PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, July 9—Thousands exploded in mass working-class violence to protest the government’s fuel price hikes.
 Prices for basic products, especially gasoline (38 percent) and diesel fuel (47 percent) (Reuters, 7/8). Commercial activity everywhere was impacted: tires burned in the streets, protesters downed the main antenna of Digicel (largest cell phone operator in Haiti), and singled out international hotels that were built since the 2010 earthquake instead of housing for those made homeless; major air carriers cancelled flights. The police, called out in force, were blocked from carrying out their brutal suppression of the popular will.
Thus was the hatred of the working class for our exploiters and oppressors expressed, but spontaneous expressions of hatred are not enough to solve our problems. Nothing short of the abolition of a system founded on profit for the small class of capitalists will prevent continuous and worsening attacks on our class. Only a system that is run by workers through our class’s international Party, PLP, can serve our needs and end this exploitation and oppression.
For weeks the IMF (International Monetary Fund) had demanded a halt to government subsidies for gasoline and diesel, thus increasing the portion of the prices on life necessities that workers are forced to pay. It diverted the revenue for running the oppressive government and paying debts to the IMF. Social networks were buzzing, so that when President Jovenel Moïse announced the price increases at 4pm last Friday everyone was prepared to fight back. They took to the streets, called the president a tool of the local and international capitalists and demanded that he step down.
Members and friends of PLP participated in and supported the rebellions, pointing out the need to destroy capitalism altogether and build communism everywhere in the world. There is mass despair, especially among the young, who have no hope of employment. This movement has avoided the usual mis-leadership of the traditional politicians. There is a level of understanding among the masses that we have to fight together for our class interests, and against the “me-ism” that the rulers encourage. But this is no substitute for building a mass communist party to foster and lead these periodic struggles as battles in the war to defeat and remove the capitalist-class enemy altogether, rather than to seek relief from each manifestation of our oppression as it arises. Millions need to join PLP to reach that goal.
President Jovenel Moïse was forced to rescind the price hikes for the moment. However, like all victories short of smashing the system, this will be only temporary. Furthermore, we cannot rely on the spontaneity of working-class hatred of our exploitation and oppression in the battles to come. We have to build our Party, the PLP, among the masses of workers and youth. Through class struggle and ideological struggle, win them to the need for communist revolution to end this system of misery once and for all.