First Published: The Guardian, July 21, 1976.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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The anti-imperialist demonstration in Philadelphia July 4, participated in by some 40,000 protestors, “covered up capitalism’s crimes,” “focused on improving capitalism” and “confined its protest to that which was acceptable to the ruling class.”
So says no less an authority on class collaboration than The Call, the weekly newspaper of the October League (OL) in its July 12 issue.
The Call similarly added to its investigatory credentials by reporting that the demonstration was “made up mainly of white, middle-class youth” totally ignoring the presence of 10,000 Puerto Ricans who comprised the single largest contingent and political force in the action. In fact, the words “Puerto Rico” and “Puerto Rican” never even appear in the account of the protest demonstration whose principal political demand was “Independence for Puerto Rico.” Hardly the first time that pseudo-“leftism” and racism have found themselves wedded to each other.
The Call also charges that the July 4 Coalition “received thousands of dollars from i the U.S. government itself’ with the money being “channeled to those who could guarantee a reformist path to steer the thousands I coming to Philadelphia.” A spokesperson for the Coalition told the Guardian that the accusation was “an outright lie.” According to The Call, the money came from a group called “The American Issues Forum.” The Coalition representative said they had never heard of such an organization much less ever received funds from it.
Finally, The Call delivered its ultimate– and by now standard– expose and denunciation, charging the July 4 Coalition with being under the influence of the revisionist Communist Party. Its evidence? The action not only was held “in the spirit of reforming and perfecting the role of capitalism,” it was also busy “spreading propaganda about imperialism’s phony ’detente’.” Not only does The Call’s journalist seem to be the only one among the tens of thousands present to have heard detente being touted in Philadelphia July 4. The OL doesn’t even appear to be aware of the fact that the CPUSA totally ignored the demonstration and in fact called upon its members to support the People’s Bicentennial Commission counter-bicentennial in Washington, D.C., that same day.
For its own part, the July 4 activity of the OL, an organization with some experience in “covering up the crimes” of U.S. imperialism in Angola, appears to have been confined to having its cadre sell copies of The Call at the demonstrations called by the July 4 Coalition.