions may have taken place, as many executions are not reported by Iran’s state authorities. 

Amidst this executions surge, Iran’s regime is increasingly including political prisoners and women. According to the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI): “Since the start of 2024, Iran has executed at least 29 women. These women are often young and, like many of those executed in Iran, often members of minority communities. What stands them apart from other executed prisoners is that many of these women were victims of child marriage (and thus child rape), domestic violence, and gender-related crimes and injustices, who committed murder as the only way to escape intolerable abuse.” Hadi Ghaemi, CHRI director explained, “The Islamic Republic allows girls to be married off at 13, and does not protect them from violent and abusive husbands—and then sentences them to death after they commit desperate acts to escape the crimes committed against them.” 

Significance for Our Tumultuous World 

Since our campaign was launched four years ago, actions by U.S. imperialists as well as by Iran’s Islamic fundamentalists have verified our stated orientation in our Emergency Appeal that “The governments of the U.S. and Iran act from their national interests. And, in this instance, we the people of the U.S. and Iran, along with the people of the world, have OUR shared interests, as part of getting to a better world: to unite to defend the political prisoners of Iran. In the U.S., we have a special responsibility to unite very broadly against this vile repression by the IRI, and to actively oppose any war moves by the U.S. government that would bring even more unbearable suffering to the people of Iran.”

This takes on heightened meaning now as the need to stand with courageous resisters against the oppressive regime(s) is all the more pronounced in our world—for all who crave liberation, especially for women, to take heed and emulate. They exemplify a spirit of not fearing the authorities but also not fearing the tide or weight of where the majority of people are at currently. Dare to struggle, dare to win. Demand of the Islamic Republic of Iran: FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS NOW! Say to the U.S government: NO THREATS OR WAR MOVES AGAINST IRAN, LIFT U.S. SANCTIONS!

Express your solidarity by endorsing and spreading the Evin prisoners’ “Call to the People” on this page.

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.

* * * * *

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.”

To further get into this, I went back to a Q&A with Bob Avakian from 2006, where someone asked him this question:

I’ve been thinking about two things: one is a statement by Arundhati Roy in an interview where she basically said—this is a paraphrase—“I support the Maoists in India, even though I would probably be the first person they would kill.”

Second, I’ve been thinking about this in relation to the need to make a distinction, as you emphasized, between those who are actively plotting to overthrow the socialist state and those who are just dissenting, or even vehemently opposed to it, but not actively plotting to overthrow it. My question is, taking into account the socialist experience and the very secondary aspects where Arundhati Roy might have a point based on what happened in China, and also taking into account the particularity of India and the particularities of this country, what should communists say to the Arundhati Roys of the world in relation to this contradiction, and why should they believe us?

Arundhati Roy is an Indian novelist and activist.  She has been a target of repression from the fascist Indian government.

I really encourage people to listen to this and discuss it—what he's saying, why, to grapple further with the intense contradictions that will be faced in the socialist transition to communism, and how the new communism provides a framework for leading masses to work through those contradictions to get to communism.

BA answered this question before he wrote the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America, and you'll see there how he further developed a concrete framework for how to lead through this process. He speaks more about this in the Interview he did with The RNL—Revolution, Nothing Less!—Show. But this off-the-cuff answer gives you a sense of the down-on-the-ground way BA has been grappling with real-world problems that faced the first revolutions, and how we need to do better and different. In doing so he really lets you—or challenges you—to grapple in that same kind of way... and with that same kind of method, and same unity between the liberating ends we are fighting for, and the liberating scientific means we have to apply to get there.

These are not questions “for later,” but questions that anyone who wants to see a better world needs to be discussing together now—urgently.

Finally, I want to point out and appreciate how BA himself comes through this Q&A (and the whole set of Q&A's that this was part of). The matter of fact way of putting intense contradictions, the humor and the soaring and far-sighted vision! 

“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.¹ 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? 

Do we help our comrades, as well as broader masses of people, to really understand and appreciate this fully? If you study Breakthroughs you should be able to see that Marx and Engels obviously made a key initial breakthrough, and that Lenin had to make further major breakthroughs (or there would have been no socialist revolution in Russia) and that Mao had to lead through yet another great conceptual and practical leap, not only to be able to make revolution in a country such as China but very critically in order to recognize the limitations of the new society, the persistence of revisionist capitalist-roaders and the need to “continue the revolution” even under socialism. 

