Create More Autonomous Zones!

The working class movement has now merged with the Afro American movement, as well as with the struggle of all minorities, against violent police repression. Protesters are now marching all across the country, and for the most part, engaging in peaceful demonstrations. Criminal elements, vandals and looters, are of course taking advantage of the occasion to damage and thieve, but they are the exception.

The revolutionary motion is very broad and deep. In the city of Seattle, state of Washington, the protesters were so strong that the police in the East Precinct were forced to board up their detachment and abandon the building. The people then occupied several city blocks around the detachment. They are referring to this as the CHAZ, the Capital Hill Autonomous Zone. It is also being referred to as the Seattle Safe Zone, or the Seattle Commune. There is no visible police presence within the Zone.

This Zone or Commune is a fundamental political force, one which has grown out of the revolution. It is nothing less than a workers government, one which expresses the interest of the working class, the proletariat. As yet it is weak, very weak, but that in no way changes the fact that it is the embryo of a workers’ government. For that reason, it requires our full support.

Protesters have hung a sign on the East Precinct Police Station, saying ”THIS SPACE IS NOW PROPERTY OF THE SEATTLE PEOPLE”. Food and drink is largely free of charge, and the people have planted a community garden in Cal Anderson Park. The people within the Zone are working together, sharing that which they have. No one person is trying to take advantage of any other. The profit motive is conspicuous by its absence. It is only the more astute journalists who are referring to this as the Seattle Commune.

Inside the Zone, workers have held long ”town halls” to discuss their plans and hash out a strategy. As a result of this, they have put forward a list of demands, which include:

Abolish Seattle Police Department

Ban Use of Armed Force

Remove Officers From Schools

Eradicate Juvenile Jails and Prisons

Distribute Reparitions to Victims of Police Brutality

It should come as no great surprise to anyone that Trump ”disapproves” of these shenanigans, to put it politely. As he phrased it, ”Domestic Terrorists have taken over Seattle, run by Radical Left Democrats”. He also ordered the city and state officials to ”Take back your city NOW. If you don’t do it, I will. This is not a game. These ugly Anarchists must be stopped IMMEDIATELY. MOVE FAST”.

Trump is absolutely correct when he says that this is not a ”game”. Aside from that, his statements are full of slander and threats. American workers who are exercising their democratic right to protest are not Terrorists and Anarchists. That is a fact, just as it is a fact that his threat to ”take back the city” should be taken seriously. He fully intends to send in the American military, to invade the state of Washington and ”take back” the city of Seattle.

In response, the governor of Washington had a few harsh words of his own for Trump: ”A man who is totally incapable of governing should stay out of Washington states’ business.” In addition, the mayor of Seattle issued her own statement: ”The threat to invade Seattle, to divide and incite violence, in our city is not only unwelcome, it would be illegal”.

These two statements, by the governor of the state of Washington, as well as the mayor of the city of Seattle, are absolutely correct. This in no way changes the fact that Trump has just announced his plans to invade a soverign state.

The current situation in America bears striking similarities to the situation of Russia, in early 1917, in the months immediately following the bourgeois revolution of February-March, in which the Czar was overthrown. The capitalists and landlords then assumed undisputed power, under a democratic republic.

At that time, Lenin was living in Switzerland, as he had been exiled years earlier. Still, he was tracking the Russian revolution as best he could, and offering advice in his letters, known as his Letters From Afar. As he put it, the capitalists are ”prepared to stoop to any brutality, to any crime, to ruin and strangle any number of citizens in order to preserve the ‘sacred right of property’ for themselves and their class”. (italics by Lenin)

Over the years, the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, have not ”changed their stripes”. The bourgeoisie of all countries are completely reactionary. We too are cursed with the capitalists, the billionaires, the class of people known as the bourgeoisie. Without doubt, these American capitalists see the occupation of those few city blocks in the city of Seattle as a threat to their ”sacred right of property”, as indeed it is. For that reason, they too are ”prepared to stoop to any brutality, to any crime, to ruin and strangle any number of citizens”. Hence the plan of Tump to send the American military into the city of Seattle, which is strictly against the law, in the interests of ”law and order”. Trump is not bluffing. He refers to himself as the ”law and order president”. By that he means that he lays down the law and gives the orders. To hell with the Constitution!

