First Published: People’s Canada Daily News Release, May 12, 1972
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Malcolm and Paul Saba
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Vancouver (PCDN) May 7 – Afro-Asian People’s Solidarity Movement held a meeting on April 30 on the topic, The Role of Afro-Asians in the Canadian People’s Struggle Against US Imperialism. A summary of the discussion is presented here. Three basic ideas were discussed: 1) the fallacy that “Afro-Asians are more revolutionary than North Americans” 2) the tasks of Afro-Asians in expressing solidarity, and 3) the motive of the “left-sloganeering front of Khrushchevite revisionism”.
Since December 1970, a handful of Afro-Asian chauvinists have been frantically pushing the racist line in Vancouver that “Afro-Asians are more revolutionary than North Americans” and many people are questioning what the role of Afro-Asians in the revolutionary struggle here. The “ideological position” of the left sloganeering front of Khrushchevite revisionism is given in the phoney issue of SOLIDARITY, in an editorial which purport to “refute” the ultra-left slanders of the People’s Republic of China but which, in fact, gives the same line. The nonsense, in this editorial was thoroughly refuted and exposed. All the participants welcomed the article in Vol. 3, No. 1 issue of Afro-Asian Latin-American Solidarity from Montreal as consistent with our own experience and expressed their complete support for them. It was pointed out that the Afro-Asian chauvinists and rightists seek to detach Afro-Asians from North Americans in order to create unprincipled contradictions between the Canadian and Quebec proletariat and national minorities to divide the people in the service of the imperialists. They allege that the main enemy are the ultra-leftists and they use this concoction to join the imperialists in concretely attacking and slandering the genuine revolutionary people.
The revisionist pontiffs spread confusion about what solidarity is While they give themselves the right to shout slogans of advice to those very revolutionaries who are “settling accounts with imperialism on the battlefield” in Asia, Africa and Latin America, they have precious little to say about the concrete tasks of Afro-Asians here. The AAPSM has always held that “solidarity” is a class question. The best way to express solidarity with the third world is to organize our own nationalities and closely unite with the Canadian working class in our common struggle against US imperialism and its running dogs of all hues and colours. In shirking from this task, the Khrushchevite revisionists have abandoned revolutionary principle and revolutionary struggle. They find some “competition” between Marxist-Leninists and anti-imperialists, and spread lies, slanders and character assassinations about various people, especially our leader, Comrade Hardian S. Bains, all for the purpose of disintegrating the revolutionary ranks. They have worked hard to prevent Afro-Asians from uniting with the Canadian people against US imperialism, just as lackey Trudeau advocates. This shows they are police spies of US imperialism.
The motive of these Afro-Asian chauvinists and lumpens is to “support” revolution in the abstract while opposing it in concrete. Thus they viciously attack the Communist Party of Canada (M-L) and its leadership and members and try to negate them completely. On the other hand, they find something “good” in the CIA agencies such as “Confederation of Iranian Students”. In Vancouver, some lumpens used to push the line that “we only have sentiment for Iranian people but not for Canadian people.” But some of them have settled into cushy positions exploiting the Iranian people, after returning home. This exposes what their true sentiment is.
It was concluded in the discussion that these chauvinists and lumpens conspired and intrigued to split and dismember the solidarity movement. They have caused great harm in Montreal and in Vancouver and we must learn from their negative example. To be attacked by them is a good thing, and the fact that such creatures have come up shows that revolution is at a high level. We must closely unite with the great modern proletariat, learn from their advanced ideas and come under the leadership of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist). We must learn from the internationalist spirit of NORMAN BETHUNE, who opposed all kinds of reaction and fought with the people wherever he was. As for the chauvinists and lumpens, if they persist in their pro-imperialist intrigues, the broad masses of people will surely wipe them out with a vengence. End item.