The Militant (logo)  
   Vol. 67/No. 8           March 17, 2003  
 
 
Socialists attract youth interested in revolution
 
BY CHESSIE MOLANO  
NEW YORK--"Whatever its military might, Washington is acting out of weakness and fighting to hold onto a crumbling empire," said Naomi Craine, speaking at an open house following the February 15 peace rally. "It’s important to explain the development of capitalism and why the only way to end its wars is to end the capitalist system," she told the nearly 100 persons who attended.

The open house was sponsored by the Young Socialists and Socialist Workers Party. Many participants had spent the day distributing the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial and discussing politics with other protesters. They also sold titles published by Pathfinder from more than a dozen literature tables.

Róger Calero, an editor of Perspectiva Mundial, also spoke. He reported on the broad support his defense campaign is winning in the fight against the attempt by the Immigration and Naturalization Service to deport him.

Maria Torres, 17, a La Guardia High school student, told the Militant that she decided to come to the open house after stopping at a literature table and talking with members of the YS and SWP. "I want to know what’s happening, other than what’s in the news," she said.

This was the second peace rally for Shannon Clarke, a student at Howard University in Washington D. C. Clarke first met the YS at the January 18 protest in Washington, DC. "The U.S. is out for more control and more power," she said.

The socialist campaigners got a good response at the rally. They sold 650 copies of the Militant and just over a $1,000 worth of Pathfinder literature.

Socialist newspapers and books were well received at other actions in the United States and several other countries.

Protesters purchased almost 180 copies of the Militant at the February 16 demonstration in San Francisco, along with seven subscriptions to the newspapers and $635 in literature. The new Pathfinder title, Marianas in Combat: Teté Puebla and the Mariana Grajales Women’s Platoon in Cuba’s Revolutionary War, by Teté Puebla was one of the best sellers, along with the Communist Manifesto, the issue of New International featuring the article "Opening Guns of World War III," and Malcolm X Talks to Young People. Following the protest, a dozen people attended an SWP/YS open house.

Militant supporters in Detroit sold 40 copies at a protest of 1,000 people. In Tucson, Arizona, socialist workers and youth set up a literature table at the 4,000-strong demonstration there, selling two subscriptions and a number of Pathfinder books.

In London and Glasgow nearly 200 copies of the Militant were sold along with $480 worth of Pathfinder literature.

Marchers in the New Zealand cities of Auckland and Christchurch bought 90 copies of the Militant.

Successful sales were also recorded in Sydney, Australia, Vancouver and Edmonton in Canada, and in Athens, Greece. At the Paris demonstration a poster calling for the withdrawal of French troops from the Ivory Coast attracted a large number of African participants to the literature display.

Ilona Gersh in Detroit and Betsy McDonald in Tucson contributed to this article.
 
 
Related articles:
Hundreds of thousands join peace rallies
Thousands march in South Africa against drive to war on Iraq  
 
 
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