There are other similarities between Russia of 1917 and America of today. At that time, in Russia, the common people, both workers and peasants, had been schooled in the previous Russian revolution, the three years of 1905-1907. That revolution had failed to overthrow the Czar, but it had succeeded in educating the Russian people. That experience served them well in the February-March revolution of 1917, in which the Czar was finally overthrown, as well as the November 7 revolution of the same year, in which the capitalists were also overthrown.

In the months following the momentous occasion of the February-March revolution, there appeared in Russia an organization, that which Lenin referred to as a ”workers government”. The people taking part in those organizations referred to themselves as the ”Soviet of Workers Deputies”. This particular organization first took shape in the capital city of Saint Petersburg. Lenin also referred to this organization of workers as an ”embryo of a workers government, the representative of the interests of the entire mass of the poor section of the population” (italics by Lenin) In a short time, this organization of workers spread across all of Russia. It also spread to the Soviet of Soldiers Deputies and to the Soviet of Poor Peasants Deputies.

This was exceptionally important, for as Lenin went on to explain, this Soviet of Workers Deputies was nothing less than a ”transition from the first stage of the revolution to the second, and why the slogan, the ‘task of the day’, at this day must be: Workers, you have performed miracles of proletarian heroism, the heroism of the people, in the civil war against tsarism. You must perform miracles of organization, organization of the proletariat and of the whole people, to prepare the way for your victory in the second stage of the revolution.” (italics by Lenin)

Of necessity, this ”victory in the second stage of the revolution” was a reference to the planned overthrow of the bourgeoisie and the establishment of a socialist republic. There is no alternate, as there are no other social forces in the political arena, nor can there be. In Russia, 1917, as in America, 2020, it is the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, against the workers, the proletariat. The bourgeoisie stand for capitalism and the workers stand for socialism. There is no middle ground.

It is not a coincidence that the leaders of the newly formed Russian bourgeois republic, those who were members of the Kerensky regime, referred to the Soviet of Workers Deputies as ”Anarchists”. This was nothing less than slander, just as Trump is referring to peaceful protesters as Anarchists and Terrorists. Such tactics, that of slander, is characteristic of the bourgeoisie. It is merely a screen to conceal the interests of the capitalists, those who are concerned only with making a profit. In the process of pursuing their lust for that profit, they introduce anarchy and starvation into the country. It is only the working class, the proletariat, who can introduce law and order into the country, making sure that the basic needs of all are met. In the process, starvation, homelessness and imperialist war will be abolished.

Now, here in America, many of the members of the public, common people, are veterans of various protest movements. These include the Civil Rights Movement, the Anti War Movement and more recently the Occupy Movement. Those people are no doubt sharing their experiences with the younger members of the Zone. This Zone is the rough equivalent of the Soviet of Workers Deputies within Russia of 1917. I should mention that the word Soviet means Council. Just as the Soviet of Workers Deputies spread across the country of Russia, we can expect the Zone of Seattle to spread across the country of America.

The capitalists, the bourgeoisie, the class of people of whom Trump is a member, is also well aware of this. They too expect these self described Autonomous Zones to take shape in various cities and towns, and even to spread to the military, possibly in a different form, just as the Soviet of Soldiers Deputies made an appearance and spread across Russia. After all, the capitalists are not entirely stupid. They see the Zone as a threat to their authority, which is precisely what it is! For that reason, Trump is determined to ”nip it in the bud”.

The Capital Hill Autonomous Zone, CHAZ, is nothing less than a working class, proletarian area of occupation, within a vast sea of capitalism. The bourgeoisie view this as a ”cancer” which could well spread throughout the whole ”organism” if left unchecked. For that reason, they are determined to wipe it out. For the same reason, we are equally determined to offer it all support.

