On the evening of Thursday, September 25th, members of Progressive Labor Party ( PLP), along with several other students, put up a counter-demonstration to a so-called vigil for Charlie Kirk being held at a University in Kentucky campus. The vigil, like many others around the country, was not really about mourning Charlie Kirk, but rather an opportunity for fascists to take advantage and push racist, sexist, nationalist crap on students and workers (see page 8). PLP members had a responsibility to use our voices and numbers to oppose these fascist sympathizers on our campus, as well as demonstrate to students that fascism can be defeated, not through political assassination, but through a well-organized and disciplined working-class party that fights for a communist revolution to end fascism at its root— capitalism.
Despite our large ambitions, our protest started out small. Through word of mouth we had invited several comrades and friends in our base to come, and in addition to that, we handed out literature to see how many students walking by might be sympathetic enough to join us. The response was good, as many people took our paper and some said they would join us once we marched towards the plaza on campus where the vigil was being held. When all the comrades we invited out and more showed up, we started marching with the chant “fascism means—we got to fight back!”
No free speech for racists!
As we approached the plaza, we were quickly stopped by KKKops and the Dean of Students, who told us to turn back, saying we couldn’t use our voices past this point. To this we responded that Powell Plaza, the area on campus where the vigil was being held, was a designated “free speech zone,” citing the bosses’ laws against them. The dean responded by saying we have a right to free speech as long as we’re not doing it where the vigil is at, to which we rightfully exposed that as meaning that we weren’t allowed to express dissenting opinions.
Flustered, finally the university’s lackeys told us that the vigil was booked by the fascist Turning Point USA (TPUSA) on campus, and that for the duration that they reserved it, the “free speech zone” no longer applied. Using the information they gave us, we pushed them to let us march to the edge of the plaza, close enough for the fascists to hear us and for students walking by to see us and hear our message. When we marched closer, there was a line of KKKops and administrators standing side-by-side between us and the fascists to prevent us from going any further.
From this point though, we knew our chants would be heard by the other side, and we ramped up the energy, sharpening our chants and handing out CHALLENGE to students coming in and out of the plaza.
Workers refuse to back down against killer cops
Many bystanders were loving our chants, especially ones about ICE and Palestine. As a result, our numbers grew even more. We chanted for what seemed like forever. A couple times it seemed like the vigil was about to be over, or our voices were hoarse from chanting, and we considered leaving, but suddenly when one comrade had a medical episode we decided to stand our ground and not separate, especially since now the university KKKops had our path of retreat blocked with a vehicle, and in front of us was an ever-increasing group of spectators, some sympathetic, others from the vigil. We continued our chants even stronger than before, chanting “No Tears For Fascists!”
As people started leaving the plaza, some Kirk sympathizers formed a prayer circle in front of us, a display of pity to demoralize us. They even had the audacity to yell at us, “People are trying to worship here!” We weren’t fazed, and we responded by chanting thoughts and prayers serve as a way to prevent workers from organizing to solve their problems, but the fact that they were “praying” for us and not the thousands of Palestinian children being killed or immigrant workers being separated from their families just shows the hollow nature of their display. It also shows how, although many workers believe in religion, it is too often used as a tool by the bosses against communists and to divide workers. We must be patient with workers who still believe in religion so as not to alienate them from the movement, while also recognizing this fact. The trick used by the fascists at the vigil was the same age-old tactic of painting communists as “satanic.”
Opposing racism on campus is always right!
As the vigil ended, we stayed in the area to talk to students and made contacts to join our study group. Many were pleased and thanked us for coming out to oppose what was clearly a rallying-cry for the current fascist movement.
We have learned through our organizing that it is not enough to just table, advertise our party, and have educational events. Although those things are important, we also have to be actively involved in, and on the front lines of, struggles,whether it be a strike, an encampment, or an anti-fascist protest like this. This is how we truly expose to the masses the crimes of the ruling class—not just through words, but through action. Our demonstration showed the need to expose open fascist rhetoric anywhere and everywhere. Like in the past, the revisionists and liberals on campus discouraged any kind of action, embodying the same energy of sticking our heads in the sand and hoping that fascism goes away. PLP understands that in order to get students organized, we have to be willing to push ourselves and trust our friends and comrades to protect each other. In a world where individualism is pushed on us everywhere, and we’re constantly reminded to see each other as a potential threat, collective action bursts through that façade and shows that the real division is between us, the working-class, and those in power who own everything. Using this knowledge, we can go further: organize revolution to build a society where workers run things, and education is used to benefit society, not profit.
