First Published: in Struggle! No. 114, May 11, 1978
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Malcolm and Paul Saba
Copyright: This work is in the Public Domain under the Creative Commons Common Deed. You can freely copy, distribute and display this work; as well as make derivative and commercial works. Please credit the Encyclopedia of Anti-Revisionism On-Line as your source, include the url to this work, and note any of the transcribers, editors & proofreaders above.
At a time when the bourgeoisie is intensifying its repression on the working class, at a time when fascist groups like the Western Guard are seeking to consolidate themselves across the country, groups claiming to be Marxist-Leninist are doing things which openly serve the bourgeoisie, and which are a part of the pure and simple repression against communists and progressives. These groups, principally the “Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist)”. “CPC(M-L)”, and the Canadian Communist League (Marxist-Leninist), CCL(M-L), are trying by all possible means to forcefully impose their political line, by preventing the expression of all other points of views, particularly the communist point of view.
The “CPC(M-L)” has a long tradition of provocations against real communists. 2x4’s have even become its trademark in the eyes of many workers who have seen it in action. Recently, in Hull, militants from this “party” physically attacked a comrade from IN STRUGGLE! right in the middle of the street; shortly afterwards, in Montreal, other militants from this same party beat up one IN STRUGGLE! distributor, and repeatedly punched a second distributor in the stomach before ripping up their newspapers. And recently, during a Saskatoon meeting of IN STRUGGLE! on the national question, the “CPC(M-L)” launched a veritable commando attack, armed with clubs with red flags hanging off the ends. After pushing the security marshalls around and forcing their way into the meeting hall, they interupted the proceedings by reading, in the hysterical tone which characterizes these people, a long communique denouncing IN STRUGGLE! While one read the communique, the seven others stood guard and threatened the participants with their clubs. After yelling out a few of their slogans, they ran out of the hall. Quite obviously, the meetings on the national question which, attracted more than 270 people in Regina and Saskatoon didn’t seem to please these provocateurs, because at the same time their chairman, Hardial Bains was on a tour in the same region and was only able to draw 2 or 3 people in each of these cities.
The League must also be singled out for its recent physical attacks against our militants. You see; the lies, the gossip, the false rumours and individual pressure put on IN STRUGGLE! sympathizers for which it’s become famous, had no result.
In an attempt to oppose the penetration of IN STRUGGLE!’s viewpoint in the masses, any means is acceptable, including physical attacks, punching, spitting on and pushing around our distributors. It’s been a while now that the League has been busy systematically covering up our posters with their own, or simply removing ours. They’ve also used all sorts of tricks to seize our leaflet or our newpapers to prevent the masses from seeing them. But there’s more. The League systematically turns to police methods to accomplish its work: in meetings it tries to photograph IN STRUGGLE! militants, it tails IN STRUGGLE! sympathizers to intimidate and spy on them, it publicly reveals names of our militants, as was the case in a leaflet which it distributed in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood in east-end Montreal. And that’s not all.Twice already, at a meeting of its committee of the unemployed and at an anti-imperialist meeting, at the University of Montreal, the League felt obliged to call the police to impede comrades from IN STRUGGLE! from distributing: lacking bouncers of its own, the League calls on those of the bourgeoisie!
A few weeks ago, at a meeting of solidarity with the Commonwealth Plywood workers, it placed a row of bouncers in front of IN STRUGGLE!’s literature table, preventing workers from approaching it. On May Day, at the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Local Community Service Center, once again the League wanted to prevent us from entering and was opposed to the idea that there be a literature table. To try and oppose the participation of workers at a meeting of the struggle committee of CN workers in Montreal, the League produced a leaflet inviting the CN workers to a meeting on the same day, at the same time, signing it with “workers at CN”. And at the struggle committee meeting, its bouncers tried to block the entrance and impede workers from participating.
So that’s what these counter-revolutionaries and opportunists are reduced to. Quite incapable of demonstrating the justice of their viewpoint by the force of their arguments and ideological struggle in an effort to educate the masses and help them grasp Marxism-Leninism in the heat of the struggle between correct and incorrect ideas, all of these groups are today forced to use plain force or the worst vulgarities to try and counter the growing influence of real communists in the masses. Is it necessary to point out that physical aggression, intimidation, lies, tailing, photographing, stealing literature, false representations,etc. have nothing in common with communist work, and are only worthy of the RCMP and other bourgeois police, or else fascist groups which at least openly advance what they are! These provocations attempt to prevent workers from adhering to communism, and serve the bourgeoisie 100%. What are they if not manifestations of the most utter contempt for the masses and the fear of defending one’s point of view out in the open?
IN STRUGGLE! has never been afraid to openly confront its positions with those of the counter-revolutionaries and opportunists, because it has confidence in the masses and their capacity to grasp the correct point of view. But we want to make it clear to these groups that there’s no question of our being intimidated by their provocations. Communists know how to answer fascist provocations with the firmness and determination of the working-class.
Already these acts have been unmasked by the masses themselves in unions, citizen groups, and other organizations. And when their sabotage continued, concrete means were taken to isolate these phoney communists. It’s important that this struggle be waged openly, in the full view of all, because it’s not a struggle which concerns all working-class organizations, a struggle against provocation, intimidation, and sabotage. It’s a struggle which is part of the more general fightback for the defense of our democratic rights.