The fact is that we live in a class society, under capitalism. The capitalists are in charge, and we live under the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. They rule! These parasites must be overthrown and capitalism must be replaced with socialism. The one and only way to do this is through revolution. After the bourgeoisie are overthrown, they must be crushed under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. That is a fundamental tenet of Marxism.

Another fact is that there can be one and only one class in power, at any given time. Either the bourgeoisie is in charge, or the proletariat is in charge. The workers of Seattle have occupied a section of the city which they consider to be ”Autonomous”. For this they deserve a great deal of credit. It was a major accomplishment, a huge step forward on the road to revolution and scientific socialism. This is not to say that the Zone is Autonomous, because it is not.

It does mean that this is a transitional moment, a time of passing to the next stage of the revolution. It is the duty of Marxists to learn from the experience of previous revolutions, to understand precisely the peculiarities of this transitional moment, and from those peculiarities, to determine the tactics which must be followed.

With that in mind, it is safe to say that the revolutionary motion is becoming ever stronger. Each day, more people are marching and protesting. As I write this, yet another Black man has been killed by a White policeman, this time in the city of Atlanta. He is reported to have committed the ”crime” of sleeping in his car. Ever more citizens are rising up in protest.

Further, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has issued an apology to the members of the public, for the role he played in the ”photo op” of Trump in front of a church. Even the top military people are standing up to Trump! They are joining the ranks of the politicians, including the governors, mayors and members of the federal government, who are opposing Trump.

We can conclude by saying that the strength of the revolutionary motion is rising, growing ever stronger, while the capitalists are deeply divided. This in no way changes the fact that the American bourgeoisie and the American bourgeois intelligentsia are still very strong, deeply entrenched. They must be overthrown and then crushed under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. The only solution is that the proletariat must be organized! The one and only way to achieve durable victory in the forthcoming revolution is to perform miracles of proletarian organization!

Even after the revolution, we will still need a revolutionary government, a state. That is what distinguishes us from the anarchists. The difference between revolutionary Marxists and the anarchists is that the Marxists are for utilizing revolutionary forms of the state, in the form of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, after the revolution, while the anarchists are against this.

Organization is the slogan of the moment. This is not to say that workers should only join trade unions and mainstream political parties. They should also form Zones, or ”Communes”, if you prefer, modelled on the Seattle Autonomous Zone. Such Zones are certainly not legal, but should be set up all across the country, in all cities and towns. This should result in a fine combination of legal and illegal activity. These Zones must be regarded as organs of insurrection, of revolutionary rule, if only in embryonic form, because that is precisely what they are.

To suggest that working people should confine themselves to strictly legal activity is to work in the service of the social chauvinists and the centrists, those who are determined to maintain the rule of the bourgeoisie. Such legal activity is completely acceptable to the bourgeoisie, as it is not a threat to their rule. The creation of Zones or Communes is very much a threat to the rule of the bourgeoisie.

Now is the time to organize the proletariat. The people who have proven to be excellent organizers in the recent past are the American women and students. You have worked miracles of organization before, and you can do so again. As the proletarian revolution is very close, there is a crying need for your services. As you have the talent and skill, you also have a moral obligation to put those skills to good use. Now is no time to rest on your laurels. It is in the best interests of revolution, of scientific socialism, of the proletariat, that you once again organize. Only this time, do not limit yourself to Trump. Broaden your horizons. Go for the throat. Focus on destroying the bourgeoisie. Focus on the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. With that in mind, may I suggest organizing zones in all towns and cities, and not just small blocks. Occupy the whole town, the whole city. Occupy the whole state. Put the ”Autonomous” in Autonomous Zones. Organize groups of states. Form separate socialist independent republics. Let the bourgeoisie know that the American founding fathers gave all Americans the right to ”abolish any government which does not represent them”, and that is just what you are doing. In short:

Organize the Proletariat!

Create More Autonomous Zones!