Washington, DC, November 2—At the coalition rally led by Progressive Labor Party (PLP) downtown in front of the Convention Center, the chant rang out: “From DC to Palestine, Occupation is a Crime!” The action was organized to protest the growing fascism of the American Public Health Association (APHA) during their annual conference.
Moments earlier, brave APHA members staged a walkout of the opening session, walking slowly down the main aisle, holding a banner that said, “Oppose Fascism and Genocide.” Another group of those walking out held a banner that said “APHA: Reinstate Amy Hagopian,” a former APHA member and friend to many of us who is also an outspoken leader against the occupation and genocide in Palestine.
If you go by the APHA leadership, the only problem with the world today is Donald Trump, RFK Jr, and the subsequent attacks on public health grant funding and vaccine access. As liberals, they will never acknowledge what us communists point out, which is that capitalism, racism, and wars for profit have been decimating our class worldwide for decades. These liberal leaders of APHA show that they are more dangerous than the outright reactionary wing of the U.S. ruling class because they use identity and respectability politics to keep workers divided, quiet and in line. The liberals believe in nationalism and hate internationalism represented by workers uniting in solidarity across borders.
APHA leadership is doing their best to make sure public health workers are misled. Members of PLP are not confused about the barriers confronting our class. We know that the only way to have a shot at making a lasting difference in workers’ lives and optimizing our collective health is by overthrowing capitalism with a communist revolution. The only way to make a communist revolution is through organizing with the antiracist, antisexist, mass working-class Party that is the PLP, and these are the political ideas we amplified and brought to thousands of healthcare workers!
Building a broad base against genocide and racism
Once outside the convention center, more attendees came to join the rally, until there were 125 people participating in the action. Picketing and chanting were led by a Chicago comrade and then the group gathered to hear from speakers about the issues of racist state violence, genocide, fascism, and repression within APHA. During this spirited rally, many copies of our “APHAs CHALLENGE” were distributed and members were invited to our PLP social and discussion on fascism that same evening. Speakers from local organizations that PLP members have organized within the past two years joined the protest. The opening speaker from DC’s Jewish Voices for Peace was a physician who has also been active in struggles around immigration and health care (See CHALLENGE, 4/23).
The fight against Israeli military companies in Maryland was highlighted by the leader of the Drop the MIDC! campaign. Our work in PLP to raise money and support ongoing struggles connected with speakers from Doctors Against Genocide, Veterans for Peace, and Health Care Workers for Palestine. One PLP speaker explained inter-imperialist rivalry over oil and shipping routes and the risk of world war with China. A young student PLP member focused on growing racism and fascism and the need to build a mass communist Party to defeat these threats and destroy capitalism. Others spoke about resistance to ICE raids in DC and Chicago, and how teachers in Maryland were punished for speaking out against the genocide in Gaza.
The rally’s final speaker was Dr. Amy Hagopian. She was removed from the organization after participating in an anti-genocide protest inside the APHA at last year’s convention in Minneapolis (See CHALLENGE, 11/22/24). Amy spent this entire convention outside the convention center with a large sign which said, “Ask me why I’m not allowed into the Convention Center.” APHA leadership claimed that the action at last year’s convention was antisemitic—a patently false claim that many of the Jewish members who participated in the action were shocked to hear.
Liberals are the main danger to our class
APHA leadership has been moving to the right politically for years but has accelerated their fascist turn especially in the last two years. They were appalled that our organizing led to the APHA’s Governing Council voting to pass a policy statement calling for a ceasefire in November 2023 with 90 percent of the vote (see CHALLENGE, 11/29/23). Ever since that meeting, they have ramped up their attempts to silence, censor, and control members who care about workers in Palestine. They have done this through multiple mechanisms including removing power from the Governing Council, changing the more open process for policy statements to a longer, more restrictive process, and having secret “Code of Conduct” trials with punishments up to and including expelling members from the organization.
These actions mirror the moves the US government is taking in its ramping up of fascism. They clearly demonstrate the saying “scratch a liberal, find a fascist.” APHA is led by liberal careerists who are always in lockstep with the Democratic Party. Being forced by the membership to disagree with the Democrats on racist police violence in the past (2016-2018) and with the genocide in Gaza so early on (2023) made APHA leadership angry and uncomfortable. And they responded by using every mechanism they possess to control and squash dissent and radical voices.
We have a world to win
From the walkout and rally we led to the many sessions we presented at and attended, our line was brought to the masses of public health workers and students. We distributed 1000 flyers to announce the rally and 700 APHA CHALLENGE among other PLP literature. We made at least 15 student and worker contacts who loved our fight back and politics.
We will follow up on this momentum with a new study group in Chicago for folks we met. And we will continue to be bold in the face of repression — who knows how many of us will be barred from next year’s meeting for the actions described here. But, like our friend Amy, we will not let that keep us from fighting against fascism and genocide. We will help build class consciousness in public health so that we can create the communist world that the working class deserves.