NEW YORK CITY, March 9— This past weekend, members and friends of the Progressive Labor Party participated in mass action and led a study group related to the ongoing genocide against Palestinian workers being carried out by the Zionist bosses of Israel and their imperialist lackeys in the U.S. and Europe.

IDF, NYPD—from Rafah to NYC, HANDS OFF

With 1.5 million Palestinians currently living on top of each other in tents across its city streets, Rafah is currently the most densely populated place in the world, and vulnerable to ground assault. The mass action in Washington Square Park was called in response to these sharpening conditions in Gaza. Despite heavy rain, upwards of 1,200 workers filled the square with militant energy.
Approximately two dozen members and friends attended, distributing close to 900 copies of CHALLENGE, and leading sharp multilingual chants calling for the end of capitalism by way of communist revolution. The surrounding crowd echoed “Fight for communism, now’s the time!” signaling a shift in class consciousness by the working class here.

Ramping up of fascism

This mass demonstration of internationalist unity inspires confidence and hope at a time when both are much needed. From Rafah to NYC, workers around the world are feeling the boot heel of fascism crushing their necks against the curb. This action comes amid the Biden administration's performative charity of dropping aid boxes with malfunctioning parachutes, resulting in the death of civilians, rather than simply allowing aid trucks to pass through the border.

Meanwhile, in NYC, workers suffer inflated food prices, and cuts to social programs, with liberal fascist-in-training Governor Kathy Hochul adding 1000 National Guard soldiers to patrol subways at a time when crime is down. The message—that workers can and should only expect evermore brutish conditions—is clear, and workers are beginning to see the writing on the wall.

How can we build a scientific understanding of internationalism?

Following the action, we held a study-action group that is part of a series that a club of educators has been conducting for the last year. We discussed the limits of nationalism and teased out lively discussions of our position on intersectionality, which seems to be the greatest source of disagreement. Of our 25 participants that day, some we had just met at the action.

We look forward to our next meeting and all in all, it was a reminder that what we do counts.
Fight for communism, now’s the time!

Both the mass action and study group signal an optimistic, qualitative shift, but we must remain prepared, given that such a shift is not necessarily coupled by sharpened contradictions. We must maintain revolutionary optimism and sharpen our understanding of our line. As such, we must treat all base-building opportunities as valuable chances to objectively interrogate our line. With the rise of World War III on the horizon, we cannot shy away from sharp objectivity.

Build the Progressive Labor Party! Fight for communism!