These were all important and very necessary leaps and breakthroughs, but THE Breakthrough that BA has made (concentrated in Resolution #1² and the whole of what is new and different about the new synthesis of communism he has brought forth) is of a whole different order, of  QUALITATIVELY GREATER IMPORTANCE than even those prior significant and invaluable developments along the path to human emancipation. 

In basic terms: NEW. VERY DIFFERENT. AND MUCH BETTER! 

This is why the emergence of the new synthesis demarcates the end of a stage and the beginning of a new stage. Do we actually get and agree with this? And, if so, do we regularly bring it to life for people, even in very basic and simple terms, including for our own ranks?

The intensive care unit of a hospital is where the most desperately ill and at risk go for treatment. But this past week, Israel turned the intensive care unit at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza into a free-fire zone. Israeli forces also attacked the nursery, the maternity ward, and other departments in the hospital with “sniper fire, tank shells, and quadcopters [drones],” the hospital’s director said on December 22. “For more than an hour now, shells are raining down on us from every corner, mile, and direction.”

The Kamal Adwan Hospital has been one of the few in north Gaza that was even functioning, and it was barely holding on. This past week Israel ordered people inside and around the hospital to evacuate. They surrounded the hospital with tanks, troops, and drones, making it virtually impossible for any of the patients or staff to carry out the evacuation order. Then the Israeli forces launched their murderous attack on the hospital. In recent days, “many injuries” were reported “as bullets penetrated the walls, also damaging equipment.”

Despite the pleas from the hospital’s staff and patients, none of the world’s global powers, who claim to uphold humanitarian law, took any meaningful action to stop this depraved onslaught. 

Escalating Campaign of Genocide—Focused on Northern Gaza

The attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital is yet another example of Israel’s criminal campaign to totally destroy all healthcare in Gaza—hospitals, clinics, ambulances—as well as murder healthcare workers. This is a key part of Israel’s ongoing campaign of genocide against the Palestinian people as a whole. The official death toll after 14 straight months of relentless Israeli attacks—on people who stand defenseless against tanks, missiles and warplanes—now stands at over 46,000 people, overwhelmingly children and other civilians. According to a study by the medical journal The Lancet, the actual toll of direct and indirect deaths caused by Israel in Gaza may be over 186,000!

This genocide is now focused in northern Gaza, which Israel has sealed off from the outside world and the rest of Gaza. 

Israel’s Genocide: Impossible Without Massive U.S. Support

The Biden-Harris administration has repeatedly uttered deceitful words of “concern” for the horrendous suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, and claims that the U.S. is calling on Israel to “restrain” itself. 

The reality is that the U.S. has fully backed, armed, funded, defended, and enabled Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza—from the day it began following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, reactionary attack, until today. This has included at least $22.76 billion for Israel’s military operations and related U.S. operations in the region. The U.S. has provided military advice and intelligence to Israel. It has repeatedly vetoed UN resolutions calling for a halt to Israel’s onslaught in Gaza. And the propaganda organs of the U.S. rulers—i.e., the major news media—have repeated Israel’s excuses for its genocide. 

In short, this massive, barbaric genocide could not take place without U.S. backing. The blood is on America’s hands.

Here’s the idea. Get a Santa outfit or two, and get some friends—all you need is a few to get started. Rewrite a few carols with a spirit of refusing to accept this MAGA/Trump fascism. Then go to holiday markets, skating rinks and other festive places in the days between now and Christmas. Dress like carolers and disturb the air with a few of these carols. Agitate a little, play a recent Bob Avakian message, and then raise some money. If the whole thing turns into a speak-out, or an argument… well, wouldn’t that be a way to win some people to get active, as they so urgently need to do? And shouldn’t that be the “holiday spirit” that we want to bring?!

Here’s a carol to get you started, to the tune of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”:

God damn you fascist MAGA nuts

There’s nothing in your brains

Except for racist sexist hate

And rantings quite insane

We’ll fight you and defeat you

And put your lies to shame

Oh fascism we must defeat, must defeat

Oh fascism we must defeat!

Make videos, post (tag us @therevcoms) and write us (revolution.reports@yahoo.com) how it goes.

Since the election of Trump, fascists in Southern California have been organizing "Trump Trains" for a "victory lap" around LA. These are truck/car caravans flying MAGA and American flags and cruising “blue” areas—hurling taunts and threats at women and the LGBTQ community.

