As the horrific genocidal war in Gaza continues, the revcoms in Los Angeles called for a moving protest on the public transit trains on January 11. Going to where the masses are to shake them awake to the genocide Israel is carrying out in Gaza, with the backing of the U.S. We called on people to stand up as part of getting organized for a real revolution to put an end to U.S. imperialism, which is the cause of this and other horrors. To recognize that we are living in a rare time when this revolution becomes more possible, and to learn how this system is in crisis and turmoil, a time of potential turning point in human history.

A few people who heard about this a few days back at another demo for Palestine came and took up carrying “body bags” that were made to symbolize the children killed. They were part of a procession through the trains, carrying signs with a challenge to people: “Your Government is arming a genocide. Where do you stand? +23,000 Palestinians killed. +9,500 children. +62,000 injured.” One of the people who joined us made their own graphic pamphlet—it took them 40 hours to draw by hand, with images of the number of people killed. People who had come mainly for the demands around Gaza stayed for the full afternoon.

We hopped on the trains going from Downtown LA to South Central, then to Hollywood, reaching thousands, with some joining us on the spot. Through this action we were able to speak to crowds of people, many of them following with great concern what is happening in Gaza but didn’t understand why it is happening. Others ignoring and some saying, “Is this going to get in the way of getting home?” Mainly this action shook people from their daily routine. In almost every car people were glued to the agitation, many paused their conversations and listened, many were lifting their heads from their phones to carefully read the leaflet.

People heard powerful revolutionary agitation. The agitation reached inside of them with the reality of what is happening in Palestine. At our best, we took people to the system that this horror defended, got into the need to overthrow that system, and talked about the leadership we have for that in Bob Avakian—and his analysis of this crucial year and the chance for revolution. We challenged people with what they don’t know and what they need to know, where this is coming from, how completely intolerable it is and how we could live a whole different way. 

A Black woman who was moved to tears said, “I don’t understand why this is happening.” She was agonizing over why this is being done to children. We walked through with her the quote from Bob Avakian on our flyer which says: 

Why is Biden, and basically the entire government and ruling class of the U.S., supporting Israel in carrying out genocide against the Palestinian people, before the whole world? This is not because of ‘the power of the Jewish lobby’—or because of some ignorant, ridiculous and outrageous notion that ‘Jews are controlling everything.’ It is because Israel plays a ‘special role’ as a heavily armed bastion of support for U.S. imperialism in a strategically important part of the world (the ‘Middle East’). And Israel has been a key force in the commission of atrocities which have helped to maintain the oppressive rule of U.S. imperialism in many other parts of the world.

In response she said, “People don’t know this, I did not understand this, and people need to understand this!” We told her that she needed to help people understand this by spreading this. She took flyers to spread and said she wanted to come to the revcoms’ open house. This quote helped clarify for people WHY the U.S. is backing Israel in this genocide.

After hours of us speaking out on the trains, the Metro police carried out an illegitimate “private persons arrest” on six revcoms, charging them with “trespassing.” This is an outrage, and this can have the effect of silencing voices not just around Palestine but calling on people to stand up against this system. We are in the process of mounting a legal defense to drop these charges and demand for our right to engage in protected speech on the trains. 

This was a day that showed both the basis to bring revolution to people and to bring those turning their heads into a movement that can bring forward the thousands who can make all the difference as things continue to sharpen up in society and the world, to bring forward what is required to make a real revolution.