On November 30 they called for a caravan to begin at a Home Depot where dozens of day laborers gather daily to look for work. The day laborers from Guatemala, Nicaragua, Argentina, Venezuela and other countries are anxiously facing the promise the Trump administration is making to deport millions of immigrants. 

Reaching out to different organizations about building mass opposition and resistance to this Trump/MAGA fascism, we raised the two slogans: “In The Name Of Humanity, We Refuse To Accept A Fascist America” and “This Whole System Is Rotten And Illegitimate—We Need And We Demand: A Whole New Way To Live, A Fundamentally Different System.” THE REVCOM CORPS For The Emancipation Of Humanity stood strong in opposition to the Trump/MAGA fascist shit show. 

In his social media message Revolution #106, Bob Avakian puts out a broad call to "Defend the Rights and Lives of People Targeted by Trump/MAGA Fascism. Take the Offensive in Opposition to This Fascism and The System That Has Given Rise to This Fascism." This was our orientation for the day and what we were manifesting and prepared to do. As soon as we got there, fascists were going up to the day laborers and harassing them and trying to provoke them. THE REVCOM CORPS marched up and stood in a line between the fascists and the day laborers. We stood as a serious disciplined force, not engaging the fascists, and linking arms when they threatened to get through the line—making clear we were not going to allow them to intimidate, harass or physically assault anyone. 

Through the day there were customers of the Home Depot who hate this Trump/MAGA fascism who were taking materials including the broadsheet “We Need and We Demand A Whole New Way to Live, A Fundamentally Different System,” and some got out of their cars and stood with us. At the end of the day, some of the day laborers listened to a short presentation from the revcoms and gave feedback—with people expressing how proud, grateful and happy they were to have witnessed THE REVCOM CORPS For The Emancipation Of Humanity in action—how we did not allow ourselves to get provoked but also did not back up even a step in our opposition to the fascist freak show that was trying to intimidate people. 

Many more people need to join with THE REVCOM CORPS For The Emancipation Of Humanity and be part of defending the rights and lives of people targeted by these "MAGA" fascists!

Haiti is currently engulfed in a catastrophic crisis bringing enormous suffering to the people, and spiraling further out of control every day. Fighting between armed gangs and the Haitian government has spread through most of the capital city of Port-au-Prince; gangs are also fighting with each other over “territory.” All sides are committing atrocities. The U.S. has brought in 400 Kenyan soldiers to bolster the government, with 600 more expected to join them.

At this point, the main highways connecting the capital to the rest of the country are controlled by gangs; the airport was shut down for weeks;⁴ humanitarian groups are suspending operations; basic services are nonexistent. Food supplies have been severely disrupted—five million people face acute hunger nationally; tens of thousands more face outright starvation. More than 5,000 people have been killed this year. Attacks have spread to an important rice farming region. And the danger of complete political collapse of the Haitian state, or even civil war, is very real.

We will get into what is happening and why, but we want to start with a few basic points. 

First, what is happening in Haiti now is not “good guys” vs. “bad guys.” 

No—this is about gangsters on all levels: big-time gangsters of U.S. imperialism that have violently controlled Haiti for over 100 years; their junior gangster partners in the Haitian ruling class that have facilitated and benefited from imperialist domination; and the street gangsters that once controlled only the slums of Port-au-Prince, but are now trying to muscle their way into a “seat at the table” with the “legitimate” Haitian ruling class. 

Second, these different levels of gangsters are fighting with each other and among themselves over who will hold what share of power—the power to rob and oppress the masses of people. None of them are challenging the system of capitalism-imperialism, which gave rise to this nightmare to begin with. Each wants to be cut in on (or increase their current share of) the wealth drained from the blood and suffering of the masses.

Third, the Haitian people have NO INTEREST in helping any of these gangsters to consolidate power. Struggle DOES have to be waged, but that struggle has to be aimed at breaking imperialism’s grip on Haiti, and on ending all oppressive relations in which one part of society exploits others, and all inequality, as part of doing that on a world scale. 

In the midst of the current terrible situation, there is an urgent need and a very real basis for a revolutionary force to emerge to lead the struggle on that basis. 

Fourth and finally: In today’s world, taking the revolutionary road means taking up the new communism developed by revolutionary leader Bob Avakian (BA). It means taking up his analysis of why people around the world are in the situation we’re in and his vision and blueprint for a liberating socialist society that would be radically different and far better than even the best experience of past revolutions. And it especially means engaging with BA’s underlying scientific method to further apply and develop this to the conditions in different countries and different situations, and to organize people around that—making revolution as part of the worldwide struggle to emancipate all of humanity, all across this bleeding planet.⁵

Seriously undertaking this process is the number one task and responsibility facing all those in Haiti (and the world) whose hearts ache for a way to end all this unnecessary suffering. It is the key link in forging a road to a radically different and better world.

What Led to This Crisis?

In July 2021, an intense power struggle within Haiti’s ruling capitalist class erupted in a fury of violence. The home of Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moïse, was attacked by more than two dozen ex-military Colombian mercenaries. The president’s bodyguards “somehow” were uninjured, but Moïse was killed and his wife seriously wounded. 

To this day it is not known who organized this attack. Moïse, a corrupt right-wing president, was wildly unpopular among the masses. He had been the target of fierce street protests demanding his resignation. 

But his assassination was clearly organized by ruling class forces. Planning went on in South Florida, as well as in the Dominican Republic. Large sums of money, as well as strategic “connections” were required to hire a squad of foreign mercenaries and then move them into action right under the nose of the Haitian police and army.⁶ 

After the assassination, the in-fighting intensified. With the president dead, the prime minister would normally take charge.⁷ But both the sitting prime minister, (Claude Joseph), and the person that Moïse had designated as the next prime minister, (Ariel Henry), insisted they should head up the government until a new president was elected. 

Joseph had powerful backing from the Haitian army and Haitian police. But after 12 days, the “Core Group” (led by the U.S., and including other imperialist or regional powers) threw its support to Henry. Two days later, Henry took power.

The fact that the imperialists’ “Core Group” made the final decision about who would lead Haiti is just one example of Haiti’s domination by U.S. imperialism. It is a well-known fact—shown repeatedly throughout the last century—that Haitian “leaders” have to first and foremost act in accordance with U.S. interests and receive their approval. That doesn’t mean that these “local” rulers don’t have any room to maneuver—room which they mostly use to advance the interests of the capitalist forces they represent. But in the final analysis, they serve U.S. imperialism first, the Haitian “elite” second… and the masses of Haitian people not at all.

But Henry was unable or unwilling to organize elections, so Haiti has not had a president, or a legislature, for over three years. To the extent anyone had governmental power, it was Henry. But Henry was hated by the masses, by Haiti’s biggest gang and by much of the ruling class. He had zero popular legitimacy and little actual authority. 

State Authority Paralyzed, Street Gangs Move to Expand Their Power

So in essence, there was a power vacuum at the top of the Haitian state. Soon Haiti’s gangs surged into that vacuum. Two major gangs emerged, the most powerful (known as G9), led by an ex-cop nicknamed “Barbecue.” 

Historically, gangs built among the most oppressed and desperate people in the slums became tools of one or another section of the ruling class. They served as shock troops, enforcers, “get out the vote or else” squads, etc. for bourgeois forces backing them. And they maintained some kind of “order” for the system as a whole, “regulating” these potentially volatile areas. In return the gangs had free rein to prey on to the people in their “territory” without police interference.

But with the rulers themselves unable to consolidate central authority, the gangs grew more ambitious. Instead of just being “muscle” for the ruling elite, gangs began making demands. Gangs first demanded that Prime Minister Henry be fired (which he was) and more recently that the Presidential Transition Council (CPT) (a political structure cobbled together by the U.S. to “fill the gap” left by the absence of an actual president and to organize new election) be disbanded. 

To enforce these demands, gangs attacked public institutions—the airport, hospitals and police stations. They seized control of the highways that connect Port-au-Prince to the rest of Haiti, crippling the economy and the transportation of food. Eighty-five percent of the capital is now under their control.

Gangs recently attacked Petionville, a well-off neighborhood in the hills above the city. Although they were defeated by combined forces of police and vigilantes, the attempt shook the city. An officer of the Mercy Corps charity commented: “Before, there were some neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince that we considered safe that the gangs had never reached, but now they are threatening to take over the control of the entire capital.”

Gangs Fight Each Other for a Bigger Share of Power… the People Pay a Terrible Price

At the same time, gangs are fighting fiercely with each other over who will control the most territory. “Territory” translates into more people to rob and dominate; more youth and even children as young as eight to “recruit” as “soldiers” and more overall power to reinforce their demands for a “seat at the table” of those ruling Haiti. 

The masses are paying a terrible price for these turf wars. Marcia Biggs, a PBS News Hour reporter, traveled to the huge Cité Soleil slum where major gangs are battling for control. She writes her team had to ride motorcycles to reach their destination because “a river of sewage and garbage makes the road impassable for cars.” Once there she reported: “The people here are really struggling. They say they have no services, no electricity, no water, no schools, no hospitals. This area has been attacked many, many times. Everyone here has been a victim. At every turn are footprints of homes burned down now marked by string. Bullet holes puncture all remaining facades, remnants of horrific battles that took place between G9 and G-Pep [two major gangs].”

Biggs also says that “Most of the women we talked to had been raped. Some are now pregnant.” Macricia Athis told Biggs: “I am crying because I can’t live in this misery. I don’t have milk for my little one, … Now the children are suffering. Sometimes, I can’t even feed them.”

Many of these women end up joining gangs for protection, and also to seek revenge, and are then dragged into committing atrocities themselves. But when asked “what could the state do to end the violence,” one woman defiantly called out the role of the state in instigating and fueling it: “The state should start with their high-ranking officials first, because they are the ones who set it up. We don’t take the streets of our free will. Where do we get weapons? How can I buy a Kalashnikov? How can I buy an M16? No, they must start with themselves first before that could change.”

U.S. Tries—and Fails—Repeatedly to Reestablish State Authority

The U.S. imperialists and the Haitian ruling class are still trying to pull together a political regime that has some stability and popular legitimacy—but they have been working on this for many years and seem no closer to success. Also bound up with this, they continue trying to defeat the gangs militarily, and to arrest or kill their leaders. Last June, 400 Kenyan troops were brought in by the U.S. to bolster the Haitian police and army. So far they have had little impact, but another 600 are expected soon, along with warplanes and war ships from other countries. So it can’t be ruled out that the U.S. and its local allies will turn the tide and get a grip on things.⁸ 

But looking at this whole situation, Robert Fatton Jr., a U.S. expert on Haiti, commented that “they [the gangs] are essentially trying to get power or at least negotiate to get power. Ultimately, if the situation deteriorates further, they’ll be in a position to negotiate, whether you like it or not.” Other Haiti experts have made similar points. In fact, the U.S. ambassador has admitted that “From time to time, there are contacts with the gangs…”—though he denies that these “contacts” are “negotiations.” 

Is There Any Way Out, and if So, What Is It?

These years of violence, chaos and terror have left many people feeling despair and hopelessness. One journalist wrote, “Bloody coups, brutal dictatorships and gangs created by Haiti’s political and economic elite have long defined the country’s history, but experts say the current crisis is the worst they’ve seen.” Robert Fatton Jr. says “The whole situation is really collapsing. … There is no functioning authority. … I’m at a loss for any short-term solution for Haiti, let alone any long-term solutions.”

But this hopelessness reflects people being locked within the framework of the existing oppressive order. People are thinking that there are only two choices. As they see it, one choice is the rule of capitalism-imperialism, with its endless string of U.S. lackeys and an endless stream of oppression and injustice. And the other is the unrestrained violence of criminal gangs, and the complete breakdown of any economic or social order. Viewed like that, the “collapse” of U.S. efforts to cobble together and enforce even a fig leaf of “democratic rule” is seen as “the end of the world.”

But there is actually a positive side to the current catastrophe. On the one hand, the complete bankruptcy of the old order in all its variations (which has included the fascist dictatorship of the Duvaliers as well as the reformism of Jean-Bertrand Aristide) has become excruciatingly clear—capitalism-imperialism offers no real answer to the horrors faced by the people. And on the other hand, the state’s loss of legitimacy, and its actual incapacity to control most of the capital creates “space” (political and literal) for revolutionary forces to begin to emerge and develop. This is a situation in which the road of revolution could have a strong appeal, and draw growing numbers to it.

So what is really needed now, and urgently, is for those who yearn for a different future to engage with Bob Avakian and the new communism that he has developed, and to collectively wrangle over how it applies to the intense situation in Haiti now.